Walking exercise and its relationship to serum lipids in Japanese

This study sought to investigate the effects of walking on serum lipids among the middle-aged and elderly. The subject group included 3312 adult Japanese who underwent a routine health examination at Yukuhashi city, Fukuoka Prefecture, in 1998. The amount of walking in which the subjects engaged and other lifestyle characteristics were examined by a self-reported questionnaire. Analyses of variance were performed to calculate adjusted means of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL cholesterol using walking time as the level of a factor. Multiple logistic regression analyses were also performed to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for unfavorable lipid profiles. For both sexes, the adjusted mean for total and LDL cholesterol was higher in individuals who walked than in those who did not walk, and also individuals who walked had higher odds ratios for higher total cholesterol levels than those who did not walk. For men, the adjusted mean for HDL cholesterol was higher in individuals who walked than in those who did not walk. No significant difference was observed in triglyceride or the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol between individuals who walked and those who did not walk. This suggests that walking exercise may not achieve the beneficial effect on lipids profiles among middle-aged/older Japanese.