Lipid profiles are influenced by arm cranking exercise and training in individuals with spinal cord injury

Study design: A prospective, two-group comparative intervention study. Objective: To determine the acute and training effects of arm cranking exercise on blood lipid profiles in wheel chair bound individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and normal able-bodied subjects. Setting: Faculty of Science, School of Sport and Exercise Science, Liverpool John Moores University, England. Methods: Total cholesterol, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) at rest and in response to arm cranking exercise before and after 12 weeks of training were compared between individuals with SCI ( N = 5) and able-bodied subjects ( N = 7). Following the determination of peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak), all subjects performed a submaximal arm cranking exercise at an intensity corresponding to 60 - 65% VO2peak for 30 min. Venous blood samples were obtained before and after submaximal exercise and measured for total cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL-C concentrations. These lipid parameters were remeasured in all subjects at rest and in response to the same submaximal arm cranking exercise after 12 weeks of individually supervised arm cranking training programme. Results: Before training, the resting mean value of triglyceride in individuals with SCI was significantly (P<0.05) higher than that found in able- bodied persons. Acute arm cranking exercise did not change total cholesterol or triglyceride concentrations in either the SCI or the able- bodied groups. However, HDL-C increased significantly following exercise in the able-bodied subjects. Following training, the resting mean value of total cholesterol in the group with SCI was significantly (P<0.05) higher compared with able- bodied individuals. Furthermore, the resting and post submaximal arm cranking exercise mean values oftotal cholesterol in the able-bodied group, but not in the group with SCI, were significantly lower than those observed before training. While the resting mean value of HDL-C before training in the group with SCI was lower than that found in the able- bodied, this difference did not reach the designated level of significance (P>0.05). Submaximal arm cranking exercise was followed by a significant increase in HDL-C only in the able- bodied individuals. Compared to pretraining, the resting and post arm cranking exercise levels of HDL-C in the group with SCI increased significantly (P<0.05) after training. Conclusion: It is concluded that acute arm cranking exercise and training in individuals with SCI is associated with favourable effects on HDL-C, whereas total cholesterols and triglycerides were not altered. The mechanism responsible for the increase in HDL-C with training in individuals with SCI is not known, but it is likely to be related to increased activity of cholesterol transport enzymes lipoprotein lipase and acyltransferase.