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Exercise is a very important part of living a healthy life. Not only has research found evidence that exercise can lower one's risk of developing several diseases, studies have also concluded that exercise can improve one's mental state. Exercise, when forced upon people who are overweight and obese, appears to still have benefits even if the people dislike it. Due to all of these findings, a new study decided to research the effects of exercise for overweight and obese people who are taking a cholesterol-lowering drug, known as Simvastatin. The team found that the drug appeared to hinder the effects of aerobic exercise.

The researchers recruited 37 overweight or obese adults who led sedentary lifestyles. The participants all had at least two risk factors for metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of multiple health conditions that when grouped together, increases an individual's risk of diseases, such as heart disease. They randomly split the group into two. The first group was made up of 18 people who were taking Simvastatin and were asked to participate in aerobic exercises for 12 weeks. The second group was made up of the remaining 19 people who only participated in the exercise training for 12 weeks.

The researchers recorded cardiorespiratory fitness as well as mitochondrial content, which is measured via citrate synthase enzyme activity, at the beginning of the experiment and once more at the end. The researchers found that group two had an increase in cardiorespiratory fitness by 10 percent and an increase in mitochondrial content by 13 percent. The first group only experienced an increase of 1.5 percent in cardiorespiratory fitness and 4.5 percent in mitochondrial content.

"In conclusion, simvastatin attenuates increases in cardiorespiratory fitness and skeletal muscle mitochondrial content associated with exercise training in previously sedentary, overweight, or obese patients at risk of the metabolic syndrome," the authors wrote, reported by Medical Xpress. The study was headed by Catherine R. Mikus, Ph.D. from Duke University. "Given the strong independent cardio-protective effects of increasing cardiorespiratory fitness or lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the benefits and risks of each should be carefully considered when choosing treatment modalities."

This study provides insight as to how overweight and obese people with high cholesterol might need to rethink their treatment plans with their doctors. The study was published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology.