Effects of High-Intensity Interval Exercise (HIIE) vs Moderate-Intensity Continuous Exercise (MIE) on Postprandial Substrate Oxidation After Consumption of an Isocaloric High Sugar/ Fat Meal in Healthy Adults

Obesity prevalence is high in the United States, in part due to increased fat storage following consumption of high fat/carbohydrate (sugar) foods. Following a meal, carbohydrate stimulates its own oxidation, while simultaneously suppressing fat oxidation, ultimately leading to fat storage. Aerobic exercise preceding a meal increases fat oxidation in the postprandial period, which may reduce fat storage. The ideal exercise prescription for optimal postprandial fat oxidation is unknown. The effect of low and moderate intensity continuous exercise (MIE) has been studied extensively, while the effects of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) on post-prandial substrate oxidation has not been examined. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of MIE and HIIE on postprandial substrate oxidation after consumption of an isocaloric meal (2 glazed donuts; 520 kcal) in healthy adults. Ten subjects (8 males, 2 females; age=24yr, BMI=24 kg/m2) completed three conditions in random order: 1) no exercise control; 2) MIE: cycling at 60-75%HRmax; 3) HIIE: cycling at 90-95%HRmax. The duration of each exercise bout was sufficient to expend approximately 520 kcal, the energy equivalent of the donuts, which were consumed 1 hour post-exercise. Immediately after consuming the donuts, pulmonary ventilation and gas exchange were measured breath-by-breath continuously and recorded (min-by-min) for 5 hours. Repeated measures analysis of covariance was used to compare the mean differences in outcome variables accounting for gender. Absolute postprandial fat oxidation (g/5 hours) was 17.3±5.4, 27.1±9.6 and 23±1.2 for control, MIE and HIIE trials respectively, with the postprandial fat oxidation significantly greater for the two exercise conditions compared to control. Relative to baseline values, both exercise conditions resulted in cumulative net postprandial fat oxidation significantly greater than control (control = -1.79±3.99g; MIE = 11.51±8.41g, HIIE= 9.51±5.20g). Therefore, results indicate that exercise most certainly increases postprandial fat oxidation, and that exercise type, either MIE or HIIE, is not as important as total energy expended. The fact that exercise of ~1 hour was required to oxidize the amount of fat in two donuts, that required only a few minutes to consume, highlights the challenges of using exercise for weight control in an obesogenic environment.