Pre-exercise intake of different carbohydrates modifies ischemic reactive hyperemia after a session of anaerobic, but not after aerobic exercise.

The acute ingestion of a supplement with different glycemic carbohydrates, including fructose, is a typical practice for athletes before exercising. Observational evidence suggests that different metabolic responses may modify the exercise-stimulated endothelium-dependent vasodilation. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether endothelial reactivity, stimulated by anaerobic exercise (AnE) or aerobic exercise (AE), both performed with glycemic supplementation, is modified by the addition of fructose. Twenty physically trained men ingested an oral dose of glucose (G) or glucose plus fructose (F) 15 minutes before starting a 30-minute session of AnE (10 sets of 10 repetitions of half squat) or AE (cycling). The combination resulted in 4 randomized interventions in a crossover design in which all subjects performed all experimental conditions: G+AnE, F+AnE, G+AE, and F+AE. Ischemic reactive hyperemia (IRH), glycemia, plasma lipoperoxides (LPOs), nitric oxide (NO), and lactate were determined at baseline, exercise, and acute recovery time points. Immediately after AnE, IRH was 26.35% higher in F+AnE than in G+AnE (p<0.05); this difference rose to 27.24% at the end of the recovery period (p<0.05). The glycemic peak in F+AnE was lower than in G+AnE (p<0.05), and there was a second peak during recovery (p<0.05). There were no differences observed in LPO between anaerobic trials, but the NO bioavailability increased and was higher in F + AnE than in G+AnE after exercise and recovery (p<0.05). Residual lactate was also higher under the F+AnE condition (p<0.05). During AE, there were no differences in IRH, glycemia, or NO between groups, but LPO was significantly higher after F supplementation. These results suggest that the addition of fructose to a single G supplement ingested before a glycolitic exercise can modify the glucoregulation and increases ischemic reactive hyperemia.

A dose of fructose induces oxidative stress during endurance and strength exercise.

This study sought to compare the time course changes in oxidative state and glycemic behavior when glucose or glucose plus fructose are consumed before endurance and strength exercise. After two weeks on a controlled diet, 20 physically trained males ingested an oral dose of glucose or glucose plus fructose, 15 min before starting a moderate-intensity 30-min session of endurance or strength exercise. The combination resulted in four randomized interventions: glucose or glucose plus fructose + endurance exercise and glucose or glucose plus fructose + strength exercise, which were implemented consecutively in random order at 1-week intervals. Plasma concentration of lipoperoxides, oxidized LDL, reduced glutathione, catalase and glycemia were determined at baseline, during exercise and acute recovery. Following the ingestion of glucose plus fructose, lipoperoxides, catalase and reduced glutathione depletion were significantly higher than following consumption of glucose, for both endurance and strength exercise (P < 0.05). Oxidized LDL-c was higher after glucose plus fructose than after glucose alone in endurance exercise (P < 0.05). There was no difference in the glycemic peak between glucose plus fructose and glucose ingestion in endurance exercise trials. In strength exercise, the post-absorptive glycemic peak was less when the participants ingested glucose plus fructose than glucose (P < 0.05), and a second peak was found in the recovery phase of this group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of fructose to a pre-exercise glucose supplement triggers oxidative stress.