Exercise and cholesterol is there really a connection?

In order to get a clear picture on relationship between exercise and cholesterol it is first useful to get a clear understanding of what cholesterol is and how it impacts the body.

There are numerous products, from yogurt to margarine, available to lower your cholesterol. In fact it seems that it’s the focus of most advertisements at the moment. But do you actually know what cholesterol is and why it is so important to keep it low, and in fact what is a healthy level.

Well cholesterol is a fat that is naturally produced by the liver. Despite the constant bombardment for the need to reduce cholesterol it is actually an essential part of normal body functioning:

• It builds and maintains cell membranes;

• It determines which molecules can pass into the cell;

• It is involved in the production of sex hormones;

• It is essential for the production of hormones released by the adrenal gland;

• It aids in the production of bile;

• It converts sunshine to vitamin D;

• It is important for the metabolism of fat soluble vitamins, including vitamins A, D, E, and K;

• It insulates nerve fibres.

Good and Bad Cholesterol

There are two different types of cholesterol:

• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) – carries cholesterol from the liver to cells. If too much is carried and the cells can’t use it all there can be a harmful build-up of LDL.

• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) – does the opposite of LDL carrying cholesterol away from the cells and back to the liver. Here it is either broken down or expelled from the body as waste.

So why is everyone so concerned about lowering cholesterol if it is so essential? Well that’s because there is good and bad cholesterol and whilst the good cholesterol is essential to body functioning, bad cholesterol can be quite harmful to your health.

LDL is known as bad cholesterol because if too much cholesterol is carried to the cells, so that they can’t use it there will be a harmful build-up of LDL. This can lead to an increase risk of arterial disease, heart attack and stroke.

What should your levels of cholesterol look like?

Levels of cholesterol will differ from person to person but generally speaking anything over 6mmol/litre is high and will significantly raise the risk a health problems.

• Optimum level: less than 5mmol/litre

• Mildly high cholesterol level: between 5 to 6.4mmol/litre

• Moderately high cholesterol level: between 6.5 to 7.8mmol/litre

• Very high cholesterol level: above 7.8mmol/litre

Exercise and Cholesterol

The mechanisms by which exercise and cholesterol are related is not clear. This is partly due to the fact that early studies focused on both exercise and dietary changes, and to be fair it is usual that both happen together. But it made it difficult to determine which factor exactly made the difference on cholesterol.

Recent studies however have more carefully examined the relationship between exercise and cholesterol alone resulting in a couple of theories.

Firstly researchers believe that exercise stimulates enzymes that help move LDL from the blood to the liver. From there it is converted ready for digestion or excreted. So the more you exercise, the more ‘bad cholesterol’ is expelled from your body.

Secondly, as exercise increases the size of the protein particles that carry cholesterol, both good and bad, there are less small dense particles to squeeze into the lining of the heart and blood vessels.

So how much exercise do you need to reduce cholesterol?

As mentioned above the research into exercise and cholesterol is limited as studies tend to focus on both exercise and dietary changes. Therefore exactly how much exercise is needed to lower cholesterol is a matter of debate.

It is generally accepted that at least 30 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous exercise, five days a week, is required for weight loss and all round good health. And most health care professionals agree that for reducing cholesterol the amount of exercise is no different.

However a study conducted by researchers at Duke University Medical Centre found that more intense exercise is actually better than moderate exercise for lowering cholesterol. In a study of overweight, sedentary people who did not change their diet, it was found that those who did moderate exercise (12 miles walking or jogging per week) did lower there LDL somewhat, but the people who did more vigorous exercise (20 miles jogging per week) lowered it even more and raised their ‘good’ cholesterol level.

What exercise to choose?

Whether you’re exercising to reduce to cholesterol level, lose weight or for a myriad of other reasons the best form of exercise is one that you enjoy.

I can tell you the benefits and pitfalls of an array of exercise methods but if you don’t enjoy what you do you won’t do it. It’s as simple as that.

Why not check out the Best Exercises section of the website for some ideas to try out. You don’t have to find your way straight away, just don’t give up!

Good Luck.

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