Objective: To evaluate inflammation-and oxidative stress-related (OxS) background in former athletes in relation to overweight and abdominal obesity status. Design: Cross-sectional data from ongoing follow-up study. Subjects: A total of 60 middle-aged former athletes (46.677.5 years; 181.177.2 cm; 88.1712.9 kg) and 54 age-matched controls (48.177.3 years; 181.476.2 cm; 89.7714.4 kg). Measurements: Anthropometric characteristics, serum lipoproteins (CHOL, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG), oxidized LDL (oxLDL), diene conjugates (DC) and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP). Information about the physical activity and other lifestyle variables were collected by the questionnaire. Results: Ex-athletes were characterized by significantly higher physical activity characteristics and lower CHOL and oxLDL in comparison with controls. Correlation analysis among ex-athletes revealed negative associations between all measured overweight data (body mass index, fat percentage, waist to hip circumferences and waist circumference (WC)), and current physical activity. Current physical activity was significantly related to OxS and inflammatory characteristics (oxLDL, DC and hsCRP) among the ex-athletes, but not among the control group. The most expressed positive correlations were found between WC, hsCRP, triglycerides (TG), DC and oxLDL in both study groups. Conclusion: Our study results suggest that there exists an independent (adjusted for potential confounders) association between overweight, abdominal obesity, and atherogenic inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in ex-athletes as well as in age-matched controls. Major findings of our study show that WC is the best correlate of hsCRP, oxLDL, DC and TG levels.

No abstract

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the cardiovascular disease risk factor pro®le in former athletes according to their weight-change patterns during the postcompetitive period. DESIGN: Cohort study with a retrospective assessment of baseline weight of male former top-level athletes. SUBJECTS: One-hundred and ®fty top-level athletes aged 35 ± 60 y were divided into four groups according to the weightchange patterns during the postcompetitive period (weight loss, constant weight, weight gain over 3.0 kg and weight gain over 10.0 kg). MEASUREMENTS: Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, BMI, percentage fat, skinfolds, waist-to-hip-ratio (WHR), resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), serum lipids and lipoproteins (CHOL, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG), and physical working capacity. A questionnaire was drawn up to evaluate current and previous physical activity, lifestyle indices and to record weight at the age of 20 (according to sports diaries). RESULTS: Weight gain over 10.0 kg in former athletes was closely associated with higher body mass index, percentage body fat, skinfold thickness, WHR, SBP, DBP, LDL-C and TG values, as well as lower HDL-C, HDL-CaCHOL ratio and physical working capacity values. After adjustment for confounders, the weight gainers over 10.0 kg revealed a higher risk of hypertension (OR 6.65; 95% CI 2.99 ± 11.65), abdominal fat distribution pattern (OR 10.51; 95% CI 6.11 ± 16.24), elevated LDL-C (OR 1.88; 95% CI 1.15 ± 3.06) and hypertriglyceridemia (OR 3.52; 95% CI 1.12 ± 8.56) compared with those whose weight was constant. Weight loss and weight gain less than 10.0 kg were signi®cantly related to increased risk for abdominal fat distribution pattern. CONCLUSION:The results of the present study showed that weight gain during the postcompetitive period was associated with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors in male former athletes.

A cross‐sectional study was conducted to determine the impact of previous athleticism on coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors in 168 middle‐aged men and 147 middle‐aged women in Estonia. Participants were divided into four groups: physically active ex‐athletes (AA), sedentary ex‐athletes (SA), recreational exercisers (RE), and non‐exercisers (NE). The Sharkey's questionnaire was applied to determine the CHD risk factors, health habits, medical, safety, personal, psychological and women's risk factors scores. Anthropometric characteristics, resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure values (SBP, DBP), and physical working capacity (PWC170) were measured. Concentrations of total cholesterol (CHOL), high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), triacylglycerols (TG), and glucose were determined. Low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) and HDL‐C/CHOL ratio were computed. From the questionnaire results, significant differences in CHD risk scores in both sex groups in favour of AA and RE were found. DBP in men was significantly higher in SA, and SBP in women was significantly higher in NE in comparison with other groups. PWC170 and PWC170/kg was highest in AA and lowest in NE in both sex groups. There were no significant differences for blood biochemical parameters between women's groups. In men, AA had a lower CHOL level in comparison with SA and NE, and lower concentrations of TG and LDL‐C than other groups. AA and RE had a higher HDL‐C concentration and HDL‐C/CHOL ratio in comparison with the other groups. In conclusion, differences in CHD risk factors were related to current physical activity, and were more expressed in men than in women.

The results suggest that estimates of adiposity and metabolic parameters are associated with leptin in a sport-specific manner. Whereas leptin might be regulated by overall subcutaneous fatness in athletes, our study does not imply a main influence of fat patterning on leptin in this group of trained subjects.