Leisure-time physical activity and coronary risk factors in women

Background Evidence that physical activity is cardioprotective in women is not as strong as that observed in men. Furthermore, the extent to which exe rcise protects against coronary heart disease via its influence on classica l risk factors remains unclear. This study examines the relationship betwee n reported physical activity, a range of coronary heart disease risk factor s and a 10-year predicted coronary heart disease risk score, Methods A cross-sectional study of 14 077 female employees aged 30-64 years who were screened between 1988 and 1991 was employed. Measurements include d systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, serum total chole sterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol:high-densit y lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, trigl ycerides, apolipoprotein Al, apolipoprotein B, lipoprotein a and fasting bl ood glucose, Participants were divided into three groups according to repor ted average frequency of vigorous leisure-time physical activity, that is z ero, one to two, or three or more episodes per week. Results Increasing activity frequency was associated with lower systolic an d diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, total cholesterol:high-densi ty lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, triglycerides and body mass index (all P < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.003), apolipoprotein B (P = 0.04) and blood glucose (P = 0.01) and higher high-density lipoprotei n cholesterol (P < 0.001) and apolipoprotein Al (P = 0.03). There was no as sociation with lipoprotein a. After controlling for possible confounders, t hese relationships remained statistically significant except for apolipopro tein B and glucose. The odds ratios for being in the top quintile of predic ted 10-year coronary heart disease risk for individuals in each category of activity were 1.0 (inactive), 0.70 (one to two episodes of activity per we ek) and 0.77 (three or more episodes of activity per week). Conclusion Women engaging in vigorous, leisure-time physical activity have a less atherogenic coronary heart disease risk factor profile than those wh o do not, which translates into a potential reduction of approximately 30% in coronary heart disease risk. (C) 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.