Cholesterol metabolism in non-obese women--Failure of physical conditioning to alter levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol

The effects of a 6-week program of vigorous exercise were studied in 14 non-obese females aged 22--26. Preceding and following a regimen consisting of 30--45 min of jogging 5 days per week, treadmill performance, body weight, total plasma cholesterol, and plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were assessed. Aerobic performance improved markedly after training as demonstrated by a reduced heart rate at each submaximal treadmill workload, and by an increase in maximal attainable workload. In the absence of a significant change in body weight, total cholesterol fell significantly after training (171 +/- 6 vs 161 +/- 5 mg/dl, P less than 0.05) whereas HDL cholesterol was not significantly altered (63 +/- 5 vs 58 +/- 3 mg/dl). The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol fell insignificantly (2.92 +/- 0.19 vs 2.86 +/- 0.14). Our findings differ from prior reports of elevations of high density lipoprotein levels following physical conditioning in men. We suggest that hormonal or other factors leading to higher baseline levels of HDL in women counteract the expected alterations in lipoprotein metabolism induced by physical training.