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Acute effects of post-absorptive and postprandial moderate exercise on markers of inflammation in hyperglycemic individuals

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Abstract

Purpose

Systemic inflammation is involved in the development of several diseases, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. It is known that vigorous exercise affects systemic inflammation, but less is known about exercise at lower intensities. Hyperglycemia can also entail pro-inflammatory responses; however, postprandial hyperglycemia is blunted if the meal is followed by exercise. Hypotheses were: (1) moderate physical exercise acutely affects levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1) in hyperglycemic individuals and (2) the effect depends on whether the activity is performed in a post-absorptive or postprandial state.

Methods

Twelve participants diagnosed with hyperglycemia, but not using anti-diabetic medication, underwent three test days in a randomized cross-over study; 1 control day without exercise, 1 day with 60 min of treadmill walking ending 30 min before breakfast, and 1 day with an identical bout of activity 30 min after the start of breakfast. Food intake was strictly standardized and venous blood for CRP, and sVCAM-1 analysis was sampled at standardized timepoints during the first 3.5 h after breakfast and once 24 h later.

Results

Merged data from the two exercise days showed that sVCAM-1 increased from baseline (4 ± 16 ng/mL) compared to the control condition (−28 ± 47 ng/mL, ES = 0.7, p = 0.024). There was no statistically significant difference in changes in sVCAM-1 levels between the two exercise test days. Exercise did not affect CRP values.

Conclusion

Moderate exercise increases sVCAM-1 in hyperglycemic individuals, whereas it does not affect CRP.

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Abbreviations

BrEx:

Test day with exercise after breakfast

CON:

Control day

CRP:

C-reactive protein

ES:

Effect size

ExBr:

Test day with exercise before breakfast

HbA1c:

Glycosylated hemoglobin

HDL:

High density lipoprotein

LDL:

Low density lipoprotein

RPE:

Rate of perceived exertion

sVCAM-1:

Soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge Tine SA and Fjordland AS for supplying us with food for dietary standardization. Thanks to Kathrine Kroken and Olav Andreas Tuterud Nordølum for their contribution to the data sampling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section for Sport Science, Lillehammer University College, PB 952, 2604, Lillehammer, Norway

    Håvard Nygaard, Gunnar Slettaløkken Falch, Stian Ellefsen & Bent R. Rønnestad

  2. Department of Medical Biochemistry, Innlandet Hospital Trust, PB 990, 2629, Lillehammer, Norway

    Jon Elling Whist

  3. Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Margrethe Grundtvigs veg 6, 2609, Lillehammer, Norway

    Ivana Hollan

  4. Department of Research, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Brumunddal, Norway

    Jon Elling Whist & Ivana Hollan

  5. Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Ivana Hollan

  6. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Ivana Hollan

  7. Department of Community Medicine, Institute of Health and Society, University of Oslo, PB 1130 Blindern, 0318, Oslo, Norway

    Gerd Holmboe-Ottesen & Arne T. Høstmark

Authors
  1. Håvard Nygaard
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  2. Gunnar Slettaløkken Falch
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Correspondence to Håvard Nygaard.

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All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Communicated by Fabio Fischetti.

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Nygaard, H., Falch, G.S., Whist, J.E. et al. Acute effects of post-absorptive and postprandial moderate exercise on markers of inflammation in hyperglycemic individuals. Eur J Appl Physiol 117, 787–794 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3576-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-017-3576-2

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