Differential Effects of Aerobic Exercise, Resistance Training and Combined Exercise Modalities on Cholesterol and the Lipid Profile: Review, Synthesis and Recommendations
Open accessAbstract
There is a direct relationship between chronically elevated cholesterol levels (dyslipidaemia) and coronary heart disease. A reduction in total cholesterol is considered the gold standard in preventative cardiovascular medicine. Exercise has been shown to have positive impacts on the pathogenesis, symptomatology and physical fitness of individuals with dyslipidaemia, and to reduce cholesterol levels. The optimal mode, frequency, intensity and duration of exercise for improvement of cholesterol levels are, however, yet to be identified. This review assesses the evidence from 13 published investigations and two review articles that have addressed the effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined aerobic and resistance training on cholesterol levels and the lipid profile. The data included in this review confirm the beneficial effects of regular activity on cholesterol levels and describe the impacts of differing volumes and intensities of exercise upon different types of cholesterol. Evidence-based exercise recommendations are presented, aimed at facilitating the prescription and delivery of interventions in order to optimize cholesterol levels.
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Aerobic exercise training positively affects dyslipidaemia and Metabolic Syndrome and lowers cardiovascular disease risk.
“Aerobic exercise training (AET) positively affects dyslipidaemia and MetS [17–20] and lowers CVD risk [21, 22].”
From Estimating the Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training on Novel Lipid Biomarkers: A Systematic Review and Multivariate Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (2023) · cites this paper as [20]
The Findings > Aerobic Exercise section reports improved lipid profiles with aerobic training, supporting the dyslipidaemia part. The Conclusion links physical activity and improved cholesterol to reduced risks of heart attacks, strokes and coronary artery disease, but the copy does not address Metabolic Syndrome or establish a direct reduction in CVD events from aerobic training. Page numbers were not available in the supplied copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredHDL cholesterol and diastolic BP were independently predicted by SED-time only.
“it is difficult to explain the findings that HDL cholesterol and diastolic BP were independently predicted by SED-time only, though they are in keeping with previous observations (30,40).”
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- Authors
- Mann, S., Beedie, C., & Jimenez, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Greenwich (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Mann, Steven
- Venue
- Sports Medicine
- Published
- 2013-10-31
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 211-221
- ISSN
- 0112-1642 (ISSN-L)
- 1179-2035
- PMC
- PMC3906547
- OpenAlex
- W2002241228
- Cited by
- 801
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 60 · 2025: 91 · 2024: 79 · 2023: 114 · 2022: 76 · 2021: 96 · 2020: 70 · 2019: 76 · 2018: 53 · 2017: 37 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 7
- FWCI
- 3.83
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Sports Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- SHURA (Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive) (Sheffield Hallam University) (acceptedVersion)
- Victoria University Research Repository (Victoria University) (submittedVersion)
- Create (Canterbury Christ Church University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Lipoproteins and Cardiovascular Health
- Keywords
- aerobic exercise, resistance training, concurrent training, cholesterol, lipid profile, dyslipidemia, coronary artery disease, exercise prescription, exercise intensity, exercise volume, cardiovascular risk
- MeSH terms
- Cholesterol, Coronary Disease, Humans, Lipids, Physical Fitness, Biomarkers, Exercise, Dyslipidemias, Resistance Training
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