The Influence of Skeletal Muscle Properties, Physical Activity and Physical Fitness on Serum Lipids and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease

No aphorism is more frequently repeated than that we must ask Nature a few questions, or ideally, one question, at a time. I am convinced that this view is wholly mistaken. Nature will best respond to a logically thought out questionnaire. Indeed, if we ask Nature a single question, she will often refuse to answer until some other topic has been discussed. 6 ABBREVIATIONS 7 INTRODUCTION 8 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 9 1. Skeletal muscle 9 1.1. Fast-and slow-twitch muscle fibers 9 1.2. Skeletal muscle metabolism 11 2. Physical activity and skeletal muscle 13 2.1. Muscle fiber distribution 13 2.2. Skeletal muscle metabolism during exercise 14 2.3. The influence of skeletal muscle on physical fitness and activity 17 3. Physical activity, fitness and cardiovascular health 18 3.1. Physical activity, fitness and CHD 18 3.2. Physical activity, fitness and serum lipids and lipoproteins 23 3.3. The influence of exercise training trials on serum lipids and lipoproteins 25 3.4. The effects of skeletal muscle and exercise on serum lipids and lipoproteins 28 4. Other CHD risk factors 30