In middle-aged women, regular moderate aerobic exercise is linked to a 15% drop in HDL cholesterol, even though other cholesterol levels go down. This pattern may reflect a lipid profile change that is not clearly beneficial and could be affected by factors like diet or hormones.

In young women with elevated body mass index, participating in supervised group aerobic exercise three times a week for twelve weeks is associated with measurable improvements in blood lipid levels, including increases in HDL cholesterol and decreases in LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides.

For inactive middle-aged men with overweight or obesity, doing aerobic exercise or a mix of aerobic and strength training for 8 weeks lowers LDL cholesterol slightly more than doing strength training alone.

In women aged 30 to 60, doing moderate aerobic exercise for 8 weeks is linked to small improvements in several blood markers related to heart health and inflammation, even when body weight and fat mass remain unchanged.

For inactive middle-aged men with overweight or obesity, doing aerobic exercise for 8 weeks lowers total cholesterol levels more than doing resistance training.

In teen boys who are healthy, doing six weeks of regular cardio or short, intense sprints improves their fitness, but doesn't change their standard cholesterol numbers—meaning those blood tests might miss some of the good changes exercise is doing inside their bodies.