The effects of regular physical activity on two important anti-atherosclerosis functions of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), namely its capacity to receive both forms of cholesterol and its anti-oxidant function, were investigated in this study comparing older adults with young individuals. One-hundred and eight healthy adult individuals were enrolled and separated into the following groups: active older (60–80 yrs, n = 24); inactive older (60–79 yrs, n = 21); active young (20–34 yrs, n = 39); and inactive young (20–35 yrs, n = 24). All performed cardiopulmonary tests. Blood samples were collected in order to assess the following measures: lipid profile, HDL anti-oxidant capacity, paraoxonase-1 activity, HDL subfractions, and lipid transfer to HDL. Comparing active older and active young groups with inactive older and inactive young groups, respectively, the active groups presented higher HDL-C levels (p < 0.01 for both comparisons), unesterified cholesterol transfer (p < 0.01, p < 0.05), and intermediate and larger HDL subfractions (p < 0.001, p < 0.01) than the respective inactive groups. In addition, the active young group showed higher esterified cholesterol transfer than the inactive young group (p < 0.05). As expected, the two active groups had higher VO₂peak than the inactive groups; VO₂peak was higher in the two younger than in the two older groups (p < 0.05). No differences in unesterified and esterified cholesterol transfers and HDL subfractions were found between active young and active older groups. HDL anti-oxidant capacity and paraoxonase-1 activity were equal in all four study groups. Our data highlight and strengthen the benefits of regular practice of physical activity on an important HDL function, the capacity of HDL to receive cholesterol, despite the age-dependent decrease in VO₂peak.

Introduction: Ventricular arrhythmias may lead to sudden cardiac death and, when occurring during the recovery phase after exercise testing, are associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Aim: To investigate the association between psychosocial stress and the risk of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) during the recovery phase after treadmill testing in asymptomatic individuals. Methods: A total of 282 asymptomatic adults underwent treadmill testing. Participants were categorized into a stress-present group (+S, n = 176) or a stress-absent group (−S, n = 106) based on their self-reported psychosocial stress levels. Inclusion criteria included exercising for at least 6 min and reaching at least 85% of the age-predicted maximum heart rate. Exclusion criteria comprised pre-exercise VAs, unreadable ECGs, chronic medication use, systolic blood pressure ≥180 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure ≥110 mmHg. This study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05987891). Results: Compared to the −S group, the +S group had a higher body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.0025); 26.5 (23.9; 29.0) and larger waist circumference (p = 0.0001); 95 (86; 103), and reported lower physical activity levels (p = 0.0004). Notably, only psychosocial stress and BMI were statistically associated with PVCs during the recovery phase, immediately following the stress test. For each 1 kg/m² increase in BMI, the risk of PVCs decreased by 9%. Participants reporting psychosocial stress had a 9.03-fold higher risk of PVCs compared to those who did not report stress. Conclusions: Self-reported psychosocial stress significantly increases the risk of PVC occurrence during the recovery phase of treadmill exercise testing in asymptomatic individuals. These findings may support the development of improved PVC detection strategies and enhance cardiovascular risk assessment in clinical settings.

The objective of this study is to investigate the influence of physical activity on heart rate (HR) recovery, after treadmill exercise testing, in asymptomatic adults, with and without familial risk factors (FR) for cardiovascular disease. Two hundred and fifty (250) adults of both sexes aged 18 to 59 years were included in the study. None of the participants had a history of cardiovascular disease or used medications for chronic diseases. All individuals underwent exercise testing using the Ellestad protocol. Delta values were calculated by subtracting peak HR from HR in the first, second, fourth, and sixth minutes of recovery. The family history of cardiovascular disease and physical activity were documented. For statistical analysis, ANOVA was performed, followed by Bonferroni or Kruskall-Wallis multiple comparisons, followed by Dunn’s multiple comparisons. The delta values at the first, second, fourth, and sixth minutes of recovery were lower in individuals who did not engage in physical activity and had no family cardiovascular risk factor, compared to those who were physically active and had no family risk factor. No differences in delta values were observed between physically active individuals with cardiovascular risk factors and physically inactive individuals with a family history at the time points studied. In individuals without a family risk factor, physical activity appears to enhance autonomic control, increasing the capacity to reduce HR after exercise. However, this effect was not evident in those with a family risk factor, as physical activity did not impact recovery HR.