Effect of endurance exercise training on blood lipids in young men

The present study was conducted in order to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise (running) performed regularly for eight weeks without a special diet on blood lipid and lipoprotein levels. Twenty non-smoker, moderately active young volunteer men who were not on a special diet (Training Group = 10 and Control Group = 10) participated in the study. Training group performed aerobic exercise at target heart beat rate of 60 to 70% for 1 h/day for 4 days per week during 8 week-trial. Blood samples were taken at rest before and after the training period. Lipid and lipoprotein measurements were done with enzymatic method on auto-analyzer. Maximal oxygen uptake in the training group significantly increased after the experimental period, while body fat percentages did not change in both groups. The plasma levels of low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) increased in training group and decreased in control group, while levels of high density-cholesterol (HDL-C) decreased in both groups being statistically significant only in training group. Total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) levels were not affected by the training program. In conclusion, a short term (8 weeks) aerobic exercise program performed without a special diet in moderately active young men may be considered as insufficient to make favorable effects on blood lipid profile.   Key words: Running exercise, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high density-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides.