The transient impairment of endothelial function -- the ability of the vessel to expand in response to an increase in blood flow --following a high-fat meal is well established.After a fatty meal, arteries lose their ability to expand in response to an increase in blood flow. At its peak, four to six hours after eating, the condition of the arteries deteriorates to that seen in a person with heart disease.
Oxidative stress markers caused by the oxidation of high-fat meals harm the arteries and contribute to such conditions as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's and cancer.
According to a research by scientists at the Bloomington's Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, physical activity after a high-fat meal not only reverses the arterial dysfunction caused by fatty foods but improves the function of these same arteries compared to before the meal.
And you don't even have to head to the gym for that exercise. "We're talking about a walk, we're not talking about changing your clothes and sweating," said co-author Professor Janet P. Wallace.
This research isn't an excuse to indulge in fatty foods. Keep in mind the results of this study apply only to the eight young, healthy and physically active adults investigated.
More research should be conducted involving a larger and older population.
Now, if you really cannot refuse that delicious high-fat, high-carbohydrate meal, take a post-prandial orange followed by a walkabout [by the river :)].
Journal Reference
Padilla J, Harris RA, Fly AD, Rink LD, Wallace JP. The effect of acute exercise on endothelial function following a high-fat meal. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2006 Oct;98(3):256-62.
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