Influence of exercise and life-style variables upon high density lipoprotein cholesterol after myocardial infarction

Two groups of postcoronary patients (n = 35 and n = 27) were followed for 1 year. Group 1, recruited 2 to 3 months after infarction, showed a 9% gain of maximum oxygen intake in response to an average of 878 km of walking at speeds increasing to 6.9 km.hr-1. High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol showed a statistically significant, but small, increase over the period of training. If expressed as a ratio to either low density lipoprotein or total cholesterol, the change was correlated with decreases of cigarette consumption, alcohol intake, and body mass, but was unrelated to speed or training distance. Group 2 patients trained an average of 50 to 80 km a week. In this group, HDL cholesterol correlated well with the weekly running distance, declining in those subjects who detrained, and increasing in those who intensified their training. We conclude that the dose of exercise necessary for inducing any substantial increase of HDL cholesterol is about 20 km.wk-1.