Mitigations in Lipid Profile Levels with Duration-Dependent Exercise Intensities in Overweight and Obese Females

Although known for its role in clogging arteries and pathogenesis of heart diseases and stroke, cholesterol (and similar lipids) is also useful in the bio-synthesis of sex and adrenal hormones. Studies have shown three forms of cholesterol-carrying proteins in the blood: high-density lipoproteins (HDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL). With LDL and VLDL being the “bad cholesterol”, this study investigated the effect(s) of a 10-week interval exercise training and a 10-week continuous exercise training on total body Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL and Triglycerides (TAGs) in obese and overweight females. To approach this, one hundred and eleven (111) overweight and obese female subjects (aged between 18-65 years) were ethically recruited and grouped into three of thirty-seven (37) subjects each; (CETG = Continuous Exercise Training Group, IETC = Interval Exercise Training Group, and CG = Control group). While CG had no form of exercise training, IETC received alternate intensity training in ratio 1:3 as 30 seconds of high-intensity exercise with an alternate 90 seconds of low-intensity exercise. Subjects in CETG received similar treatments as IETC but without the low-intensity phase. In both cases, exercise intensity was 65% of heart rate maximum for 20 minutes at the first 2 weeks and was subsequently increased by 5% intensity and 5 minutes duration every 2 weeks till the 10th week with proper profiling and record of serum lipid levels (cholesterol, LDL, VLDL, HDL and TAGs) in each case. Analysis of the differences in mean (ANOVA) for obtained records showed a statistically significant decrease in cholesterol, LDL, VLDL and TAGs after 10 weeks of high-intensity continuous exercise training and a statistically significant increase in HDL after 10 weeks of high-intensity interval exercise training. Thus, lipid profile levels were positively affected by continuous mode of aerobic exercise. Similar but advanced studies with dietetic implications are recommended for further explanation of the reasons for the observed differences.