The effect of acute virgin coconut oil supplementation and aerobic exercise on triglyceride levels following postprandial hypertriglyceridemia in healthy males.

Scott, Craig Maurice

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A substantial body of literature postulates that high levels of blood triglycerides (TG) cause oxidative stress which impairs vascular function and may instigate a pathway to cardiovascular disease (CVD) (Padilla et al., 2006). Exercise has been shown to promote the removal of TG and reduce postprandial hypertriglyceridemia (PHTG) following a high-fat meal (McClean et al., 2007). Research (Bueno et al., 2015) also suggests that virgin coconut oil (VCO) is a rich source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) which may provide a mechanism against CVD.

AIM: Investigate the relationship between VCO and exercise following PHTG on TG levels.

METHODS: Nine healthy subjects (age 26.0 years ± 4.66) participated in a randomised crossover design: (1) High-fat meal alone (2) high-fat meal followed 1 hour after with moderate (60% max watt) exercise (3) high-fat meal with VCO followed 1 hour after with exercise. TG was measured in venous blood at baseline, 2 and 4 hours postprandial. HDL, cholesterol and other biochemical markers were measured.

RESULTS: Compared with control, TG levels significantly decreased with exercise 4 hours postprandial (P =0.044), and exercise with VCO group decreased at 2 hours (P =0.010) and 4 hours (P =0.012) postprandial, respectively. However, exercise alone did not significantly reduce TG levels 2 hours (P =0.274) postprandial. There was no significant difference in cholesterol and HDL levels between groups 2 hours and 4 hours postprandial, respectively.

CONCLUSION: Results show that a single session of moderate aerobic exercise can decrease TG levels following a high-fat meal. Furthermore, VCO further enhances the effects of moderate exercise in reducing TG levels following PHTG.

Citation

Scott, C. M. The effect of acute virgin coconut oil supplementation and aerobic exercise on triglyceride levels following postprandial hypertriglyceridemia in healthy males. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4218479

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Aug 30, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 23, 2023
• Keywords: Sports sciences
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4218479
• Additional Information: Department of Sport, Health and Exercise Science, The University of Hull
• Award Date: Feb 1, 2016