By the healthiergang writer , graduated in Food Science and Technology, majoring in Nutrition and Functional Food.
How To Lower Triglycerides?
Triacylglycerols or better known as triglycerides are compounds made up of between fatty acids esterified with a glycerol molecule. Each position of the 3 carbons constituting the glycerol molecule allows a different stereochemical position of bond with a fatty acid.
The fractions constituting this molecule (length of the fatty acids) determine about 90% of the weight of this molecule as well as the physical form, number, position and conformation of the possible double bonds; and the stereochemical position of the individuals.
The triglycerides of animal origin, present in foods such as butter and lard for example, have a compact molecular structure (dictated by the type of fatty acids esterified with glycerol) and therefore a solid consistency at room temperature, while all oils of vegetable origin tend to be liquid (always for the same reason, the fatty acid composition) at room temperature.
Although margarine is based on vegetable oils, it has a solid consistency as its fatty acids are the result of hydrogenation reactions, that is a chemical modification used by manufacturers by adding hydrogen; for this reason, hydrogenated fats, also and obtained from oils, become structurally completely similar to fats but containing chemicals called precisely hydrogenated, which can be harmful to health.
Usually when we talk about triglycerides we are referring to the fats present in the blood deriving from food, the blood chemical parameter to be clear.
Triglycerides in fact constitute the basic elements of body fat and the main form of storage of the same (energy reserves) in the body. These remain in the blood temporarily and through it are spread to the various organs where they will be used, such as muscle (energy production), adipose tissue (storage as a reserve) and liver where they will be "transformed".
Effects of physical exercise
Let's start by taking some older studies in which the positive impact of physical exercise on triglycerides and blood cholesterol was already highlighted.
A 1984 review already analyzed the possible effects on the increase in the activity of LPL (lipoprotein lipases) and at the same time a decrease in the synthesis of VLDL-Tg in response to an increase in insulin sensitivity in response to physical activity.
Furthermore, trained athletes, especially endurance sports, demonstrated lower than average body fat levels, a factor capable of influencing the level of triglycerides in the same way (The influence of exercise on the concentrations of triglyceride and cholesterol in human plasma).
Another study from the same period highlighted reductions in triglycerides and LDL cholesterol in endurance athletes after long-term training.
This study compared 10 sedentary individuals after one hour of endurance exercise in anaerobic threshold with the parameters after training of 9 elite cyclists, respectively 1 hour and 2 hours after the end of the training. Triglycerides decreased by 17% in cyclists and by 22% in sedentaries on average one hour after exercise, total cholesterol decreased and the HDL portion increased compared to LDL (Acute decrease in serum triglycerides with exercise: is there a threshold for an exercise effect?).
Another study compared the effect of a high-fat diet (50% FAT; 37% CHO of total energy intake) with a high-carbohydrate diet (69% CHO, 15% FAT of total energy intake). on triglycerides and cholesterol in endurance athletes. The study examined 32 elite cyclists over a period of 3 months, evaluating the lipid profiles of the individuals after 4, 8 and 12 weeks.
The results showed after 12 weeks that only the triglyceride levels changed from the start of the study, in particular they increased but in the high carbohydrate diet group, stating that for endurance athletes practicing medium-high intensity physical activity and therefore using lipids as an energy substrate, a diet with a higher intake of fat will not necessarily have an impact with an increase in blood triglycerides, much less cholesterol or lipoproteins (Effects of high fat versus high carbohydrate diets on plasma lipids and lipoproteins in endurance athletes).
Another review better clarifies the role of medium-chain triglycerides in exercise in particular. In fact, several studies have already pointed out that in sport endurance, fats as an energy source are able to induce a "saving" of glycogen stores, affecting improvements in the abilities of athletes (The role of medium-chain triglycerides in exercise).
Another study conducted on mice confirmed what has been said so far, demonstrating that physical activity is the basis for maintaining a continuous and sustained action of lipoprotein-lipases (LPL), especially at the level of skeletal muscles.
This study showed that there was a correlation between exercise intensity and LPL activity, on the contrary "elderly" mice that proved less active and with less muscle contractions showed a lower action of LPL with reduced metabolism of triglycerides, on the contrary, however. elderly mice subjected to physical activity compared to young "sedentary" mice showed a better lipid profile and greater LPL action.
The researchers concluded by stating that advancing age can affect a lower ability to metabolize triglycerides but at the same time constant physical activity and a non-sedentary lifestyle can be one of the most influential factors in this sense (Plasma triglyceride metabolism in humans and rats during aging and physical inactivity).
Let us now cite some more recent studies. A 2007 review (Trejo-Guiterrez and Fletcher) after stating once again like most studies agree that elevated triglyceride and cholesterol levels are a major risk factor for cardiovascular health, examined the mechanisms through which physical activity induces improvements in the lipid profile.
An interesting review from 2014 compared the effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combinations of the two on cholesterol and triglycerides.
This review, which examined 13 different publications on the subject, reported how in general the beneficial effects of regular physical activity were now proven and how with regard to aerobic exercise the evidence suggests increases in HDL and positive impacts in prevention and reduction. of the problems associated with atherosclerosis, on the other hand the most pronounced effects in LDL and triglyceride reductions are recorded in cases of high intensity physical activity, which often, however, cannot be carried out by subjects with the aforementioned problems.
As far as resistance training is concerned, the best results regarding improvements in the lipid profile emerged following moderate intensity training versus high intensity training.
A last study that we will cite to confirm once again what has just been said, dates back to 2010 and involved 1235 boys between 12 and 19 years old, evaluating the impact of moderate and "vigorous" physical activity on LDL, HDL and triglycerides. The results showed a direct correlation between an increase in physical activity in terms of both intensity and time to which the subjects were subjected and a decrease in LDL and triglycerides, but above all that a few minutes of activity, especially on young people, were enough to obtain considerable and positive results on the lipid profile (Dose-response relationship between physical activity and dyslipidemia in youth).
