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Swimming and Aquatic Exercise for Lipid Profile Management: A Narrative Review of Physiological Responses and Implications for Biology Education

Udaykumar Madar(1), Murugu Valavan(2),


(1) Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University
(2) Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University
Corresponding Author

Abstract


Swimming and aquatic exercise have been studied for their effects on lipid profiles, but findings remain inconsistent. This narrative review synthesises two intervention studies and one published meta-analysis, focusing on total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG). A 12-month swimming program showed lower total cholesterol and LDL-C than walking, whereas a 28-week aquatic exercise program found no significant lipid changes. Published swimming-subgroup confidence intervals crossed zero for all four outcomes. These contrasting findings provide a practical context for biology education, particularly teaching lipid metabolism, physiological adaptation, and critical interpretation of research evidence using exercise-based examples of biological variability and uncertainty. Future studies should compare freestyle and breaststroke under standardised conditions. Educational applications are proposed conceptually and have not been evaluated empirically.

Keywords


Aquatic exercise; Biology education; Lipid metabolism; Lipid profile; Swimming

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