Aerobic exercise offsets endothelial dysfunction induced by repetitive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in young healthy men

Abstract

Consumption of a single, sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) impairs vascular endothelial function. Regular aerobic exercise improves endothelium-dependent vasodilation; however, it is unknown whether these beneficial effects persist with frequent SSB consumption. Therefore, the purpose of this study was twofold; we studied the effects of repetitive SSB consumption (75 g D-glucose, 3 times/day) for 1 wk (Glu, n 13, 23 4 yr, 23.5 3.4 kg/m2) on endothelium-dependent vasodilation (FMD). Then, in a separate cohort, we investigated whether 45 min of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on five separate days offset the hypothesized decrease in FMD during the Glu protocol (GluEx, n 11, 21 3 yr, 23.8 2.4 kg/m2). Baseline, fasting [glucose] (P 0.15), [insulin] (P 0.25), %FMD (P 0.48), absolute FMD (P 0.66), and shear rate area under the curve (SRAUC; P 0.82) were similar between groups. Following the interventions, fasting [glucose] (Glu: 94 6 to 92 6 mg/dL, GluEx: 89 8 to 87 6 mg/dL, P 0.74) and [insulin] (Glu: 11.3 6.2 to 11.8 8.9 U/mL, GluEx: 8.7 2.9 to 9.4 3.2 U/mL, P 0.89) were unchanged. %FMD was reduced in Glu (6.1 2.2 to 5.1 1.3%) and increased in GluEx (6.6 2.2 to 7.8 2.4%, P 0.05 for both). SRAUC increased similarly in both Glu [17,715 8,275 to 22,922 4,808 arbitrary units (A.U.)] and GluEx (18,216 4,516 to 21,666 5,392 A.U., main effect of time P 0.05). When %FMD was adjusted for SRAUC, attenuation was observed in Glu (0.41 0.18 to 0.23 0.08%/s 103, P 0.05) but not GluEx (0.38 0.14 to 0.38 0.13%/s 103, P 0.88). Despite unchanged fasting [glucose] and [insulin], repeated consumption of SSBs impaired conduit artery vascular endothelial function. Additionally, subjects who engaged in regular moderate-intensity aerobic exercise did not demonstrate the same SSB-induced endothelial dysfunction. Collectively, these data suggest aerobic exercise may offset the deleterious effects of repetitive SSB consumption.