The Effect of Daily Steps (Pedometer) on Biochemical and Anthropometric Risk Factors of Cardiovascular System in Healthy Middle-Aged Men

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of daily steps on blood lipid profile of middle-aged men. Daily steps were measured in healthy men (n=27) by a portable electronic pedometer. Subjects were voluntarily selected as an active group (AG=12) and sedentary group (SG=15). In addition, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), LDL-C and HDL-C were measured. The average of daily steps in the AG (12632 3957 steps/day) was significantly higher than the SG (5347 1631 step/day) (P<0.001). TG and TC concentrations in the AG were significantly lower than SG (P<0.05). TC/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C ratios in AG were significantly lower than SG (P<0.05) whereas HDL-C and LDL-C concentrations were not significantly different in the two groups (P>0.05). It seems that the middle-aged sedentary subjects can improve their cardiovascular system by physical activity of at least 12,500 steps/day in their morning exercise programs as a threshold of anti-risk factors.