Study on threshold dose of physical activity in coronary heart disease prevention. Part I. Relationship between leisure time physical activity and coronary risk factors.

This study performed on 146 healthy men aged 30-55 years involved in recreational training for several years has demonstrated a relationship between an approximate metabolic cost of leisure time sports activities with an energy expenditure greater than 5 kcal/min (greater than 21 kJ) and the total coronary risk score, % body fat, HDL cholesterol concentration, smoking frequency, and aerobic capacity indices. These data as well as the preliminary results of a long-term study demonstrate that regular endurance training with an exercise intensity greater than 5 kcal/min (greater than 21 kJ) and a total energy expenditure of 1000-1499 kcal/week (4187-6279 kJ) may be a threshold dose of exercise effective for prevention of coronary heart disease and promotion of health.