Lipoprotein subfractions in women athletes: effects of age, visceral obesity and aerobic fitness.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether lipoprotein subfractions are associated with age-related changes in visceral obesity and maximal aerobic fitness in women athletes.


METHODS
Body composition was measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and a single slice computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen of 39 women athletes (age: 18-69y, body mass index (BMI): 19-24 kg/m2). Lipoprotein lipids were measured in plasma drawn after a 12 h fast using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, which quantifies lipoprotein subfractions by the spectroscopic differences exhibited by lipoprotein particles of various sizes.


RESULTS
Total cholesterol (r=0.42; P<0.01) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (r=0.32; P=0.05) correlated positively with age, even after adjustment for age-related decreases in maximal aerobic fitness (VO2 max) and increases in the intra-abdominal fat area. There were no relationships between any of the lipoprotein subfractions or sizes with age. Very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) size and VLDL2-TG correlated with total fat mass (r = 0.40 and r= -0.43, respectively; P < 0.05) and with intra-abdominal fat area (r = -0.47 and r = 0.43, respectively; P < 0.01), but not independently of total fat mass. Total cholesterol and LDL-C were negatively related to maximal aerobic fitness (VO2max) (r = -0.37 and r = -0.33, respectively; P < 0.05), while low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) size was positively related to VO2max (r = 0.35, P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that age-associated changes in lipoprotein concentrations are probably, in part, due to primary aging, rather than age-related changes in abdominal obesity and aerobic fitness.
Nicklas
B J
BJ
Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore VA Medical Center, 21201, USA.
Ryan
A S
AS
Katzel
L I
LI
D000005:Abdomen; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000332:Aerobiosis; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D001824:Body Constitution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D013177:Sports; D016387:Women's Health
D008074:Lipoproteins