Intestinal Permeability Responses to Maximal and Submaximal Exercise in Individuals with Normal-Weight Obesity: An Exploratory Study

Intestinal permeability may contribute to low-grade inflammation and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite health benefits, aerobic exercise acutely increases intestinal permeability in healthy populations. Whether at-risk groups display exaggerated intestinal permeability and inflammatory responses to exercise versus healthy individuals is unknown. Individuals with a normal body mass index (BMI) and high body fat percent (normal-weight obesity;NWO) are at increased CVD risk. Inflammation is one suggested mechanism promoting risk in NWO; yet drivers remain unclear. Here, we explored gut permeability and inflammatory biomarkers in NWO (33±7 years;55% males) pre/post maximal and submaximal exercise (cycle ergometer) versus normal-weight lean (NWL;normal BMI, low body fat;33±7 years;50% males) and obese BMI, high body fat (OB;39±10;30% males) participants (N=31;n=10-11/group). Each participant completed a V̇O 2peak test (T1) and 45 minutes at 65% V̇O 2peak (T2). Full sample and within-group changes post-exercise were assessed (paired t tests) and absolute change scores across groups compared (one-way ANOVAs). Following T1, sCD14 increased in the full sample, NWL, and OB ( p’s≤0.05). T1 FABP2 increased in NWO ( p˂0.05). At T2, FABP2 increased in the full sample and OB ( p’s≤0.05). T2 also increased IL-6 in all participants, NWL, NWO ( p’s≤0.05), and nearly OB ( p=0.06). The absolute changes across groups were similar for all biomarkers at T1 and T2. Body fat percent was moderately correlated with T1 ∆sCD14 in the full sample (r=0.36; p˂0.05). Overall, NWO’s gut barrier response to exercise was largely similar to other groups, with some preliminary exceptions. The influence of relative adiposity on exercise-induced intestinal permeability warrants further examination.