Long workouts best for raising good cholesterol

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who want to boost their "good" HDL cholesterol levels with exercise will have to put in at least two hours of physical activity each week, an analysis of 25 studies shows.

And the longer each exercise session, the greater the effect, Dr. Satoru Kodama of Ochanomizu University in Tokyo and colleagues found.
While the effect of exercise in increasing levels of HDL cholesterol is well known, studies have had varying results, Kodama and his team note in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
To clarify the relationship between the intensity and duration of exercise sessions and magnitude of HDL cholesterol reduction, the researchers analyzed 25 different randomized controlled trials looking at exercise and good cholesterol.
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