Exercise First If You Plan On Eating A Fatty Meal

Go to the gym first if you plan on eating at McDonalds or Burger King. High fat meals not only promote heart disease, but also increase the risk of sudden death. These meals cause explosive increases in triglycerides (blood fat)and interfere with normal blood vessel control. British researchers found that exercising before eating a high-fat meal reduced post meal increases of triglycerides and helped maintain normal blood vessel control.

This study doesn't mean you can pig out right after the gym. While exercise reduced the negative effects, it didn't wipe them out completely. Exercise reduces blood fat levels during and after exercise, which gives fat less chance to effect the cells lining the blood vessels. The beneficial effect of exercise lasted only 24 to 48 hours, which shows the importance of exercising every day.

(J Amer Coll Cardiol, Dec. 21, 2004)