Effects of the Amount and Intensity of Exercise on Plasma Lipoproteins

Abstract

The highest amount of weekly exercise, with minimal weight change, had widespread beneficial effects on the lipoprotein profile. The improvements were related to the amount of activity and not to the intensity of exercise or improvement in fitness.

Physical Activity and Incident Cardiovascular Disease in Women: Is the Relation Modified by Level of Global Cardiovascular Risk?

“…In a follow‐up to this analysis, Sesso and colleagues found that, among men with multiple (≥4) CVD risk factors, those who were more active had reduced CHD risk compared with those who were less active 10. It is not surprising that physical activity is associated with lower risk of CVD in these high‐risk subgroups because many of the mechanisms for the benefits of exercise include improvements in several of these cardiovascular risk factors, including blood pressure, lipoprotein levels, and glucose tolerance 19, 20, 21…”

Is weight loss the optimal target for obesity-related cardiovascular disease risk reduction?

“…For example, three months of daily aerobic training in obese men, who consumed compensatory kilocalories equivalent to the amount expended during exercise, resulted in a 30% improvement in insulin sensitivity despite no change in weight (14). Furthermore, while improvements in HDL cholesterol and TGs are generally greater in those who lose weight, these improvements can be seen even when weight remains virtually unchanged (49)(50)(51). For example, a number of physical activity interventions that do not significantly alter body weight have documented 5% to 35% reductions in TG levels (52,53) and/or 3% to 5% increases in HDL values (32,52).…”

“…The lipid improvements independent of significant weight reduction may also be mediated by improvements in body composition, such as reductions in visceral fat (60), but apparently are not due to improvements in CRF (51). Lastly, it appears that physical activity and weight loss may have independent effects on blood pressure, because reductions in blood pressure are significantly related to training-induced improvements in CRF (54), as well as the magnitude of weight loss (55).…”

Universal access: But when? Treating the right patient at the right time: Access to cardiac rehabilitation

“…Exercise training and lifestyle counselling can favourably modify blood pressure (14,15), serum triglyceride levels, highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (16)(17)(18), insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis (19). Psychosocial problems, such as depression and anxiety, are negatively associated with prognosis.…”