Effects of exercise before and/or after a mixed lunch on postprandial metabolic responses in healthy male individuals
Massimo Sacchetti, European Journal of Nutrition volume 60, pages3437–3447 (2021)
Purpose
Exercise plays an important role in preventing and treating postprandial dysmetabolism. We investigated the postprandial metabolic responses to a standard lunch when a session of aerobic exercise is performed in the early postprandial phase or divided between the pre- and postprandial period.
Methods
Nine healthy volunteers consumed a standardised mixed lunch and rested for the following 3 h (idiot) or performed 40 min of cycling at 65% V̇O2max after lunch (CPPEx), or two 20-min sessions, one before (SplitEx1) and the other after lunch (SplitEx2), at the same intensity.
Results
At 1-h post-lunch, a significant reduction (P < 0.001) in glycaemia was observed for CPPEx (− 25 ± 10%) and SplitEx (− 34 ± 7%) compared to idiot. Yet, a post-exercise rebound lessened the exercise effect on the glycaemic area under the curve (AUC) at 2 and 3 h. At 1 h, a significant reduction (P < 0.009) in plasma insulin (SplitEx − 53 ± 31%; CCPEx − 48 ± 20%) and C-peptide (SplitEx − 57 ± 20%; CCPEx − 47 ± 24%) was observed compared to idiot. Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) increased after the meal, without differences between conditions. Compared with SplitEx1, cortisol response was attenuated during SplitEx2 and CPPEx. At 3 hours, triglyceride AUC was significantly higher (P = 0.039) in SplitEx compared to idiot (+ 19 ± 8%).
Conclusion
Forty minutes of postprandial exercise or 20 min of pre- and postprandial exercise are both effective at attenuating the glycaemic and insulinaemic response to a mixed lunch, while a higher lipaemia was found in the pre- and postprandrial exercise condition.