Effects of Exercise on Serum Lipids in Adult Men - A 20-Year Study

Abstract

Healthy male adults (n = 20; Age = 30–60 yrs) were studied in a 20-year longitudinal study to investigate the effects of regular daily exercise on serum lipid levels. They were university faculty members and towns-people and had no history of coronary artery disease. The subjects participated in the adult exercise research program held at the university which met five days a week and continued for 20 years. They were asked to attend 80% of the time, or 4 out of the 5 days. The actual attendance rate over the 20 year period was 3.5 times per week (70%) The exercise program was 50 minutes in duration and consisted of: 10 minutes of warm-up and stretching exercises, 15 minutes of strength and muscular endurance calisthenics, 15 minutes of aerobic step exercise, and 10 minutes of swimming and running. The exercises class was formally led by the instructors, and attendance was taken daily. Physical fitness testing and a comprehensive blood profile were done at the beginning and end of their first year of participating the exercise program and at the end of each of the following years. The blood variables reported in this paper were: Total Cholesterol, HDL and LDL Cholesterol, Cholesterol/HDL ratio, and Triglycerides. All of these blood variables improved significantly during the study (p < 0.05), however the largest change occurred during the first year. The changes varied from year to year, but plateaued after about 5 years then remained at their improved level. At the end of 20 years, the subjects were 20 years older, which made the changes more dramatic since most serum lipids get worse with age.