Moderate-intensity exercise training uniquely modulates circulating lipid species beyond classical lipid levels in humans

EBioMedicine, vol. 118, pp. 105849

Abstract

Background Regular physical exercise shows significant health-related benefits, potentially through the modulation of lipid metabolism in an intensity-dependent manner. Methods In this study, we profiled 794 plasma lipid species across 18 subclasses following a 24-week supervised concurrent and randomised exercise intervention at moderate and vigorous intensities in 101 young, sedentary adults. Findings Here, we demonstrate that moderate-intensity exercise, but not vigorous-intensity, significantly increased plasma levels of glycerophospholipids and triacylglycerol species. Interestingly, we also identified a sex-specific response to moderate-intensity exercise, with men exhibiting elevated glycerophospholipids and lysophospholipids species, and women showing significant increases in triacylglycerols species. Increments in glycerophospholipids species were associated with improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, i.e., VO 2 peak. Interpretation Importantly, while traditional lipid markers, including total cholesterol or triglycerides remained unchanged after the exercise intervention, our findings suggest that exercise partially exerts its health benefits by selectively targeting and modifying specific lipid subtypes in an intensity, sex-dependent manner. Funding The study was supported by the Junta de Andalucía, Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades Dirección General de Investigación y Transferencia del Conocimiento (ref. P18-RT-4455, ref. SOMM17/6107/UGR, and DOC 01151) and European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness via the Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI13/01393), and PTA-12264, Retos de la Sociedad (DEP2016-79512-R), the Fundación Iberoamericana de Nutrición (FINUT), the Redes Temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa RETIC (Red SAMID RD16/0022), the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation, the University of Granada Plan Propio de Investigación 2016 Excellence actions: Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES).

Authors 12

1. Yu Zhang corresponding Aachen Metabolomics and Analytics Centre Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Metabolomics and Analytics Centre, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, the Netherlands. Electronic address: y.zhang.68@lacdr.leidenuniv.nl

2. Zhengzheng Zhang Aachen Metabolomics and Analytics Centre Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Metabolomics and Analytics Centre, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, the Netherlands

3. Borja Martínez‐Téllez

   Universidad de Granada · Instituto de Salud Carlos III · Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition · University of Almería

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Carretera de Alfacar s/n, Granada, 18071, Spain; CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, SPORT Research Group (CTS-1024), CIBIS Research Center, University of Almería, Spain

4. Xinyu Di Aachen Metabolomics and Analytics Centre Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Metabolomics and Analytics Centre, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, the Netherlands

5. Alida S. D. Kindt Aachen Metabolomics and Analytics Centre Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Metabolomics and Analytics Centre, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, the Netherlands

6. Isabelle Köhler

   Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

7. Francisco J. Osuna‐Prieto

   Universidad de Granada · Instituto de Salud Carlos III · Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas · Institut de Recerca Biomèdica Catalunya Sud · Hospital Universitari Joan XXIII de Tarragona

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Carretera de Alfacar s/n, Granada, 18071, Spain; Hospital Universitari Joan XXIII de Tarragona, Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), Tarragona, Spain; CIBER de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabólicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM)-Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, 28029, Spain

8. Nicolas Drouin Aachen Metabolomics and Analytics Centre Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Metabolomics and Analytics Centre, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, the Netherlands

9. Amy C. Harms Aachen Metabolomics and Analytics Centre Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Metabolomics and Analytics Centre, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, the Netherlands

10. Thomas Hankemeier Aachen Metabolomics and Analytics Centre Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research

    Leiden University

    Affiliation as printed

    Metabolomics and Analytics Centre, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, the Netherlands

11. Jonatan R. Ruiz corresponding

    Universidad de Granada · Instituto de Salud Carlos III · Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition · Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Carretera de Alfacar s/n, Granada, 18071, Spain; CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria, Ibs.Granada, Granada, Spain. Electronic address: ruizj@ugr.es

12. Lucas Jurado‐Fasoli corresponding

    Universidad de Granada · Instituto de Salud Carlos III · Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition · Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada · Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Affiliation as printed

    CIBER de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria, Ibs.Granada, Granada, Spain; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Granada, Andalucía, Spain. Electronic address: juradofasoli@ugr.es