Effects of intermittent games activity on postprandial lipemia in young adults

Purpose: To investigate whether a single session of intermittent games activity would reduce postprandial lipemia. Methods: Twelve male volunteers completed three 2-d trials: rest, continuous exercise, and intermittent games activity. Trials were performed a minimum of 6 d apart in a balanced crossover design. In the rest trial, subjects took no exercise on day 1. On day 1 of the continuous and intermittent games trials, subjects completed four blocks (approximately 15 min per block) of uphill treadmill walking or intermittent games activity with 3 min of rest between each block. On day 2, subjects came to the laboratory for an oral fat tolerance test (blood taken fasted and for 6 h following a high-fat test meal (1.25 g of fat and 1.07 g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body mass)). Results: The intermittent games protocol elicited a higher exercise intensity than the continuous trial (lactate: 4.3 ± 0.6 vs 2.4 ± 0.3 mmol·L−1; % V̇O2max: 72 ± 2 vs 62 ± 1, respectively; mean ± SE). The total area under the plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) concentration versus time curve was lower in both the intermittent games (25%, P = 0.001) and the continuous (19%, P = 0.028) trials than in the rest trial. Conclusion: These findings show for the first time that intermittent games activity can reduce postprandial lipemia, and confirm that continuous exercise reduces postprandial lipemia in young adults.