1. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of moderate exercise on serum lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins in seven sedentary young women under controlled conditions.
2. The subjects exercised on separate days for 30 or 60 min at an intensity of 60% of maximal oxygen uptake on a cycle ergometer. Total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), HDL2-C, HDL3-C, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, apolipoproteins A-I, A-II and B were measured in the serum at the end of the 60 min rest period before each exercise, immediately after the performance of each exercise and at 30 min and 1, 2 and 24 h after each exercise.
3. The results showed that there were no significant differences between the pre- and postexercise samples for any of the parameters tested.
4. The results of the present study suggest that a single bout of exercise designed to simulate a typical training workout has no noticeable effect on serum lipids, lipoproteins and apolipoproteins in normal sedentary young women who have normal lipid profiles, are in the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle and who consume a relatively low-fat diet.
