ABSTRACT
AIM: Research involving coronary artery disease (CAD) risk in young adults is limited; therefore we compared cardiovascular risk between college-aged men and women. METHODS: Thirty college men and women volunteered as study subjects. CAD risk assessment included systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), waist circumference, percent body fat (%BF), maximum oxygen consumption, fasting plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), Body Mass Index (BMI) and fasting glucose. Risk factors were compared between groups using a t-test and Pearson product moment correlations were used to determine the relationships between CRP and CAD risk factors. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were observed for HDL, TC/HDL ratio, SBP, and %BF, between men and women. Total cholesterol and CRP concentration were not different between men and women. Log CRP was positively correlated with %BF and BMI. Further, 47% of the subjects met the criteria for one or more risk factors for CAD, as specified by the American College of Sports Medicine. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate a gender difference in CAD risk in college students with similar reported activity. Waist circumference, fasting glucose, % body fat, and BMI are associated with CRP in college age men and women.
