Anyone used running to sucessfully lower cholesterol?

[Wheatls]

My friend who has just started running with me has been diagnosed with high cholesterol and is hoping the running will help. She isn't overweight and is pretty fit (has been running 5k with no difficulty). I don't know much about cholesterol, but would have thought that it's the genetic sort rather than the type caused by an unhealthy lifestyle.

So it would be really helpful to know whether anyone has found that running helps lower cholesterol levels? Thanks

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

I was diagnosed with extremely high cholesterol when I left the Navy 30 years ago (the pre-discharge medical was more in-depth than the pre-enlistment one!! :))

In those days there were no cholesterol drugs - so they merely lectured me on improving my diet. About 20 years go, they did invent anti-cholesterol STATINS drugs - and nowadays, whenever I go to a Doctors office (which is rarely), I usually set off a flashing red light and alarm bells - and the Doctor wants to put me onto drugs . IF I had taken drugs for my VERY high cholesterol readings, I would now have been taking them for over 30 years!

I don't know what the moral of my story is ! Make up your own mind about it. However, when I have finished this C25K programme, I am intending to have a blood test.

[no-excuse Graduate]

I had high cholesterol but really didn't want to start with the statins so I tried the healthy eating and the gym for a bit and reduced it to mine and the Drs satisfaction. Not sure where it is now as I have a leaning towards chocolate and wine (yes, sometimes both at the same time!) but like Bazza I think I will get another test done fairly soon and see- if the running has worked then it ought to be lower than before. I would be interested too to see what others have found.

[baronblaze]

Two years ago i had my cholesterol tested which was recorded at 7.6. The nurse said i would need to go on statins if i could not reduce the level myself. I am not overly overweight, eat a reasonably balanced diet without being fanatical but i did consume far too much alcohol. After 3 months of cutting back on the alcohol and starting to run more my cholesterol was down to 5.9. which the nurse was pleased about. I had a further test 9 months later when it was down to 5.5. The last test was nearly 12 months ago, hopefully it has been reduced further. My diet is the same, my alcohol consumption is down although still higher than recommended levels so i can only put it down to the running.

[Bazza1234 Graduate in reply to baronblaze]

Are you my long lost twin brother/sister???

[Wheatls Graduate]

Thanks, that's really encouraging. She's having it tested again in the summer and will have been running for about 5 months by then, so hopefully it will have done the trick.