title: Regular exercise reduces fibrinogen levels: a review of longitudinal studies.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical and Medical Rehabilitation, AKH, University of Vienna Medical School, Austria.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ernst
mesh_terms: D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000517:prevention & control; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D005340:Fibrinogen