Jogging and weight training associated with increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in Taiwanese adults

Chien-Chang Ho; Oswald Ndi Nfor; Yun-Tsung Chen; Chi-Fang Lin; Wen-Yu Lu; Min-Chen Wu; Chuan-Chao Lin; Yung-Po Liaw

doi:10.1080/15502783.2022.2145232

Jogging and weight training associated with increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in Taiwanese adults

J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2022 Nov 29;19(1):664-676. doi: 10.1080/15502783.2022.2145232. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Chien-Chang Ho^{1

2

3}, Oswald Ndi Nfor⁴, Yun-Tsung Chen⁵, Chi-Fang Lin⁵, Wen-Yu Lu⁴, Min-Chen Wu⁶, Chuan-Chao Lin^{7

8}, Yung-Po Liaw^{4

9

10}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physical Education, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, Taiwan.
² Research and Development Center for Physical Education, Health, and Information Technology, College of Education, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Sports Medicine Center, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, New Taipei, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Public Health and Institute of Public Health, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁶ Office of Physical Education, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
⁷ Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁸ School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁹ Department of Medical Imaging, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
¹⁰ Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.

Abstract

Background: Although previous studies have shown that aerobic and resistance exercise increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, the optimal type of exercise has not been determined. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the association of jogging (a type of aerobic exercise) and weight training (a type of resistance exercise) with HDL-C levels in Taiwanese adults.

Methods: The data used in this cross-sectional study were obtained from the Taiwan Biobank (TWB), which is a national health resource that contains the genetic information of Taiwanese volunteers aged 30-70 years. A total of 75,635 subjects (47,881 women and 27,754 men) were included in this study. The subjects were divided into four groups: jogging (n = 2,278), weight training (n = 522), mixed exercise (n = 519), and no exercise (n = 72,316). The TWB data were collected through questionnaires (e.g. basic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and disease history), biochemical tests, and anthropometric measurements.

Results: Compared with no exercise, jogging, weight training, and mixed exercise were all associated with higher HDL-C levels (β = 2.5470, 2.6249, and 3.2117, respectively). As seen, the β value was highest for the mixed exercise group, followed by weight training and then jogging (p for trend <0.0001).

Conclusions: In the current study, jogging and weight training were individually associated with higher levels of HDL-C. Engaging in both activities was associated with much higher levels of HDL-C. Our findings suggest that regular jogging and weight training might play an important role in increasing HDL-C levels.

Keywords: Physical activity; Taiwan Biobank; high-density lipoprotein.

MeSH terms

Adult
Cholesterol, HDL
Cross-Sectional Studies
Exercise*
Female
Humans
Jogging*
Male
Weight Lifting

Substances

Cholesterol, HDL

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST 110-2121-M-040-002, MOST 111-2121-M-040-002, MOST 109-2811-M-040-500, MOST 110-2811-M-040-001, and MOST 111-2811-M-040-001). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.