Reported physical activity and blood lipids in Jerusalem adults.

The association of physical activity and fasting plasma lipids and lipoproteins was studied in an adult Jerusalem population consisting of 1,095 men and 614 women. Participants were questioned about habitual physical activity, and the relationship of their reported levels of activity of fasting lipid and lipoprotein values was examined. After adjustment was made for age, ethnic origin, body mass, season, cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption, the following associations were found: 1) an inverse association of reported physical activity with triglyceride, total cholesterol and very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (not significant), and 2) a significant positive association between reported activity and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in men. These findings generally confirm results found in other Western populations. Too few women reported moderate or strenuous physical activity to permit an examination of lipid associations in women.