Reuters Health

HDL cholesterol linked with improved leg control

May 02, 2008
By Will Boggs, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Higher blood levels of the "good" HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) correlate with better functional performance of the leg in older, non-disabled individuals, according to a report in the April issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

"The importance of HDL-C might not be limited to cardiovascular diseases," Dr. Stefano Volpato from University of Ferrara, Italy, told Reuters Health. "Older people with low HDL levels might be considered at risk also for other poor health outcomes."

Volpato and colleagues assessed HDL-C levels and objective measures of leg function in non-disabled, independent-living men and women ages 65 or older.

HDL-C levels were significantly associated with all leg functions evaluated, the authors report, with participants with the highest HDL-C levels having the best physical performance.

In men, HDL-C levels correlated directly with 4-minute fast walking speed, 400-meter walking speed, and knee extension torque, the report indicates, whereas in women, HDL-C levels correlated significantly only with knee extension torque.

A separate assessment that included the effects of inflammation, age, diabetes, and heart disease on knee extension strength implied that inflammation affects HDL-C and knee extension strength, but that HDL-C does not exert its influence on strength through its relationship with inflammation.

"We do not have evidence for a causal relationship between HDL-C level and physical performance," Volpato cautioned. "We are planning to perform longitudinal analyses to confirm these cross-sectional results."

SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, April 2008.

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