Effects of pre-exercise intake of plant- and animal-based foods on arterial function and aerobic exercise capacity in healthy young men: a randomized cross-over trial

Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, Ahead of Print. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of plant- versus animal-based food intake before exercise on arterial function and subsequent aerobic exercise capacity. Eleven healthy adult males (mean age, 22.6  ± 1.8 years) participated in this study. A plant- or animal-based randomized meal type crossover comparison was conducted on separate days with a uniform protein, fat, and carbohydrate balance. Both carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), femoral–ankle pulse wave velocity (faPWV), and b rachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) were measured as indexes of aortic and peripheral arterial stiffness and vascular endothelial function, respectively, before and at 120 min after the meal. After these measurements, maximal oxygen uptake was assessed using a graded power test on an elec tronically braked cycle ergometer. The results revealed that cfPWV was significantly lower, whereas FMD was significantly higher, at 120 min after compared with before the plant-based meal (p = 0.01 and 0.02, respectively). By contrast, cfPWV and FMD did not change at 120 min after compared with before the animal-based meal. In addition, faPWV did not change at 120 min after compared with before the meal for either meal type. Maximal oxygen uptake was higher in the plant- than in the animal-based meal type (p = 0.02). These results suggest that pre-exercise plant-based food intake may i mprove central ar...
Source: Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism - Category: Physiology Authors: Source Type: research