Effects of aerobic exercise on non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The authors used the meta-analytic approach to examine the effects of aerobic exercise on non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) in children and adolescents. Thirteen non-HDL-C outcomes in 404 males and females (221 exercise, 183 control) were available for pooling. Random-effects modeling yielded a nonstatistically significant exercise minus control group reduction of 0.61% in non-HDL-C (X +/- SEM, -0.7 +/- 2.4 mg/dL, 95% confidence interval [CI], -5.4 to 5.0 mg/dL). A statistically significant decrease of 7% was found for percent body fat (X +/- SEM, -2.1 +/- 0.5%, 95% CI, -3.0 to -1.2%) as well as an 8% increase in aerobic capacity (X +/- SEM, 3.4 +/- 1.0 mL/kg/min, 95% CI, 1.4-5.3 mL/kg/min), both secondary outcomes of the study. It was concluded that aerobic exercise does not reduce non-HDL-C but does improve percent body fat and aerobic capacity in children and adolescents. However, a need exists for additional studies on this topic.