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Aims: To determine the effects of statins on postprandial lipaemia (PPL) and to study if exercise could enhance statin actions. Methods: Ten hypercholesteraemic (blood cholesterol 204 ± 36 mg dL−1; low‐density lipoprotein–cholesterol 129 ± 32 36 mg dL−1) overweight (body mass index 30 ± 4 kg m−2), metabolic syndrome individuals chronically medicated with statins (>6 months) underwent 5‐hour PPL tests in 4 occasions in a randomized order: (i) substituting their habitual statin medication by placebo for 96 hours (PLAC trial); (ii) taking their habitual statin medicine (STA trial); (iii) placebo combined with a bout of intense aerobic exercise (EXER+PLAC trial); and (iv) combining exercise and statin medicine (EXER+STA trial). Results: Before the fat meal, statin withdrawal (i.e. PLAC and EXER+PLAC) increased blood triglycerides (TG; 24%), low‐density lipoprotein–cholesterol (31%) and total cholesterol (19%; all P <.05) evidencing treatment compliance. After the meal, statin withdrawal increased 5‐hour postprandial TG (PPTG) compared to its matched trials (94% higher PLAC vs STA and 45% higher EXER+PLAC vs EXER+STA; P <.05). EXER+PLAC trial did not lower PPTG below PLAC (i.e. incremental AUC of 609 ± 152 vs 826 ± 190 mg dL−1 5 h; P =.09). Adding exercise to statin did not result in larger reductions in PPTG (i.e. EXER+STA vs STA incremental area under the curve of 421 ± 87 vs 421 ± 84 mg dL−1 5 h; P =.99). Conclusion: In hypercholesteraemic metabolic syndrome individuals, chronic statin therapy blunts the elevations in TG after a fat meal (i.e. incremental area under the curve of PPTG) reducing the cardiovascular risk associated to their atherogenic dyslipidaemia. However, a single bout of intense aerobic exercise before the high fat meal, does not reduce PPTG but also does not interfere with the effects of statin treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]