Table I.
Baseline participant characteristics: mean (and standard deviation).
| All (n = 168) | Health check (n = 60) | Exercise intervention (n = 54) | Controls (n = 54) | P1 | |
| Mean age, years (SD) | 40.3 (2.9) | 40.2 (2.5) | 40.4 (2.8) | 40.3 (3.5) | 0.95 (NS) |
| Weight, kg (SD) | 88.4 (11.9) | 89.3 (12.9) | 89.6 (11.1) | 86.2 (11.4) | 0.26 (NS) |
| Height, cm (SD) | 180.8 (6.4) | 181.3 (6.6) | 180.5 (6.3) | 180.7 (6.2) | 0.79 (NS) |
| Waist circumference, cm (SD) | 99 (13.4) | 99 (11.6) | 101 (18.0) | 98 (10.2) | 0.55 (NS) |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg (SD) | 134 (12.9) | 132 (14.3) | 135 (10.2) | 136 (13.9) | 0.28 (NS) |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg (SD) | 84 (9.0) | 82 (9.5) | 86 (7.6) | 84 (9.7) | 0.09 (NS) |
| RR medication (%) | 8 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 0.27 (NS) |
| Glucose, mmol/l (SD) | 5.7 (0.7) | 5.8 (0.9) | 5.7 (0.6) | 5.6 (0.4) | 0.67 (NS) |
| Cholesterol, mmol/l (SD) | 5.4 (0.8) | 5.5 (0.8) | 5.3 (0.8) | 5.2 (0.8) | 0.05 (NS) |
| LDL, mmol/l (SD) | 3.6 (0.7) | 3.7 (0.7) | 3.5 (0.7) | 3.5 (0.7) | 0.10 (NS) |
| HDL, mmol/l (SD) | 1.4 (0.4) | 1.3 (0.4) | 1.4 (0.4) | 1.4 (0.3) | 0.90 (NS) |
| Triglycerides, mmol/l (SD) | 1.4 (0.7) | 1.6 (0.9) | 1.4 (0.7) | 1.2 (0.5) | 0.01 (*) |
| Metabolic syndrome, n (%) | 45 (7) | 59 (13) | 42 (13) | 35 (13) | 0.03 (*) |
| Frequency of physical activity (at least moderate intensity, ≥ 30 minutes), n (%)2 | |||||
| Sometimes or never | 58 (35) | 21 (35) | 21 (31) | 16 (40) | 0.07 (NS) |
| 1–2 times/week | 110 (65) | 39 (65) | 33 (69) | 38 (60) |
Notes: 1Statistical comparisons between the groups were performed using analysis of variance or Kruskall–Wallis test for continuous variables and chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. 2The men who exercised ≥ 3 times/week were excluded from the trial and therefore no one exercised this much at baseline.