Yes. An analysis of 66 exercise studies which examined the effects of training on blood cholesterol concluded that the following changes occurred in the average subject who exercised regularly:
| Total Cholesterol | Decrease of 10 mg/dl |
| LDL Cholesterol | Decrease of 5 mg/dl |
| HDL Cholesterol | Increase of 1 mg/dl |
| Triglycerides | Decrease of 16 mg/dl |
| TC/HDL Ratio | Decrease of 0.5. |
Note that these are all changes which should cut down your risk of heart disease. The changes are not the same in everyone, of course. One factor which seems to determine the extent of the changes is what happens to body weight: if this goes down, the chances are that the lipids will also improve, but if it goes up, the lipids are likely to get worse also. You may have to exercise quite a lot to have much effect on the HDL cholesterol, perhaps the equivalent of walking or running 8 to 10 miles a week.
