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Lipid Metabolism During Endurance Exercise
Lipid Metabolism During Endurance Exercise
Lipid Metabolism During Endurance Exercise
ABSTRACT Endogenous triacylglycerols represent an plasma and the delivery of the released fatty acids to skeletal mus-
important source of fuel for endurance exercise. Triacylglycerol cle mitochondria for oxidation. In this article, we will discuss the
oxidation increases progressively during exercise; the specific relation between fatty acid mobilization and fat oxidation during
rate is determined by energy requirements of working muscles, exercise in humans and review the influence of lipid supplementa-
fatty acid delivery to muscle mitochondria, and the oxidation of tion on substrate metabolism during exercise.
other substrates. The catecholamine response to exercise increases
lipolysis of adipose tissue triacylglycerols and, presumably, intra-
muscular triacylglycerols. In addition, increases in adipose tis- LIPID KINETICS DURING REST AND EXERCISE
558S Am J Clin Nutr 2000;72(suppl):558S–63S. Printed in USA. © 2000 American Society for Clinical Nutrition
EXERCISE AND LIPID METABOLISM 559S
in muscle (55, 56). Malonyl-CoA, in turn, inhibits the enzyme FUTURE DIRECTIONS
responsible for long-chain fatty acid (ie, fatty acids with > 12 car- Future studies designed to determine the factors regulating the
bon atoms) entry into mitochondria (carnitine O-palmitoyltrans- mobilization and oxidation of fatty acids derived from different
ferase-I, or CPT-I) (57–59). Thus, high rates of glycogenolysis sources may improve our understanding of how to use this vast
during high-intensity exercise may modify fat oxidation by energy store during exercise. The available data suggest that the
impairing long-chain fatty acid transport into the mitochondria regulation of lipolysis is different for muscle and adipose tissue
via CPT-I inhibition (54). triacylglycerols. Moreover, adipose tissue metabolism is hetero-
geneous, depending on the anatomical site of the depot (visceral,
subcutaneous abdominal, or subcutaneous gluteal or femoral).
EFFECT OF LIPID SUPPLEMENTATION Little is known about the relative contribution of fatty acids
Providing a lipid emulsion with heparin intravenously during derived from these different triacylglycerol sources to energy
exercise can increase fat oxidation by 30% when low endoge- production during exercise. As discussed, indirect or imprecise
nous fatty acid Ra and plasma fatty acid concentrations limit the methods of measuring IMTG concentration have resulted in con-
rate of fat oxidation, such as during high-intensity exercise (52, flicting findings regarding the use of IMTG during exercise.
60, 61). However, lipid infusion before or during exercise is not Improved techniques of measuring IMTG concentration will elu-
a practical approach to enhancing fat oxidation. Eating a high- cidate the importance of this energy source during exercise.
fat meal, which consists primarily of long-chain triacylglycerol To date, the relative contribution of plasma triacylglycerols to
(LCT), before exercise is also not practical as a direct source of energy production during exercise remains unclear. Because fat
fat during exercise because of delayed and limited availability ingestion increases plasma triacylglycerol concentration, quanti-
of ingested fat for skeletal muscle oxidation. LCTs are emptied fying the contribution of this energy source during exercise will
slowly from the stomach and must be packaged into chylomi- resolve whether lipid supplementation (ie, fat ingestion) can
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