Effects of an acute bout of exercise on high density lipoprotein cholesterol following consumption of a high or low fat diet

Abstract

Research suggests that a low fat diet may decrease high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) concentration and that exercise may increase HDL‐C. The purpose of this randomized, crossover study was to determine the influence of acute exercise on blood lipid concentration of 8 minimally active young women after consuming a high fat diet or low fat diet for 5 days. At the end of each 5‐day dietary period, a fasted subject cycled for 30 min at 70% of VO2max‐ Blood was collected before and after exercise to assess serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and HDL‐C concentration respectively. Diet did not alter lipids prior to exercise. A low fat diet decreased HDL‐C (‐2.6 ± 2.9 mg dl−1; P ≤ 0.05) after exercise, but the high fat diet did not change HDL‐C (+0.2 ± 5.6 mg dl−1; P > 0.05) after exercise. All other lipids remained unchanged by exercise following either diet. It appears that a low fat diet may have compromised HDL‐C concentration following a single bout of exercise.