Effects of swimming exercise on maximal aerobic capacity and plasma lipid-lipoprotein profile of postmenopausal women

This study was designed to evaluate effects of long-term swimming training on maximal aerobic capacity and sernm lipid and lipoprotein profile of postmenopausal women. In the first study, 12 swimming-trained postmenopausal women (age : 58 ± 3 yrs, BMI : 22 ± 2 kg/m ², training distance : 3.6 ± 1.6 km/wk, mean ± SD) were compared cross-sectionally with 50 age-matched untrained women (58 ± 5 yrs, 23 ± 2 kg/m ²). Swimming-trained women had higher maximal oxygen uptake (V̇o2max) than untrained (34 ± 5 vs. 30 ± 5 ml/kg/min, P<0.05). Serum total- and HDL-cholesterol (T-C and HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations in swimmers were similar to those in untrained (T-C : 232 ± 23 vs. 220 ± 44 mg/dl, HDL-C : 69 ± 15 vs. 72 ± 17 mg/dl, TG : 83 ± 21 vs. 99 ± 67 mg/dl). On the other hand, swimmers had higher serum LDL-cholesterol concentrations (LDL-C) than untrained women (161 ± 28 vs. 138 ± 25 mg/dl, P<0.05). The second study was conducted to test the effects of a 2-year swimming program on V̇o2max and sernm lipid and lipoprotein concentrations of postmenopausal untrained women. After the swimming program 10 trained women (age : 59 ± 7 yrs, BMI : 23 ± 3 kg/m ², V̇o2max : 30 ± 3 ml/kg/min at baseline, training condition : one hour/session, frequency : 1.5 ± 0.4 times/week during the program) and 12 untrained women (60 ± 5 yrs, 23 ± 3 kg/m ², 29 ± 5 ml/kg/min at baseline) were retested. No change in BMI was observed in the two groups. At the 2-year follow-up, the trained women increased V̇o2max (34 ± 5 ml/kg/min, P<0.05), whereas no change in V̇o2max was observed in the untrained women (30 ± 5 ml/kg/min). No changes occurred in concentrations of T-C (Trained : 238 ± 25→233 ± 21 mg/dl, Untrained : 236 ± 20→236 ± 32 mg/dl), HDL-C (Trained : 70 ± 15→74 ± 16 mg/dl, Untrained : 69 ± 15→69 ± 14 mg/dl), LDL-C (Trained : 150 ± 29→144 ± 27 mg/dl, Untrained : 144 ± 15 → 145 ± 23 mg/dl), and TG (Trained : 90 ± 32→74 ± 25 mg/dl. Untrained : 115 ± 81→106 ± 52mg/dl). These results suggest that although a long-term swimming program can increase maximal aerobic capacity, favorable changes in sernm lipids or lipoproteins can not be expected for postmenopausal women.