Trained endurance athletes have a lower total and LDL cholesterol than untrained people. They are living proof that exercise can be like medicine; it can help to reduce your risk of developing chronic disease by lowering risk factors such as high cholesterol, which can directly affect your risk for developing heart disease.
Effects
Exercise lowers cholesterol in two ways. While you are exercising, your metabolism changes because your cells need more energy. One of these metabolic changes involves cholesterol. Exercise changes the pathway of LDL cholesterol by moving it to the liver and converting it to HDL, a better, healthier form of cholesterol, or by excreting it. Exercise also improves cholesterol levels by its effect on your body weight and composition. Lowering your body weight, even just by a few pounds, can improve your cholesterol profile.
Types
Aerobic and resistance exercises are both effective at reducing cholesterol levels. The text "Cecil Essentials of Medicine" states that regular aerobic exercise can reduce your cholesterol by 10 percent. A 1993 study published in the "Archives of Internal Medicine" reports that resistance training is also effective at reducing cholesterol. This study assigned premenopausal women to different resistance training programs. The results indicate that regular resistance training can lower both total and LDL cholesterol.
Intensity, Duration and Frequency
The intensity, duration and frequency of exercise affects its cholesterol-lowering abilities. For a long-lasting effect on cholesterol, you must exercise regularly. A study published in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" in January 2009 found that duration and intensity also correlate with cholesterol levels. This study evaluated the habits of distance runners over a seven-year period. Higher levels of intensity and longer durations directly correlate with lower levels of blood cholesterol. So, while some exercise is good, more is better.
Time Frame
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you exercise to lower cholesterol five or more days per week. Exercise can be performed at a light to moderately hard intensity for 40 to 60 minutes. Your sessions may be split into two 20- or 30-minute intervals. Aerobic exercise paired with resistance training on two to three non-consecutive days is the best mode for lowering cholesterol levels
References
- American Heart Association; Why Cholesterol Matters; Nov. 3, 2010
- "Exercise Testing and Prescription"; David C. Nieman; 2007
- American Council on Exercise; Managing Cholesterol with Exercise; Ralph La Forge, M.S.; 2011
- "Cecil Essentials of Medicine"; Thomas Andreoli, M.D. Charles Carpenter, M.D., Robert Griggs, M.D., Joseph Loscalzo, M.D., eds.; 2004
- Archives of Internal Medicine; Resistance Exercise Training is Associated with Decreases in Serum Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels in Premenopausal Women; Thomas W. Boyden, M.D., et al.; 1993
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise"; Incident Hypercholesterolemia in Relation to changes in Vigorous Physical Activity; Paul T. Williams; January 2009
