Serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in male and female Olympic athletes.

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) is negatively associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease, and high levels of HDLC have been reported for physically active people. During the 1976 Olympic Games, held in Montreal, Canada, several physiological variables were measured in volunteer male and female Olympic athletes, from whom blood was collected. To compare these elite athletes with the general population and other physically active groups, HDLC was measured in serum samples that were kept at -80 degrees C and after precipitation of lipoproteins of lower densities by heparin-manganese. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly higher in women (65.2 +/- 2.1 N = 31) than in men (54.5 +/- 1.4, N = 64) (P less than 0.01). Olympic athletes had approximately 20% more HDLC than levels reported in the literature for the general population of North America. Levels of HDLC of the male Olympic athletes were comparable to those reported for elite world-class runners of comparable age. No correlation was found between HDLC and Quetelet index or maximum oxygen consumption. Levels of HDLC in athletes 20-24 yr of age were lower than in the other age groups studied and was positively correlated with age for athletes over 20 yr of age. Although a causal relationship between physical activity and HDLC remains to be established unequivocally, the present findings agree with several other studies that link various levels of physical activity with blood concentrations of HDLC higher than those found in sedentary populations.