Intestinal permeability responses to maximal and submaximal exercise in individuals with normal-weight obesity: an...

Area of Science:

• Exercise physiology
• Gastroenterology
• Cardiovascular disease research

Background:

• Intestinal permeability is linked to inflammation and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• Aerobic exercise can increase intestinal permeability, but responses in at-risk groups are unknown.
• Normal-weight obesity (NWO) presents increased CVD risk, potentially due to inflammation, with unclear drivers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gut permeability and inflammatory biomarker responses to maximal and submaximal exercise in normal-weight obese (NWO) individuals.
• To compare these responses between NWO, normal-weight lean (NWL), and obese (OB) groups.
• To explore the relationship between body fat percentage and exercise-induced changes in gut biomarkers.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 31 participants (NWO, NWL, OB).
• Participants underwent maximal exercise testing (T1) and submaximal exercise (T2) on a cycle ergometer.
• Gut permeability (FABP2) and inflammatory (sCD14, IL-6) biomarkers were measured pre- and post-exercise.

Main Results:

• sCD14 increased post-maximal exercise in the full sample, NWL, and OB groups.
• FABP2 increased post-maximal exercise in NWO and post-submaximal exercise in the full sample and OB group.
• IL-6 increased post-submaximal exercise in all groups, with similar absolute changes across groups for all biomarkers.

Conclusions:

• NWO individuals exhibit largely similar gut barrier responses to exercise compared to NWL and OB groups.
• Preliminary findings suggest potential minor differences in specific biomarker responses.
• The impact of relative adiposity on exercise-induced intestinal permeability requires further investigation.