BLOOD LIPID RESPONSES TO EXERCISE IN BLACKS VS WHITES: THE HERITAGE FAMILY STUDY

982 We are reporting the effects on plasma lipids of 20 weeks of endurance exercise training performed at 4 collaborating clinical centers. Participants were sedentary white (n=480) and black (n=259) men and women (aged 17 - 65 years) members of 2 generation families instructed to maintain usual lifestyle habits. Supervised exercise was performed 3 times per week on a cycle ergometer progressing up to 50 minutes per session at a heart rate associated with 75% VO2 peak, and resulted in a mean 17.6% increase in VO2 peak. Fasting blood obtained twice at baseline and 72-hours post-training was assayed at a certified central laboratory. Mean pre-and post-training plasma lipids in mg/dl (SEM) and percent change (Δ) with training are(n=739): TableTableThe change in HDL-C level was independent of race, gender, age and change in body mass. It primarily involved the HDL2 fraction, and was accompanied by a mean increase in APO A-1 of 4.4 ± 0.4 mg/dl. Blacks had a greater mean increase in HDL2-C and a smaller increase in triglycerides than whites (p<0.05). Thus, exercise resulted in a slightly more favorable change in a normolipemic blood lipid profile in black as compared to white participants in the HERITAGE Study.