The Acute Physiological Adaptations in Fed vs. Fasted State Metabolism of Young Adults During Aerobic Exercise

The effects of food consumption on metabolism and aerobic exercise performance has been an important topic amongst healthcare professionals. Research has shown that eating prior to exercise constitutes favorable end products of food metabolism to be used for energy, while a fasted state provides short-term performance benefits. While the diverse effects of performance and metabolism during fed vs. fasted states have been investigated, this study aims to examine the adaptive effects of metabolic states on heart rate variability, blood pressure changes, glucose levels, and throughout aerobic exercise. Twenty college students of varied gender between 18-23 years of age participated in two exercise test conditions: fasted state and fed state. Both exercise test conditions follow the Bruce Protocol, a 21-minute exercise of increasing speed and incline at each 3 minute interval, using a treadmill (Horizon T101). Pre and post exercise means for all measurements include distance ran (miles), blood glucose before and after (mg/dL), heart rate (bpm), resting heart rate (bpm), calories burned (kcal), and blood pressure before and after (mmHg) were compared by metabolic condition using paired t-tests. Results showed that blood glucose, heart rate recovery, blood pressure, and distance traveled (N=10) were not significantly different between fed and fasted states. There was a difference in the MAP between fed and fasted, but with p\u3e.05, it was not significant. Thus, a fed state does not constitute significant advantageous cardiovascular conditions over a fasted state throughout aerobic exercise