Cardiovascular fitness, body composition, and lipoprotein lipid metabolism in older men.
BACKGROUND
Lipoprotein lipids in older individuals are affected by family history of coronary artery disease (CAD), obesity, diet, and physical activity habits.


METHODS
The relationship of obesity and physical fitness (VO2max) to lipoprotein lipids and postheparin lipases was examined in a cross-sectional study of 12 lean (LS) and 26 obese (OS) sedentary men and 18 master athletes (MAs) aged 65+/-1 years (mean +/- SE). The men were healthy, had no family history of CAD, and were weight stable on AHA diets at the time of study.


RESULTS
VO2max was similar in LS and OS men but higher in the MAs. The OS men had a higher percentage of body fat (%BF), waist circumference, and waist:hip ratio (WHR) than the MA and LS men, but MA and LS men differed only in waist circumference. Total and LDL-C levels were comparable, but HDL-C, HDL2-C, and %HDL2b subspecies were higher in MAs than in OS and LS men, and in LS than in OS men. Triglyceride (TG) was similar in MAs and LS men but higher in OS men. Across groups, two multiple regression analyses models (VO2max, %BF, and WHR or waist circumference) showed that %BF and VO2max independently predicted HDL-C and HDL2, whereas WHR predicted TG (r2 = .45) more strongly than waist circumference (r2 = .39). Postheparin lipoprotein lipase activity (LPL) was comparable among groups and correlated independently with VO2max. Total postheparin lipolytic activity (PHLA), hepatic lipase activity (HL), and HL:PHLA ratio were similar in MAs and LS men but higher in OS men. In both multiple regression analysis models, only %BF predicted HL activity and the HL:PHLA ratio. The HL:PHLA ratio independently predicted HDL-C, HDL2-C, %HDL2b, %HDL3 subspecies, and the cholesterol:HDL-C ratio, whereas LPL activity predicted TG.


CONCLUSIONS
Increased fitness and reduced total and abdominal fatness in MAs are associated with lower HL and higher LPL activities, which may mediate their higher HDL-C and lower TG levels relative to their sedentary peers.
Goldberg
A P
AP
Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore Veterans Administration Maryland Health Care System, USA. apgoldbe.umaryland.edu.
Busby-Whitehead
M J
MJ
Katzel
L I
LI
Krauss
R M
RM
Lumpkin
M
M
Hagberg
J M
JM
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*
D008074:Lipoproteins; D010100:Oxygen