A new study has doused the hopes of smokers who thought exercise might lower their risk of disease. Experts have known for a long time that a smoker`s blood typically is low in HDL, the so-called good cholesterol, which protects the heart from disease by sweeping bad cholesterol out of the bloodstream. At the same time, scientists also know that vigorous, sustained exercise raises the blood`s level of HDL cholesterol. So some smokers have tried hefty doses of exercise, hoping they could raise their HDL.
Sorry. A new study, done jointly by the University of Naples in Italy and the State University of New York in Buffalo, showed that smokers who exercised hard were unable to raise their HDL. In terms of disease risk, they`d be better off sitting on the couch but not smoking.
