Objective To investigate the effect of interrupting sitting time with intermittent moderate exercise on acute postprandial plasma triglyceride (TG) in healthy children following high-fat meal consumption.

Methods Twelve participants (8 girls; 4 boys), aged 12 ± 2 years (mean ± SD), completed two trials in the laboratory. On Day 1 (d1), sitting was interrupted with moderate intensity exercise every 30 min, and compared with day 2, (d2), where participants remained sedentary. On each testing day, participants consumed four high fat meals. Blood was sampled in a fasted state and 2-hourly for 6 h with the last sample taken on the 7th hour.

Results Overall, there were no significant differences in the area under the concentration–time curve between day 1 and day 2, for the 12 participants combined ( p = 0.98). However, in eight of the 12 participants, triglyceride concentrations remained high on d2 at two, four and 6 h after baseline compared with d1 ( p = 0.03).

Conclusion When sitting was interrupted by short bouts of moderate intensity exercise there was a reduction in triglyceride concentrations in eight out of 12 participants. Possible reasons to account for the difference in response may include sexual maturation, gender differences, genetic conditions, or the rate of digestion and intestinal absorption.