The effect of acute virgin coconut oil supplementation and aerobic exercise on triglyceride levels following postprandial hypertriglyceridemia in healthy males.

BACKGROUND: A substantial body of literature postulates that high levels of blood triglycerides (TG) cause oxidative stress which impairs vascular function and may instigate a pathway to cardiovascular disease (CVD) (Padilla et al., 2006). Exercise has been shown to promote the removal of TG and reduce postprandial hypertriglyceridemia (PHTG) following a high-fat meal (McClean et al., 2007). Research (Bueno et al., 2015) also suggests that virgin coconut oil (VCO) is a rich source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) which may provide a mechanism against CVD.AIM: Investigate the relationship between VCO and exercise following PHTG on TG levels.METHODS: Nine healthy subjects (age 26.0 years ± 4.66) participated in a randomised crossover design: (1) High-fat meal alone (2) high-fat meal followed 1 hour after with moderate (60% max watt) exercise (3) high-fat meal with VCO followed 1 hour after with exercise. TG was measured in venous blood at baseline, 2 and 4 hours postprandial. HDL, cholesterol and other biochemical markers were measured.RESULTS: Compared with control, TG levels significantly decreased with exercise 4 hours postprandial (P =0.044), and exercise with VCO group decreased at 2 hours (P =0.010) and 4 hours (P =0.012) postprandial, respectively. However, exercise alone did not significantly reduce TG levels 2 hours (P =0.274) postprandial. There was no significant difference in cholesterol and HDL levels between groups 2 hours and 4 hours postprandial, respectively.CONCLUSION: Results show that a single session of moderate aerobic exercise can decrease TG levels following a high-fat meal. Furthermore, VCO further enhances the effects of moderate exercise in reducing TG levels following PHTG

Craig Coch Field Surveys Group meeting, Malvern February 1976: UWIST Paper 7. River Wye vegetation survey

The problem as stated in the contract for this survey is that “the River Wye is regarded as a Grade 1 site in the Nature Conservation Review. The enlargement of an existing reservoir at Craig Goch in Powys intended eventually to regulate the river flow within the Wye and Severn could have an undesirable and adverse effect upon the ecology and Nature Conservation interest of the River Wye.” The object of this survey, again as stated in the Nature Conservancy Council contract, is “to determine the distribution of aquatic and marginal plants within the River, Wye, which is defined loosely as the river plus its retaining banks. To study aspects of the ecology of riparian habitats by relating distribution to recorded variables, and suggest possible means of management.” It is proposed that the vegetation survey is to take 60% of the available time and the experimental side 40%. Mr. D.G. Merry has been appointed as a research assistant for three years to work on the project under the supervision of Dr. F.M. Slater

Craig Coch Field Surveys Group meeting, Malvern 3-4 February 1976: UWIST Paper 3. Comparison of two methods of collecting macro-invertebrates from the R. Wye

The adequacy of different methods of sampling invertebrates for the collection of qualitative and quantitative information for surveillance purposes has been the centre of discussion at Craig Goch Surveys Group meetings (Abel, 1975). This paper compares two methods of collecting macro-invertebrates from the R. Wye

Craig Coch Field Surveys Group meeting, Malvern February 1976: UWIST Paper 4. Invertebrates: River Wye

Except for a single summer survey by Morgan (1970) no significant investigations of the invertebrate fauna of the R. Wye have been undertaken as far as we are aware. The current programme was designed to describe the distribution and relative abundance of aquatic invertebrates, in the R. Wye and those tributaries relevant to the proposals to regulate discharge in the river system. In addition, a more intensive localised study has been established to describe the population dynamics of selected invertebrate communities more precisely and to establish the feasibility of assessing the effect of secondary production of regulating discharges. Complementary studies on the drift of invertebrates have been undertaken. These data will be needed as a basis for evaluating the effects of the proposed Craig Goch scheme on the invertebrate fauna in the Wye catchment

Craig Coch Field Surveys Group meeting, Malvern February 1976: UWIST Paper 5. Invertebrate studies: Ystwyth & Rheidol

The Rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol have a history of metal pollution (Carpenter 1924, 1925: Newton 1944): many reaches still receive substantial volumes of water contaminated with heavy metals, principally zinc and lead, although there has been considerable improvement in water quality and biological status in recent years, particularly in the R. Rheidol (Jones & Howells 1969). As a consequence of proposals to divert uncontaminated water from the headstreams of both rivers in order to provide a refill source for the enlarged Craig Goch Reservoir, a surveillance programme was instituted to provide base-line data for water quality, fisheries and invertebrates. U.W.I.S.T., under contract to W.N.W.D.A., has implemented a programme which will provide information on the variety, distribution and relative abundance of aquatic invertebrates: the study of other aspects has been undertaken by South West Wales River Division (1976)

Craig Coch Field Surveys Group meeting, Malvern February 1976: UWIST Paper 6. Submerged macrophytes of the R. Wye

Substantial growths of aquatic macrophytes are known to occur in the lower reaches of the R. Wye during the summer months and in 1975 the distribution of major plant species was assessed and the biomass of representative plant stands estimated in one 30 km stretch. This very modest programme has now been complemented by a more comprehensive study of macrophytes of the R. Wye by UWIST, under contract to Nature Conservancy Council (UWIST 1976g)