Physical training plasma lipoproteins and faecal steroid excretion in sedentary men

摘要

Summary.Thirty sedentary men aged 25–52 participated in a 4‐month randomized and controlled study of the effects of exercise on plasma lipoproteins and faecal steroid excretion. After 4 months the aerobic training group showed a significant (P= 0·047) increase in physical work capacity (+38 watts) and a significant (P= 0·025) decrease in faecal total steroid excretion (‐257 mg/day) compared to corresponding changes in the control group. The drop in faecal total steroid excretion in the men who trained was mainly due to a significant (P<0·05) fall in faecal neutral sterol excretion (‐240 mg/day). Plasma lipoprotein lipid concentrations did not change significantly during the study although plasma levels of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol tended to fall in the men who trained. In the aerobic training group individual changes in plasma LDL cholesterol levels were significantly correlated with decreases in faecal total steroid excretion (p = 0·615,P<0·05) and faecal neutral sterol excretion (p = 0·627,P<0·05). The results of this study show that regular exercise is associated with a drop in faecal neutral sterol excretion which, if sufficiently large, may be associated with a decrease in plasma LDL cholesterol