Exercise Slightly Raises Good Cholesterol

Regular exercise appears to modestly increase levels of high-density lipoprotein, or good, cholesterol, according to a Japanese meta-analysis.

Dr. Satoru Kodama and colleagues of Tokyo’s Ochanomizu University performed a meta-analysis of 25 articles of randomized controlled trials involving a total of 1,404 participants that were published between 1966 and 2005 and assessed the effect of exercise on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or HDL-C.

Across the studies, HDL-C increased by an average of 2.53 milligrams per deciliter in the exercise groups.

The minimum amount of weekly exercise that appeared necessary to change HDL-C levels was 120 minutes or 900 calories burned, according to the study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The effect of exercise was greater in those who had a higher total cholesterol level — 220 milligrams per deciliter or greater — and in those with a body mass index of less than 28.