Table I.
Study Characteristics
| Study | Subjects | Aerobic Exercise Program | Lipids Assessed | Assessment Methods |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker and Al-Najadah2 | 30 Women assigned to either an exercise (n=20) or control (n=10) group | 12 wk of aerobic exercise 2 d/wk, 17 min/session, 65%–80% of MHR | TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast |
| Baker et al.3 | 34 Sedentary men, 20 exercise (57.5±5.81 yr of age), 14 controls (59.3±5.61 yr of age) | 20 wk of walking/running, 3 d/w, 48 min/session, 65%–85% of MHRR | TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG | Morning after a 14-h overnight fast and 51 h after the last exercise session |
| Blumenthal et al.4 | 63 Sedentary men and women >60 yr of age assigned to either an exercise (n=31) or control (n=32) group | 16 wk of walking, jogging, cycling, and arm ergometry, 3 d/wk, 45 min/session, 60%–70% of MHRR | TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG | Morning after a 14-h overnight fast |
| Cauley et al.5 | 204 Women assigned to either an exercise (n=100; 57.95±4.01 yr of age) or control (n=104; 57.39±4.17 yr of age) group | 104 wk of walking, 3 d/wk | TC, HDL-C, TG | Morning after fasting for > 10 h |
| Cunningham et al.6 | 202 Men, 55–65 yr of age, assigned to either an exercise (n=101) or control (n=101) group | 52 wk of walking or jogging, 2.5 d/wk, 30 min/session, at a heart rate of 131 bpm | TC, HDL-C | Morning after an overnight fast of 12–16 h and avoiding exercise |
| Eriksson et al.7 | 14 Sedentary men and women (mean age, 60±18.7 yr) assigned to either an exercise (n=7) or control (n=7) group | 24 wk of walking, jogging, cycling, and swimming, 3 d/wk, 30–60 min/session, 60% of MHR | TC, HDL-C, TG | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast and avoiding exercise for 5–7 d |
| Fahlman et al.8 | 30 Sedentary women, assigned to an aerobic exercise (n=15; 76±5 yr of age) or control (n=15; 74±5 yr of age) group | 10 wk of walking, 3 d/wk, 20–50 min/session, 70% of MHRR | TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, TC/HDL-C | Morning after a 12–14-h overnight fast and avoiding exercise for 48–96 h |
| Ferrier et al.9 | 10 Sedentary men (n=5) and women (n=5), mean age, 64±7 yr, crossed over to an exercise and control condition | 8 wk of cycling, 3 d/wk, 30 min/session, 65% of MHRR | HDL-C, LDL-C, TG | After avoiding exercise for 48 h |
| Hersey et al.10 | 25 Sedentary men and women ages 70–79 assigned to an aerobic exercise (n=16) or control (n=9) group | 24 wk of walking/jogging, 3 d/wk, 20–45 min/session, 50%–85% of MHRR | TC, TG | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast and avoiding exercise for 16–24 h |
| King et al.11 | 300 Sedentary men and women, 50–65 years of age, assigned to high-intensity group-based exercise (n=74), high-intensity home-based exercise (n=77), lower-intensity home-based exercise (n=74), or control (n=75) group | 52 wk of walking/jogging, cycling, 3 d/wk, 40 min/session, 73%–88% of MHR (higher intensity exercise groups) or 5 d/wk, 30 min/session, 60%–73% of MHR (lower intensity exercise groups) | HDL-C, LDL-C, TG | Morning after an overnight fast of ≥ 12 h |
| Ligtenberg et al.12 | 51 Men and women assigned to either an exercise (n=25) or control (n=26) group | 26 wk of walking/running, cycling, swimming, rowing, 3 d/wk, 50 min/session, 60%–80% of Vo2max | TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast and within 72 h of the last exercise session |
| Motoyama et al.13 | 30 Men and women, 15 exercise (75.5±5.6 yr of age), and 15 controls (73.7±4.4 yr of age) | 36 wk of treadmill exercise, 5 d/wk, 30 min/session, 50% of Vo2max | TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, TC/HDL-C | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast |
| Nieman et al.14 | 30 Sedentary women, 67–85 yr of age, assigned to an exercise (n=l4) or sham (n=16) group | 12 wk of walking, 5 d/wk, 30–40 min/session, 60% of MHRR | TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, TC/HDL-C | NA |
| Rauramaa et al.15 | 125 Men, 50–60 yr of age, assigned to either an exercise (n=62) or control (n=63) group | 156 wk of walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, and cross-country skiing, 3–5 d/wk, 30–60 min/session, 40%–60% of Vo2max | TC | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast and avoiding exercise for 24 h |
| Raz et al.16 | 38 Men and women, assigned to either an exercise (n=19; 56.7±6.2 yr of age) or control (n=19; 56.5±6.7 yr of age) group | 12 wk of walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, 3 d/wk, 45–50 min/session, 65%–70% of MHRR | TC, HDL-C, TG | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast |
| Ready et al.17 | 25 Postmenopausal women, 15 exercise and 10 control, 62±5.7 yr of age | 24 wk of walking, 5 d/wk, 54 min/session, 54% of MHRR | TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, TC/HDL-C | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast and 12 h after the last exercise session |
| Ready et al.18 | 53 Sedentary women (mean age, 61.3±5.8 yr) assigned to either 3 d of exercise (n=18), 5 d of exercise (n=17), or control (n=18) group | 24 wk of walking, 3 d/wk, 59 min/session, 60% of Vo2max, or 5 d/wk, 56 min/session, 60% of Vo2max | TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast and avoiding exercise |
| Ruoti19 | 20 Men and women, 50–68 yr of age, assigned to either an exercise (n=12; 65.16±5.29 yr of age) or control (n=8; 56.00±6.78 yr of age) group | 12 wk of aqua dynamic exercise, 3 d/wk, 60 min/session, 70%–80% of MHR | TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, TC/HDL-C | Morning after an overnight fast |
| Seals et al.20 | 35 Sedentary women assigned to an exercise (n=18; 62±9 yr of age) or no exercise and sodium restriction (n=17; 65±10 yr of age) group | 13 wk of walking, 5.8 d/wk, 40 min/session, 70% of MHR | TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG | Morning after an overnight fast |
| Sunami et al.21 | 40 Men and women, 60–77 yr of age (mean age, 67±4 yr), assigned to an exercise (n=20) or control (n=20) group | 20 wk of cycling, 2–4 d/wk, 50% of Vo2max | TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, TC/HDL-C | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast |
| Verissimo et al.22 | 63 Men and women, ages 65–94, assigned to an exercise (n=31; 77.9±7.4 yr of age) or control (n=32; 77.8±7.5 yr of age) group | 32 wk of walking/jogging, cycling, rowing, arm cranking, 3 d/wk, 50 min/session, 60%–80% of MHRR | TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, TG, TC/HDL-C | Morning after a 12-h overnight fast and avoiding exercise for 36 h |
| Verity and Ismail23 | 10 Sedentary women, 50–70 yr of age, assigned to either an exercise (n=5; 61.20±9.17 yr of age) or control (n=5; 57.20±8.27 yr of age) group | 16 weeks of walking, 3 d/wk, 60–90 min/session, 65%–80% of MHRR | TC, HDL-C, TC/HDL-C | Morning after a 10–12-h overnight fast |
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 ± SD. Lipid variables listed limited to those that met our inclusion criteria, including availability. MHR=maximum heart rate; TC=total cholesterol; HDL-C=high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C=low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; TG=triglycerides; MHRR=maximum heart rate reserve; Vo2max=maximum oxygen consumption; NA=not available