Different Patterns of Walking and Postprandial Triglycerides in Older Women

PURPOSE Although a single bout of continuous exercise (≥30 min) reduces postprandial triglyceride (TG), little evidence is available regarding the effect of multiple short (≤10 min) bouts of exercise on postprandial TG in individuals at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. This study compared the effects of different patterns of walking on postprandial TG in postmenopausal, older women with hypertriglyceridemia. METHODS Twelve inactive women (mean age ± SD, 71 ± 5 yr) with hypertriglyceridemia (fasting TG ≥1.70 mmol·L) completed three, 1-d laboratory-based trials in a random order: 1) control, 2) continuous walking, and 3) multiple short bouts of walking. On the control trial, participants sat in a chair for 8 h. For the walking trials, participants walked briskly in either one 30-min bout in the morning (0900-0930 h) or twenty 90-s bouts over 8 h. Except for walking, both exercise trials mimicked the control trial. In each trial, participants consumed a standardized breakfast (0800 h) and lunch (1100 h). Venous blood samples were collected in the fasted state and at 2, 4, 6, and 8 h after breakfast. RESULTS The serum TG incremental area under the curve was 35% and 33% lower on the continuous and multiple short bouts of walking trials than that on the control trial (8.2 ± 3.1 vs 8.5 ± 5.4 vs 12.7 ± 5.8 mmol per 8 h·L, respectively; main effect of trial: effect size = 0.459, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Accumulating walking in short bouts limits postprandial TG in at-risk, inactive older women with fasting hypertriglyceridemia.