Abstract
Purpose
Post-meal cardiometabolic responses are critical for health, and may be influenced by physical activity. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of habitual physical activity level on the metabolic, autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular responses to a balanced meal in healthy men.
Methods
12 active and 12 inactive healthy males, matched for age and body composition, attended the laboratory in fasting condition. Participants were asked to sit quietly and comfortably in an armchair for the whole duration of the experiment (~ 2h30). Metabolic, autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular measurements were performed in fasting conditions, and at regular intervals until one hour after the end of a balanced breakfast.
Results
No significant difference was observed between groups in glycaemia or energy expenditure throughout the experiment. Fat oxidation rate was significantly higher one-hour post-meal in active vs inactive men (Respiratory Quotient: 0.78 ± 0.04 vs 0.88 ± 0.03; p < 0.01). Heart rate was significantly lower in active compared to inactive individuals (p < 0.001) throughout the experiment and active participants displayed significantly enhanced vagal tone one-hour post-meal (square root of the sum of successive differences between adjacent normal R–R intervals squared: 72.4 ± 27.9 vs 46.4 ± 14.1 ms; p < 0.05).
Conclusion
In healthy men, habitual physical activity level seems discriminant to decipher specific profiles in terms of cardiometabolic responses to a meal. Overall, it may suggest pre-signal cardiometabolic impairments in healthy inactive individuals and highlight the need to consider primary prevention in inactive subjects as a key factor for health management.
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Availability of data and materials
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author [LI].
Abbreviations
- ANS:
-
Autonomic nervous system
- AUC:
-
Area under the curve
- CHO:
-
Carbohydrates
- CO:
-
Cardiac output
- DAP:
-
Diastolic arterial pressure
- HR:
-
Heart rate
- HRV:
-
Heart rate variability
- MAP:
-
Mean arterial pressure
- MVPA:
-
Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
- NIRS:
-
Near infrared spectroscopy
- PAL:
-
Physical activity level
- RMSSD:
-
Square root of the sum of successive differences between adjacent normal R–R intervals squared
- RQ:
-
Respiratory quotient
- SAP:
-
Systolic arterial pressure
- SD:
-
Standard deviation
- SVR:
-
Systemic vascular resistance
- TSI:
-
Tissue saturation index
- VCO2 :
-
Carbon dioxide production
- VO2 :
-
Oxygen consumption
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank all individuals who participated in this study and Fiona Ecarnot for editorial assistance.
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This research was supported by the Universities of Franche-Comté and Clermont Auvergne and Tomsk Polytechnic University development Programme.
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GE, LMt and LI conceived and designed the experiments. GE and LI performed the experiments and collected the data. GE and LI performed the analysis. All authors contributed to the interpretation of the data. LI wrote the first draft and edited the manuscript. All authors contributed to the manuscript revision and have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
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Communicated by Massimo Pagani.
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Ennequin, G., Thivel, D., Mourot, L. et al. Physically active men present a healthier cardiometabolic profile in response to a balanced meal compared to inactive men. Eur J Appl Physiol 123, 283–297 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-022-05067-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-022-05067-2