Effects of exercise and n–3 fatty acids on postprandial lipemia

Abstract

Because n–3 fatty acid ingestion and aerobic exercise each has been associated with diminished postprandial lipemia (PPL), the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a combination of these two factors on PPL. Sedentary men underwent a standard dietary preparation, including a 12-h fast before each trial. Six subjects performed a control trial (fat meal, 100 g fat) and an n–3 fatty acid trial (fat meal after 3 wk of n–3 fatty acid supplementation at 4 g/day). In a parallel experiment, six different subjects underwent a control trial and n–3 fatty acid supplementation + 60 min of exercise before ingestion of the fat meal. Supplementation with n–3 fatty acid significantly decreased baseline triglyceride (TG) concentrations but did not significantly affect PPL. The combination of n–3 fatty acid and exercise had no effect on the postprandial TG response. The present study suggests that n–3 fatty acid supplementation lowers resting TG concentrations but inhibits the beneficial effect of aerobic exercise on the postprandial TG response.