Self-judged work activity level and lipid metabolism in young male adults.

In developed countries, coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common causes of death after middle age, especially in males. Hypercholesterolemia and total-cholesterol/high-density-lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio are risk factors for CHD, the former is a major one for CHD.1) However, hyper-highdensity-lipoprotein-cholesterolemia is a negative risk factor for CHD1). Lipid metabolism probably affects the pathogenesis of CHD. Physical inactivity and the incidence of CHD positively correlated.2-4) High physical activity and habitual exercise decreased serum total cholesterol and triglycerides, and increased serum high-density-lipoprotein cholestero1.5-7) These effects of physical activity on lipid metabolism seem to prevent CHD. We have various types of " physical activity", work, walking, sports, leisure, and so on. Since Japanese workers work long times daily, physical activity at regular work is the most regular and the most time-consuming physical activity in their daily lives. Thus, to determine whether the physical activity at work (work activity : WA) influences the lipid metabolism of Japanese workers, the serum lipids (total cholesterol (T-C), high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides (TG)), skinfold thicknesses (ST), body mass index (BMI) and self-judged WA level were surveyed in young male full-time workers.