Table 1.
Characteristics of included studies
| Study | Subjects | Aerobic exercise intervention | Lipids assessed | Assessment methods |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell3 | 40 college-aged males, assigned to either an exercise (n = 24) or control (n = 16) group | 10 weeks of running, 3 days/week, 30 min/session | TC | Morning after an overnight fast |
| Gillett et al4 | 82 sedentary females, 49–59 y of age, assigned to either an exercise (n = 59) or control (n = 23) group | 16 weeks of low-impact dance exercise, 3.2 days/week, 28.5 min/session, 60–80% of MHRR | TC, HDL | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast |
| Hagan et al5 | 48 sedentary males and females (mean age = 36.6 y) assigned to either an exercise (n = 24) or control (n = 24) group | 12 weeks of walking and/or running, 5 days/week, 30 min/session | TC, HDL, LDL, TG | Morning after a 14-h overnight fast |
| Hinkleman and Nieman6 | 36 sedentary women, 25–45 y of age, 18 exercise (age = 36.0±6.8 y) and 18 control (age = 32.4±6.4 y) | 15 weeks of walking, 5 days/week, 45 min/session, 62% of VO2max | TC, LDL, TG | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast and avoiding exercise for more than 36 h |
| Hopewell7 | 11 sedentary women, assigned to either an exercise (n = 5) or control (n = 6) group | 24 weeks of walking, 3 days/week, 50 min/session, 68% of VO2max | TC, HDL, LDL, TG | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast and avoiding exercise for at least 24 h |
| Kaplan et al8 | 33 sedentary men and women (mean age = 54 y) assigned to an exercise (n = 18) or control (n = 15) group | 10 weekly walking sessions over a 10-week period, 40–60 min/session, 60–70% of VO2max | TC, HDL, LDL, TG | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast |
| Keller and Trevino9 | 35 sedentary women, 18–45 y of age, assigned to either 3 × week exercise (n = 12), 5 × week exercise (n = 11), or control (n = 12) group | 24 weeks of walking 3 or 5 days/week, 30 min/session, 50% of MHRR | TC, HDL, LDL, TG | Morning after a 7–11 h overnight fast and after avoiding exercise |
| Kraus et al10 | 84 men and women, assigned to either low amount-moderate intensity exercise (n = 19, age = 54.3±10.6 y), low amount-high intensity exercise (n = 17, age = 51.8±6.6 y), high amount-high intensity exercise (n = 22, age = 53.0±5.6 y) or control (n = 26, age = 50.5±7.5 y) group | 24 weeks of cycling, walking/running, elliptical training, 3.4 days/week, 51.76 min/session, 40–55% of VO2max (low amount-moderate intensity exercise), 3 days/week, 39 min/session, 65–80% of VO2max (low amount-high intensity exercise), or 3.8 days/week, 45.79 min/session, 65–80% of VO2max (high amount-high intensity exercise) | TC, HDL, LDL, TG | Morning after an overnight fast |
| Leon et al11 | 16 sedentary men, 22–44 y of age, assigned to an exercise period and a control period | 12 weeks of walking and stairclimbing, 5 days/week, 52 min/session, 40 to 90% of VO2max | TC, LDL, HDL, TG | Morning after an overnight fast |
| Ligtenberg et al12 | 51 men and women assigned to either an exercise (n = 25) or control (n = 26) group | 26 weeks of walking/running, cycling, swimming, rowing, 3 days/week, 50 min/session, 60–80% of VO2max | TC, HDL, LDL, TG | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast and within 72 h of the last exercise session |
| Nieman et al13 | 43 sedentary women assigned to either an exercise (n = 21) or control (n = 22) group | 12 weeks of walking, 5 days/week, 25–45 min/session, 60–80% of MHR | TC, HDL, LDL, TG | NA |
| Verity and Ismail15 | 10 sedentary women, 50–70 y of age, assigned to either an exercise (n = 5, age = 61.20±9.17 y) or control (n = 5, age = 57.20±8.27 y) group | 16 weeks of walking, 3 days/week, 60–90 min/session, 65–80% of MHRR | TC, HDL | Morning after a 10–12 h overnight fast |
| Wood et al16 | 89 sedentary men, 30–59 y of age, assigned to an exercise (n = 47, age = 44.1±7.8 y) or control (n = 42, age = 45.2±7.2 y) group | 52 weeks of walking and jogging, 3–5 days per week, 25–50 min/session, 60–80% of MHR. Subjects were also encouraged to increase their general activity by such things as walking, cycling, stair climbing, and recreational activities | TC, HDL, LDL, TG | Morning after a 12–16 h overnight fast and avoiding exercise |
Description of studies limited to those subjects and variables that met our inclusion criteria; Number of subjects limited to those in which pre and post assessment of lipids took place; Data reported as mean±s.d.; MHRR, maximum heart rate reserve; VO2max, maximum oxygen consumption; MHR, maximal heart rate; lipid variables listed limited to those that met our inclusion criteria, including availability; TC, total cholesterol; HDL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; TG, triglycerides; NA, not available.