High cholesterol: The best ‘cholesterol busting’ exercises to lower your levels
Dr Chris reveals how eyes can indicate high cholesterol levels
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Health experts have agreed that milder exercises, spread out over longer time periods, may be better for your heart and cholesterol than intense exercise for short periods of time.
Sports coach Arj Thruchelvam has more than 16 years experience in the field of sports, nutrition and health.
He said: “High intensity offers little advantage over moderate intensity exercise, but usually results in lower volume.
“This would suggest that moderate intensity exercise (65-80 percent of your limit) is the most preferential.”
This advice was echoed by Clinical Director and Superintendent Pharmacist at Medicine Direct, Hussain Abdeh.
“Going for a long walk can have as big an impact on your cholesterol as running.
“If you are an older person, walking is normally considered to be a healthier option than running as it is easier to protect your joints.
“However, it is important to remember that walking takes longer to burn off calories than running, so you should aim to get at least a couple of miles’ worth of walking in each day.”
Another “cholesterol-buster” exercise recommended by Abdeh is swimming, which improves cholesterol more than walking and has an even lower chance of straining the joints.
He noted: “It can also improve body fat distribution and help you to lose weight faster.
“Studies have found that people who swam regularly were at a lower risk of dying from any cause.”
One such study was published in the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, finding that swimmers had a 50 percent lower all cause mortality risk than walkers, even after accounting for factors like age, smoking and BMI.
One of the main risk factors for heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes is exercise and physical activity.
One study by the CDC in 2005 found that only 49.1 percent of Americans met the recommended amounts of physical activity.
Doing 1,000 kcal worth of exercise each week was linked to a 20-30 percent reduction in all cause mortality.
Aerobic exercise was Arj’s recommended treatment for high cholesterol, and it can be done without equipment.
Five exercises he singled out for lowering cholesterol were: Press ups, squats, alternating lunges, Swiss ball planks and light jogging.
This isn’t to say that more conventional gym exercises can’t help.
“Resistance training is almost as effective. The ultimate combination would be performing both: aerobic exercises with resistance training”
A 2019 study by Forth With Life found that nearly 40 percent of people in the UK have either high or borderline high levels of bad cholesterol.
They found that the NHS spent £16.7 million in one month on lipid regulating medications, and issued more than 6.5 million prescriptions.
Certain factors can worsen cholesterol, such as ageing and a genetic predisposition.
The study also found that menopause can cause a significant spike in cholesterol among women.
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