The Role of Exercise in Fat Oxidation and Its Impact on Adolescent Metabolism

Adolescent obesity is a major international public health problem. Many studies have shown that exercise training is of great importance in preventing the excessive amount of increase in body fat mass. It has been thought that exercise programs that increase the rate of fatty acid oxidation (FAO) will result in an acceptable reduction in fat mass after a period of time. However, it is still questionable which exercise, and its intensity is most effective for increasing the fat loss. The aim of this review is to discuss exercise intensity-dependent energy consumption and the contribution of lipid oxidation to supply energy demand in the metabolic adaptation of adolescent metabolism to exercise training. A constant sedentary lifestyle leads to insulin resistance and vascular function problems, and an increased rate of carbohydrate oxidation ultimately leads to the accumulation of body fat mass. The exercise program to be implemented in sedentary behavior is decided by monitoring frequency, intensity, time, and type of exercise. Increased adipose tissue perfusion dependent on exercise intensity, results in increased FAO and lipolysis. Surprisingly, lipolysis during high-intensity exercise is less than FAO during low-intensity exercise. A positive correlation has been found between maximum FAO and insulin sensitivity in healthy adolescents.