Association of recreational physical activity with homocysteine, folate and lipid markers in young women

We assessed the influence of recreational physical activity in young healthy women on homocysteine, a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Participants were 124 23-year-old normal-weight Italian recreational athletes (performing 8.7 ± 2.46 h week−1 exercise) and 116 controls. Median blood homocysteine, folate and lipid markers did not differ between athletes and controls. Elevated homocysteine levels at CVD risk ≥12.0 and ≥15.0 μmol l−1 were not different between groups. Continuous homocysteine was inversely related to folate (P < 0.001), positively associated with age (P = 0.009) and creatinine (P = 0.033), but not associated with hours of exercise, body mass index, and lipid markers. Women with folate depletion (<3.0 μg l−1) were 4.5-fold more likely to have homocysteine ≥15.0 μmol l−1. Recreational physical exercise does not adversely impact homocysteine levels among young women. Only low folate significantly increases the risk for hyperhomocysteinemia in young women.