Effects of alcohol ingestion following exercise on postprandial lipemia

The study determined the effect of alcohol ingestion postexercise on postprandial lipemia during recovery. The mean values were compared with those obtained in a control experiment during which no alcohol was given. Nineteen normolipidemic subjects (11 males and 8 females) performed two exercise trials at an intensity corresponding to 70% VO2max for 35 min. In a random order, alcoholic (0.7 g/kg) or alcohol-free drinks were given 1 h after the completion of exercise. Venous blood samples were obtained pre- (before breakfast) and postexercise and pre- and postprandially during recovery. Total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol showed no change with exercise or alcohol ingestion. In the control trial, when subjects consumed a standardized lunch, triglycerides showed no significant change, but when alcohol was consumed postexercise triglyceride concentration increased substantially 5 h during recovery in both males and females. The mechanism responsible for the rise in triglyceride concentration during recovery when alcohol was ingested following exercise is not known, but this appears to be a late phenomenon. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.