Elevated levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) have been associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). An active lifestyle is necessary to improve HDL-C, including (but not limited to) physical exercise. Research on the association between badminton, an intermittent exercise, and HDL-C is limited. We investigated the impact of aerobic exercise and badminton on HDL-C levels in Taiwanese adults. The sociodemographic data of 7543 participants, comprising 3472 men and 4071 women aged between 30 and 70 years, were retrieved from the Taiwan Biobank. The participants were grouped into three exercise categories-no exercise, aerobic exercise, and badminton exercise. The HDL-C levels were compared using an analysis of variance (ANOVA). Multivariate linear regression models were used to determine the associations between HDL and exercise. Comparing the other two groups to the no-exercise group, the individuals who were engaged in aerobic and badminton exercise were significantly associated with higher HDL-C levels (beta = 1.4077;p< 0.0001 and beta = 5.6052;p= 0.0079, respectively). Aerobic exercise and badminton were also associated with higher HDL-C levels among carriers of the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) rs328 genotypes. Aerobic exercise and regular badminton were associated with higher levels of HDL-C, with the badminton group being more significant.
