If you've had your cholesterol levels checked lately and the doctor told you they were good, it doesn't necessarily mean you are at reduced risk for heart disease.
High levels of good cholesterol(HDL) have been considered to be protective against heart disease. Rather than depositing fat into the blood vessels the way the "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein (LDL)) does, HDL appears to carry cholesterol from blood vessels to the liver, where it is processed for removal from the body.
However, adequate levels of HDL might not be enough.
Some studies have suggested that cases of heart disease occur in people with normal levels of HDL cholesterol and some researchers believe that even if people have good amounts of HDL cholesterol, it might not work well. It seems that HDL may not fulfill it's other roles in the body, such as reducing inflammation and acting as an antioxidant.
A team of researchers from UCLA wanted to see if exercise changed the way HDL functions in the body.
They tested whether HDL in men who weight trained regularly behaved in a healthier way than HDL in sedentary men.
What they found was that the men who didn't exercise were more likely than those who weight trained to have less effective HDL. Having less effective HDL was associated with a number of other risk factors for heart disease, including high triglycerides and higher abdominal fat.
This finding held true regardless of the men's weight, suggesting that maintaining a normal weight isn't as important for healthy cholesterol function as being fit.
The study found that HDL functioned better in the participants who had a regular weight-lifting program, regardless of their weight.
Even the overweight exerciser's HDL has similar effectiveness as an antioxidant as the lean exercisers' HDL cholesterol. Both group's HDL performed better than those who didn't exercise.
This research suggests that regular exercise (in this case weight training might) improves HDL function and protects against heart disease, even in those who remain overweight.
So get moving and improve your HDL effectiveness.
Article Author: David Beard, Calico's Exercise Physiologist & Healthy Aging Expert