Effects of exercise for 1 month on serum lipids in adolescent females

• Published in: Pediatrics international 1999-06, Vol.41 (3), p.253-259
• Main Authors: Hanai, T, Takada, H, Nagashima, M, Kuwano, T, Iwata, H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Basketball; Body Composition; Body Height; Body Weight; Cholesterol - blood; Cholesterol, HDL - blood; Exercise - physiology; Female; Hematocrit; Humans; Plasma Volume; Regression Analysis
• ISSN: 1328-8067; 1442-200X
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1442-200X.1999.t01-1-01064.x

The present study was done to clarify the effects of 1 month of exercise on levels of total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) and on the ratio TC/HDLC and also to evaluate the relationship of body fat to amount of exercise and TC/HDLC ratio. Twenty-seven female athletes (aged 15-18 years) were divided into two groups: the participant's group, in which players trained and attended a tournament, and the non-participant's group, in which players did not attend the tournament. We assessed the amount of exercise, body composition, serum TC and HDLC and TC/HDLC on four occasions: before (T0), during (T1), 1 day after (T2) and a week after (T3) the experimental period. Levels of TC and HDLC adjusted for changes in plasma volume were compared for each occasion. Two multiple regression models for change in TC/HDLC from T0 to T2 and from T0 to T3 were employed. (i) The changing patterns in TC and HDLC throughout the program were different between the two groups; (ii) the decreased level of TC/HDLC after 1 month of exercise may easily revert to its original level; and (iii) the relevant factor for the decline in TC/HDLC was the amount of exercise, not body fat reduction. Exercise may be a more important factor for the improvement of TC/HDLC than concomitant body fat reduction and non-strenuous exercise may maintain a more stable and higher HDLC level than strenuous exercise.