[Lipoprotein cholesterol in different physical activities. A comparative study in healthy individuals of different ages and patients with coronary heart disease (author's transl)].

The effects of habitual sporting activity on the serum lipoprotein pattern were examined in 415 males with differing physical activity levels, differing fitness conditions, and differing ages. Of these, 260 were competitive athletes in different events between the ages of 17 and 30 years, 37 were amateur sportsmen, and 20 sedentary individuals of the same age served as control. Sixty amateur sportsmen between the ages of 40 to 60 years in different sporting activities were compared with 19 healthy sedentary controls and 19 patients with coronary heart disease of the same age. Independently of age, the physically active tended to have a reduced LDL-cholesterol, the reduction was statistically significant in some events. No relationship was apparent between the type of physical activity and the magnitude of the LDL-cholesterol reduction. In the sportsmen HDL-cholesterol tended to be higher. In the events demanding a high aerobic capacity the elevation was statistically significant. A positive correlation between HDL-cholesterol or HDL-/total cholesterol, respectively, and maximal oxygen uptake was found. In the majority of events the reduction in total serum cholesterol was not statistically significant. The results demonstrate that habitual sporting activity in events with dynamic exercise involving large muscle groups goes along with a lipoprotein pattern, which in epidemiologic studies has been shown to be associated with decreased coronary risk. This effect is independent on age. The necessary amount of training appears to be equivalent to the amount required to produce the cardiovascular adaptations determined to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.