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Effect of regular exercise on homocysteine concentrations: the HERITAGE Family Study

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Abstract

We investigated whether regular aerobic exercise could affect plasma total homocysteine (tHcy), and whether there were sex-related or racial differences in tHcy changes. Data were available for 816 black and white men and women, aged 17–65 years, 711 of whom completed a 20 week aerobic exercise training program. The tHcy concentration was measured in frozen plasma samples by an HPLC method. In Blacks, tHcy did not change with exercise training [men −0.5 (SD 3.7) μmol/l, women 0.0 (2.2) μmol/l) but increased significantly in Whites (men +0.3 (1.7) μmol/l, women +0.2 (1.6) μmol/l). No sex-related differences were found in either racial group. Changes in tHcy correlated negatively with baseline homocysteine (r = −0.40, P < 0.0001). Homocysteine levels of the “High” (hyperhomocysteinemia) (≥15 μmol/l) group (n = 30) decreased significantly with regular aerobic exercise from 23.1 (12.1) to 19.6 (7.6) μmol/l. Homocysteine levels of the “Normal” group increased slightly from 8.2 ± 2.2 to 8.5 ± 2.4 μmol/l. Men exhibit racial differences for tHcy responses to exercise training. Regular aerobic exercise has favorable effects on individuals with hyperhomocysteinemia, but tHcy slightly increased in individuals within the normal range.

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Acknowledgments

The HERITAGE Family Study is supported by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Grants HL-45670 (to C. Bouchard), HL-47323 (to A. S. Leon), HL-47317 (to D. C. Rao), and HL-47327 (to J. S. Skinner), and HL-47321 (to J. H. Wilmore). A. S. Leon is partially supported by the Henry L. Taylor endowed Professorship in Exercise Science and Health Enhancement, and C. Bouchard is partially supported by the George A. Bray Chair in Nutrition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Genomics Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, 6400 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA, 70808, USA

    Tomohiro Okura, Tuomo Rankinen & Claude Bouchard

  2. Marine Biotechnology Research Centre, Remouski, Quebec, Canada

    Jacques Gagnon

  3. Hyperlipidemia and Atherosclerosis Research Group, Clinical Research Institute of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Suzanne Lussier-Cacan & Jean Davignon

  4. Division of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Arthur S. Leon

  5. Division of Biostatistics and Departments of Genetics and Psychiatry, Washington University Medical School, St Louis, MO, USA

    D. C. Rao

  6. Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    James S. Skinner

  7. Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Jack H. Wilmore

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  1. Tomohiro Okura
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  2. Tuomo Rankinen
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  3. Jacques Gagnon
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  4. Suzanne Lussier-Cacan
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  5. Jean Davignon
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  6. Arthur S. Leon
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  7. D. C. Rao
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  8. James S. Skinner
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  9. Jack H. Wilmore
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  10. Claude Bouchard
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Correspondence to Claude Bouchard.

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Okura, T., Rankinen, T., Gagnon, J. et al. Effect of regular exercise on homocysteine concentrations: the HERITAGE Family Study. Eur J Appl Physiol 98, 394–401 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-006-0294-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-006-0294-6

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