High cholesterol: Three exercises to help lower your cholesterol – Express
CHOLESTEROL comes from two sources. The liver, which makes all the cholesterol needed and the remainder comes from foods derived from animals. Eating the wrong kinds of food can cause the liver to make more cholesterol than it otherwise would and puts a person at major health risks. What three exercises could one do to help lower their cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance and is not inherently “bad”. In fact, the body needs cholesterol to build cells. However, having too much cholesterol can pose a problem. Cholesterol comes from the body from foods derived from animals. Meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products contain cholesterol, known as dietary cholesterol. These same foods are also high in saturated and trans fat and these fats cause the liver to make more cholesterol.
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The more the cholesterol, the higher the risk. In order to lower one’s cholesterol, being vigilant with the foods eaten is an obvious choice.
However, certain exercises can also help reduce a person’s cholesterol levels and reduce their risk of serious health risks.
Leading health experts agree that exercise helps increase levels of HDL good cholesterol.
A in Lipids in Health and Disease found that physically active women had significantly higher levels of HDL cholesterol than sedentary women. Another published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology found similar results.
What are three best exercises to lower cholesterol:
High cholesterol: What are the three best exercises to lower cholesterol (Image: Getty Images)
Running or jogging
If a person’s joints are in good shape then jogging is highly recommended to help lower cholesterol.
A 2013 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that long distance runners shoed significantly better improvements in HDL cholesterol levels than short-distance runners.
Cycling
Cycling expends about the same energy as jogging, but it’s easier on the joints.
Scientists reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association that people who cycled were less likely to develop high cholesterol than those who didn’t.
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High cholesterol: Cycling expends the same energy as jogging (Image: Getty Images)
High cholesterol: Swimming improves cholesterol levels and body weight (Image: Getty Images)
Swimming
Swimming is probably the most joint-saving aerobic exercise a person can do.
In a 2010 , researchers compared swimming with walking in women aged 50 to 70 years.
They found that swimming improved body weight, body fat distribution, and LDL cholesterol levels better than walking did.
