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Research ArticleOriginal Article
Open Access

Effects and a dose response relationship of physical activity to high density lipoprotein cholesterol and body mass index among Saudis

Abdul R. Al-Ajlan and Syed R. Mehdi
Saudi Medical Journal July 2005, 26 (7) 1107-1111;
Abdul R. Al-Ajlan
Associate Professor of Biochemistry, Dean, College of Health Sciences (Men), PO Box 22637, Riyadh 11416, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tel. +966 (1) 4471900 Ext. 1277. E-mail: [email protected]
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Syed R. Mehdi
Department of Clinical Laboratories, College of Health Sciences, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to examine the effects and a dose response relationship of physical activity on plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and body mass index (BMI) among Saudi men and women living in the metropolis of Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

METHODS: The sample population of 474 Saudi men and women visiting the health centers in and around Riyadh was studied from September 2003 to February 2004. The population was classified in 4 physical activity groups on the basis of frequency (F), intensity (I) and time (T) of exercise. The F, I and T value was calculated by multiplying the scores of 3 parameters. Plasma HDL-C and BMI were measured and the association of HDL-C and BMI with all 4 levels of physical activity, sedentary, light, moderate and heavy were calculated applying Pearsons correlation coefficient.

RESULTS: We found that the sedentary Saudi men had mean HDL-C levels of 0.65 ± 0.25 and BMI of 28.7 while women had 0.70 ± 0.22 HDL-C levels and 31.06 BMI. The moderate and heavy physical activity showed an increase of 53-92% and 44.2-95% in the HDL-C levels in both men and women. The physical activity had a strong association to HDL-C and an inverse association to BMI.

CONCLUSION: The substantial increase in the levels of plasma HDL-C and a moderate reduction in BMI is seen in men and women who are at moderate and heavy physical activity status, however the HDL-C level does not reach to the coronary heart disease protective level, if not combined with proper dieting. A health awareness program is urgently needed at the primary care level in KSA to educate people regarding the significance of physical activity and proper diet.

  • Copyright: © Saudi Medical Journal

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License (CC BY-NC), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Saudi Medical Journal: 26 (7)
Saudi Medical Journal
Vol. 26, Issue 7
1 Jul 2005
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Effects and a dose response relationship of physical activity to high density lipoprotein cholesterol and body mass index among Saudis
Abdul R. Al-Ajlan, Syed R. Mehdi
Saudi Medical Journal Jul 2005, 26 (7) 1107-1111;

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Effects and a dose response relationship of physical activity to high density lipoprotein cholesterol and body mass index among Saudis
Abdul R. Al-Ajlan, Syed R. Mehdi
Saudi Medical Journal Jul 2005, 26 (7) 1107-1111;
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© 2025 Saudi Medical Journal Saudi Medical Journal is copyright under the Berne Convention and the International Copyright Convention.  Saudi Medical Journal is an Open Access journal and articles published are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (CC BY-NC). Readers may copy, distribute, and display the work for non-commercial purposes with the proper citation of the original work. Electronic ISSN 1658-3175. Print ISSN 0379-5284.

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