Nearly one quarter of all Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and each year about 950,000 Americans die of heart disease. Prolonged elevation of lipids, or fat, in the blood, a condition called post prandial lipemia, causes a temporary risk for atherosclerosis even in individuals who have normal lipid levels after fasting.
Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia found that a session of prolonged exercise along with taking a fish oil supplement dramatically decreases a condition that leads to atherosclerosis, a leading cause of heart disease.
MU researchers Tom Thomas, professor of nutritional science, Grace Sun, professor of biochemistry and pathology, Owen Donahue, masters student at MU, and Bryan Smith, a post-doctorate fellow at the University of Kansas, conducted the study to examine the effects of exercise and fish oil on triglyceride, a type of fat, levels in the bloodstream after subjects ate high-fat meals. The results, which will be published this summer in Metabolism, show that people who engage in prolonged, aerobic exercise have muscle cells that break down triglycerides quickly and that taking a fish oil supplement can be even more effective in reducing triglyceride levels.
“Fat in the bloodstream is a primary contributor to atherosclerosis, or partial blockage of the arteries,” Thomas said. “The results of this research demonstrate that it is very beneficial for active people to take fish oil if they’re concerned about their triglyceride levels after eating a fatty meal.”