Prospective evaluation of HDL cholesterol changes after diet and physical conditioning programs for patients with type II diabetes mellitus.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is known to be low in patients with diabetes mellitus. Low HDL levels are correlated with premature cardiovascular mortality in several major epidemiologic studies and many investigators believe increases in HDL cholesterol may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. We evaluated dietary and exercise interventions in relation to HDL cholesterol in patients with type II diabetes mellitus. Sixty-five volunteers were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: diet, exercise, diet plus exercise, or education control. Three months after entering the program, those exposed to the dietary intervention had significant increases in HDL cholesterol. HDL increases for the other two treatment groups did not differ significantly from the education control.