Exercise-induced esterified cholesterol transfer to HDL is enhanced in master endurance-trained athletes after moderate-intensity cycling.

This cross-sectional study compared basal and exercise-induced cholesterol transfer to HDL and related metabolic markers in young (n = 7) and master (n = 12) endurance-trained athletes performing a standardized 30-min moderate-intensity cycling bout. Despite similar lipid profiles, exercise intensity, and metabolic load in both groups, only master athletes showed a significant post-exercise increase in esterified cholesterol transfer to HDL (p = 0.012), whereas HDL-C remained unchanged. These findings suggest that lifelong endurance training may preserve specific aspects of HDL functionality across ageing, even in the absence of differences in conventional lipid measures, with potential relevance for cardiovascular protection.