30 Minutes of Acute Moderate-Intensity Exercise Prior to a High Fat Meal Does not Attenuate Postprandial Triglycerides in Postmenopausal Women

There is an increased instance of circulating triglycerides among older adults which could lead to atherosclerosis; therefore, we sought to determine if 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, prior to a high fat meal, attenuates postprandial triglycerides (PPT) in postmenopausal women. Five postmenopausal women (59.8 years), participated in an exercise trial consisting of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise 60% heart rate reserve (HRR), heart rate, blood pressure, and blood lipids collected. Following exercise participants ingested a high-fat meal (62 grams CHO, and 57 grams fat) and rested for four hours.  Lipid levels were collected at 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours post-feeding. The control trial did not exercise and were given the high fat meal followed by rest. A randomized cross-over design was utilized, in which all subjects participated in the control and exercise trial. There was no difference in PPT between the control and exercise trials. PPT increased from pre-exercise in both trials (p<0.05) (pre-feeding 88.4±26.7 con. 93.6±36.8 ex., 1hr 141±51.7 con. 139±65.4 ex., 2hrs 195±32.7 con. 166±82.4 ex., 3hrs 203±52.2 con. 185±78.1 ex., 4hrs 179±22.4 con. 193±50.5 ex). Glucose values were similar between trials; peaking post-feeding followed by a gradual return to baseline in both trials (p<0.05) (pre-feeding 86±5.5 con. 84.6±5.8 ex., 1hr 117±11.3 con. 125±23.5 ex., 2hrs 104±4.1 con., 113±16.7 ex., 3hrs 97.4±6.3 con., 88.6±11.6 ex., 4hrs 87.6±6.7 con., 81.2±9 ex). 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise does not attenuate PPT in postmenopausal women.