According to a study recently published in the Journal of Applied Physiology (2007;103,432-42), researchers wanted to find out which methods of exercise would have the greatest impact on low-density lipoprotein (LDL-bad cholesterol) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL-good cholesterol).

The study followed 240 sedentary and overweight subjects assigned for 6- months to one of four exercise groups: non-exercise control; high-amount / vigorous-intensity exercise; low-amount/ vigorous-intensity exercise; or low-amount/ moderate-intensity exercise.

At the end of the study, researchers discovered that the low-amount/ moderate intensity exercise group experienced “sustained reduction in very-low -density lipoprotein” during 15 subsequent days of detraining, where as the more vigorous groups showed