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Association of recreational physical activity with homocysteine, folate and lipid markers in young women

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Abstract

We assessed the influence of recreational physical activity in young healthy women on homocysteine, a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Participants were 124 23-year-old normal-weight Italian recreational athletes (performing 8.7 ± 2.46 h week−1 exercise) and 116 controls. Median blood homocysteine, folate and lipid markers did not differ between athletes and controls. Elevated homocysteine levels at CVD risk ≥12.0 and ≥15.0 μmol l−1 were not different between groups. Continuous homocysteine was inversely related to folate (P < 0.001), positively associated with age (P = 0.009) and creatinine (P = 0.033), but not associated with hours of exercise, body mass index, and lipid markers. Women with folate depletion (<3.0 μg l−1) were 4.5-fold more likely to have homocysteine ≥15.0 μmol l−1. Recreational physical exercise does not adversely impact homocysteine levels among young women. Only low folate significantly increases the risk for hyperhomocysteinemia in young women.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support was provided by University of Udine, Udine, Italy (research grants years 2006−2007). We thank Prof. Franco Quadrifoglio, Department Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, School of Medicine, University of Udine, for critical revision of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, School of Medicine, University of Udine, 33100, Udine, Italy

    Manuela Di Santolo & Sabina Cauci

  2. Study Group on Laboratory Medicine of Sports, Italian Society of Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology (SIBIOC), Milan, Italy

    Manuela Di Santolo, Giuseppe Banfi & Sabina Cauci

  3. IRCCS Galeazzi Institute, School of Medicine, University of Milan, 20161, Milan, Italy

    Giuseppe Banfi

  4. Department of Experimental and Clinical Pathology and Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Udine, 33100, Udine, Italy

    Giuliana Stel

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  1. Manuela Di Santolo
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  2. Giuseppe Banfi
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  4. Sabina Cauci
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Correspondence to Sabina Cauci.

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Di Santolo, M., Banfi, G., Stel, G. et al. Association of recreational physical activity with homocysteine, folate and lipid markers in young women. Eur J Appl Physiol 105, 111–118 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-008-0880-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-008-0880-x

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