What Effects Does Cardiorespiratory Exercise Have on Cholesterol Levels?

If your cholesterol levels are high, your doctor may recommend that you exercise and tone up your body to help lower your levels. Sometimes, you'll be given the option of trying exercise first before you need to go on cholesterol medicine. Exercise can have positive benefits on lowering cholesterol, but usually only when combined with a healthier diet.

  1. Cholesterol

    • High cholesterol levels are called hyperlipidemia. Doctors typically want to try to remedy the problem with diet and exercise before moving on to medication. Cholesterol comes in the form of HDL, known as good cholesterol, and LDL, known as bad cholesterol. LDL increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke by clogging your arteries. HDL keeps LDL from building in artery walls, and it can also lower the chances of having a stroke or a heart attack. In fact, having too low of an HDL -- below 50 mg/dL for women or 40 mg/dL for men -- can actually be harmful to your health. Some people have higher LDLs because of genetics or bad eating habits. If you can't lower your LDL because of genetics, raising your HDL may help you from developing cholesterol problems.

    Exercise and LDL

    • Cardio exercise can help decrease the LDL levels in your blood by 3.9 mg per dL and also lower your triglyceride levels in your blood, but only if you exercise regularly, according to a Cleveland Clinic study published in May 2010 by "American Family Physician." A 2011 Swedish study published in September 2011 in "Journal of Physical Activity and Health" found that when adults just walked briskly for 30 minutes every day, their LDL levels dropped.

    Exercise and HDL

    • Cardio exercise has the added benefit of raising HDL levels in your blood. The 2010 Cleveland Clinic study also found that people who exercised regularly were able to raise their HDL as little as 1.9 and as much as 2.5 mg/dL. This required, at minimum, only about two hours of moderate cardio exercise a week, such as brisk walking. Even people who already had heart disease could raise their HDL levels with moderate exercise. In general, the amount that you exercise affects your HDL levels more than the intensity of your cardio workout. If you're doing a more intense cardio workout, such as running , then you'll need to run at least 75 minutes a week to benefit your HDL levels.

    Diet Changes

    • You'll be able to change your cholesterol levels the most if you combine regular cardio exercise with changes to your diet. Lowering the amount of trans fats and saturated fats that you eat can help lower your cholesterol. According to the American Heart Association, you should not get more than 35 percent of your daily calories from fat. Saturated fat should account for less than 1 percent of your daily calories, and trans fat should be less than 7 percent of your daily calories. Saturated fat includes dairy products from whole and 2 percent milk, high-fat beef and other meats, along with oils such as coconut oil, palm kernel oil and cocoa butter. Trans fats are commonly found in margarine, cooking oils and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.