For Good Cholesterol, What’s More Important Than a Healthy Weight?

Individuals with a certain level of high-density lipoprotein tend to have better heart health. Recently, a study determined that strength training might positively impact Hdl levels, regardless of body weight.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, looked at Hdl levels in
90 men aged 18–30. they separated the men into three groups: overweight untrained, overweight trained and lean trained. Data analysis showed that Hdl functioned better in both the weight-trained groups, but the overweight, untrained men possessed “dysfunctional” Hdl. The researchers noted very little difference in Hdl between the trained groups.

“The potential significance of this finding includes the possibility that regular [resistance training] may be associated with improved Hdl redox [i.e., oxidation-reduction] function and be a potential mechanism by which [resistance training] may decrease cardiovascular disease risk,” explained the authors.

The study appeared in the Journal of Applied Physiology (2013; doi: 10.1152/ japplphysiol.00359.2013).