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A group of American and South Korean researchers conducted a study on involved 185 middle-aged men with diagnosed heart disease to determine if it intensity, frequency or duration is most useful for cardiac patients.

The subjects were randomized into two groups the high-intensity group and the low-intensity group. The high-intensity group exercised three non- consecutive days each week at a target heart rate of 85 per cent of maximum oxygen uptake while the low-intensity group exercised at a target heart rate of 50 per cent.

There was little overall effect on cholesterol parameters in the two groups and the high-intensity group did not derive any greater benefits from exercise than did the low-intensity group.

The researchers did note, however, that the more exercise sessions a participant attended the greater the benefits. Frequent attendees showed a significant increase in their blood levels of "good" (HDL) cholesterol and a marked improvement in the all-important HDL:LDL ("bad") cholesterol and HDL:total cholesterol ratios.

The researchers conclude that exercise frequency may be more important than intensity for favorably influencing cholesterol levels.

All exercise sessions consisted of 30 minutes of walking or jogging, 15 minutes of stationary cycling, with 5- to 15-minute warm-up and cool-down sessions. The American Journal of Cardiology (Vol. 87, April 15, 2001, pp. 942-46) noted that the experiment lasted for 12 months and all the participants had a thorough clinical evaluation at baseline, after six months, and again after 12 months.