Exercise After Meals Can Reverse Artery Dysfunction Caused by Fatty Food

September 8, 2006: Physical activity after a high-fat meal not only reverses the arterial dysfunction caused by fatty foods but also helps the arteries to function better than they did before the meal, according to new research from Indiana University (IU). The findings, reported in the September 2006 issue of European Journal of Applied Physiology , are part of a growing focus on the effect of food on the body in its postprandial state (after a meal). After a fatty meal, arteries lose their endothelial function, the ability to expand in response to an increase in blood flow, with the effect peaking 4 to 6 hours after eating -- just in time for the next meal. The research examined whether physical activity lessened the well-documented impairment of vascular endothelial function. Lead author Jaume Padilla, a doctoral student in IU Bloomington's Department of Kinesiology, calls this impairment "a key factor in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of illness and death in Western society." Coauthor Janet P Wallace, a professor in the same department, says the oxidation of high-fat meals causes oxidative stress markers that harm the arteries and contribute to such conditions as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer. Their research shows that physical activity counteracts this oxidative effect. The next step, she said, is to show how.

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