Regular exercise reduces fibrinogen levels: a review of longitudinal studies.

Fibrinogen can be considered as a major cardiovascular risk factor. Therefore there is a growing interest in methods to lower its plasma level. This paper is aimed at reviewing the data investigating the effects of regular exercise on plasma fibrinogen levels. Cross-sectional studies strongly suggest that regular exercise will reduce fibrinogen levels, and longitudinal data confirm this. The average decrease achieved by regular endurance exercise over several months is around 0.4 g/l. It can be extrapolated that this corresponds to a substantial decrease in risk of coronary heart disease. It is concluded that regular exercise is the most practicable approach known to date to lower plasma fibrinogen levels.