How exercise affects lipid profiles in women: what to recommend for patients

After menopause, women have less favorable lipid profiles than before menopause. While regular exercise improves lipid metabolism in men, the specifics for doing so in pre- and postmenopausal women are not fully understood. Literature review suggests that higher-volume aerobic exercise programs increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in both pre- and postmenopausal women. Although longitudinal studies of resistance training did not reveal increases in HDL-C levels in women, other favorable benefits observed included decreases in low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, total cholesterol, and body fat. Cross-sectional studies, however, seem to favor high-volume exercise for increasing HDL-C levels.