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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 107/3/794    most recent 91062.2008v1 Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Wooten, J. S. Articles by Ben-Ezra, V. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wooten, J. S. Articles by Ben-Ezra, V.

Responses of LDL and HDL particle size and distribution to omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and aerobic exercise

Exercise Physiology Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Texas Woman's University, Denton, Texas

Submitted 6 August 2008 ; accepted in final form 5 July 2009

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the independent and combined effects of aerobic exercise and omega-3 fatty acid (n-3fa) supplementation on lipid and lipoproteins. Sedentary, normoglycemic, nonsmoking men (n = 11) were assigned to perform rest and exercise before and during n-3fa supplementation. Exercise consisted of 3 consecutive days of treadmill walking at 65% maximum O₂ consumption for 60 min. Supplementation consisted of 42 days of 4.55 g/day of n-3fa. A two-way factorial ANOVA with repeated measures revealed significant reductions in total cholesterol (P = 0.001, –9.2%) and triglyceride (P = 0.007, –32.4%) concentrations postexercise. In addition, exercise increased LDL peak particle size (P = 0.001) from 26.2 to 26.4 nm, but not HDL size. The n-3fa supplementation resulted in a significant shift in the distribution of HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) carried by HDL_2b+2a (P = 0.001, 14.2%) and HDL_3a+3b (P = 0.001, –22.8%), despite no significant changes in lipid and lipoprotein-cholesterol concentrations. The majority of the shift in HDL-C was noted in HDL_2b (P = 0.001, 20.9%) and HDL_3a (P < 0.001, –31.0%) particles. There were no combined effects of exercise and n-3fa supplementation on lipids and lipoproteins. Three consecutive days of aerobic exercise reduced triglyceride and total cholesterol concentrations with a concomitant increase in LDL peak particle size. In contrast, n-3fa supplementation shifted HDL-C from HDL₃ particles to HDL₂ particles, despite no significant changes in HDL₂-C and HDL₃-C concentrations. Exercise and n-3fa supplementation do not synergistically improve serum lipids and lipoproteins, but rather independently affect the metabolism of lipids and lipoproteins.

docosahexaenoic acids; eicosapentaenoic acids; lipoprotein-cholesterol