Exercise spurts may improve blood fats

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Exercise spurts may improve blood fats

2004-08-16 11:44:10

 

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By Merritt McKinney

 

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Short bursts of exercise may help reduce

the potentially dangerous spikes in blood fats that occur after

fatty meals.

 

The findings of a new study highlight a way for people who are too

pressed for time for a full workout to squeeze in heart-healthy

exercise, researchers say.

 

" Multiple sessions of 10-minute exercise bouts, if repeated

throughout a day, accumulate uniquely to lower fats in the blood

compared to no exercise or a single long bout of equal duration,

intensity and caloric expenditure, " Dr. Thomas S. Altena of

Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield told Reuters

Health.

 

" Because many people claim lack of time as a reason that prevents

participation in a regular exercise program, our results indicate

that cardiovascular disease can be prevented through accumulated

short bouts that burn approximately 250 calories, " Altena said.

 

Altena noted that short bouts of exercise are easy for most people

to do. But it is important to get a total of at least 30 minutes of

exercise each day, he said.

 

However, taking a slow stroll is not enough to reap cardiovascular

benefits. The Missouri researcher noted that exercise must be of at

least moderate intensity, meaning a brisk walk or a light jog.

 

It's perfectly normal for triglycerides and other blood fats to rise

after a high-fat meal, but an abnormally large increase in fats -- a

condition called postprandial lipemia -- has been shown to increase

the risk of heart disease. Research has shown that exercise can

lower triglycerides and other blood fats after a meal.

 

Altena's team studied the effect of short bouts of exercise in 18

men and women who did not exercise on a regular basis.

 

Over the course of several weeks, participants drank a high-fat

meal -- a milk shake with heavy whipping cream mixed in -- on three

occasions.

 

Twelve hours before one meal, participants exercised continuously

for 30 minutes. Another time they exercised for a total of 30

minutes, but the activity was broken up into three 10-minute

sessions. Before another meal, they did not exercise at all.

 

Triglycerides and other blood fats were measured before each meal

and several times afterward.

 

Total cholesterol levels were not affected, but the rise in

triglycerides after a meal was less pronounced after intermittent

exercise than after no exercise at all, the researchers report in

the August issue of the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and

Exercise. Continuous exercise did not seem to have an effect on the

post-meal rise in triglycerides, according to the report.

 

According to study co-author Dr. Tom R. Thomas at the University of

Missouri at Columbia, the study suggests that some people may

benefit from breaking up their daily exercise into several sessions.

 

But for people who are regular exercisers, those who work out 50

minutes to 60 minutes a day, " it may not be beneficial to split it

up, " according to Thomas. " This is the area we are pursuing in

future research. "

 

SOURCE: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, August 2004.

 

 

 

 

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Copyright 2003 Reuters.