The Effects of Exercise on the Storage and Oxidation of Dietary Fat
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The Effects of Exercise on the Storage and Oxidation of Dietary Fat Kent Hansen, Tim Shriver and Dale Schoeller Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Abstract
Obesity has become a worldwide problem of pandemic proportions. By definition, obesity is the accumulation of excess body fat and it represents the long-term results of positive energy and fat balance. The failures in the regulatory mechanisms leading to the development of obesity are still not well understood, but there is growing evidence that exercise is an important element in obesity prevention. Exercise promotes energy/fat balance while providing beneficial alterations to obesity/overweight-related comorbidities and mortality. Also, exercise, in large part, influences whether the fate of dietary fat is storage or oxidation. Many factors including intensity, duration and type (aerobic vs anaerobic) of exercise, energy expended during exercise and individual fitness level impact the amounts of fat oxidised at any given time. Evidence suggests that moderate-intensity exercise yields the most cumulative (during and post-exercise) fat grams used for substrate in the average individual. All intensities of exercise, however, promote fat oxidation during the post-exercise period. We suggest that it is the effects of exercise on 24-hour fat balance that are most important in understanding the role of exercise in the prevention of fat accumulation and obesity.
1. Background Obesity in the US is a significant health problem. Obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m2, now characterises >30% of the adult population; and with the inclusion of those adults who are considered overweight, defined as a BMI >25.0 kg/ m2, the value approaches 65%.[1] Additionally, a study released in October 2003[2] reported that the prevalence of BMIs of ≥30 has doubled between the years 1986–2000, and that the prevalence of severe (BMI >40) and super (BMI >50) obesity, have increased 4- and 5-fold, respectively. While alarming, an even more shocking statistic is that the prevalence of paediatric overweight and obesity have also skyrocketed. Ogden et al.[3] reported a 15.5% inci-
dence of overweight in a population of adolescents aged 12–19 years. The deleterious effects of this obesity epidemic on individuals includes increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, digestive disease, joint disorders, cancer[4] and reduced quality of life. Obesity is estimated to account for approximately 300 000 deaths annually[5] and to have an estimated monetary cost that already approached $US100 billion in 1995.[6] Millions of Americans experience illnesses that can be improved or prevented through weight loss and/or regular physical activity. These two factors, weight loss and physical activity, are highly interrelated. Obesity, although tracked by BMI, is defined as the state of excess body fat. It develops through an accumulation of fat du
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