INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL WORK ON HIGH-DENSITY-LIPOPROTEIN CHOLESTEROL - IMPLICATIONS FOR THE RISK OF CORONARY HEART-DISEASE

Physically trained individuals differ greatly from untrained counterparts in their high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol blood levels. Such differences in turn may have implications for long-term preventive policies in coronary artery disease. In prospective studies, exercise programs in men, but seldom in women, have been shown to independently raise HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations in the blood. This evidence is of major interest because of the voluminous epidemiologic evidence for low blood levels of HDL-C as a risk factor for coronary heart disease. Experimental evidence is still missing to establish the efficacy of elevating blood HDL-C concentrations in actually reducing the risk of incident, or recurrent, coronary events. If the efficacy of elevating blood levels of HDL-C in ameliorating coronary prognosis is demonstrated, the recommendation for hygienic means, primarily physical exercise, will be reinforced. The role of physical training in elevating blood HDL-C is examined and plausible mechanisms for the observed experimental results are reviewed.