Ten Ways To Help Boost Your Good Cholesterol Level

At the risk of sounding like a certain 20-something socialite, HDL is hot! Advances in research have brought more attention to the blood lipid (or fat) we often call "good" cholesterol.   "Good" cholesterol does not refer to the cholesterol we eat in food, but to the high density lipoprotein cholesterol circulating in our blood.  It is one of the blood fats measured in the lipid panel blood test doctors perform. And it is the component you want more of, because increasing HDL helps lower your risk of heart disease.  Experts of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) notes that although LDL or "bad" cholesterol has gotten most of the attention, there is growing evidence that HDL plays an important role.   Here are a few fast facts about "good" cholesterol from the NCEP panel:

* HDL cholesterol normally makes up 20 to 30 percent of your total blood cholesterol.
* There is an evidence that HDL helps protect against the accumulation of plaques (fatty deposits) in the arteries.
* Research suggests that a 5 point drop in HDL cholesterol is linked to a 25 percent increase in heart disease risk.
* In prospective studies - that is, studies that follow participants for a certain period to watch for outcomes - HDL usually proves to be the lipid risk factor most linked to heart disease risk.
* HDL cholesterol levels are thought to have a genetic factor in some people.
* Women typically have higher HDL cholesterol levels than men. About a third of men and about a fifth of women have HDL levels below 40 mg/dL. (Doctors consider levels of less than 40 mg/dL to be low.)

Researchers from the Netherlands who analyzed 60 studies concluded that the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (in which your total cholesterol number is divided by your HDL number) is a better marker for coronary artery disease than LDL measurement alone.

How Does HDL Help?  Experts are not yet sure exactly how HDL cholesterol helps reduce the risk of heart disease.  But a few possibilities have emerged.  The NCEP says that high HDL levels appear to protect against the formation of plaques in the artery walls (a process called atherogenesis), according to studies in animals.  Lab studies, meanwhile, suggest that HDL promotes the removal of cholesterol from cells found in abnormal tissues, or lesions, in the arteries.

10 Ways to Increase Good Cholesterol

What many people do not know is that some diet and lifestyle changes may help to increase "good" cholesterol levels.

Here are some of the contenders:

1. Orange Juice.  Drinking 3 cups of orange juice a day increased HDL levels by 21 percent over 3 weeks, according to a small British study at 330 calories, that is quite a nutritional commitment.  This study could be highlighting an effect from high-antioxidant fruits and vegetables. Stay tuned in the years to come.

2. Niacin.  There is some evidence niacin (vitamin B3) helps increase HDL.  But supplemental niacin can have some side effects and is not for everybody, particularly for people who already have high HDL levels. Taking niacin supplements should be monitored by a doctor.

3. Glycemic Load. The glycemic load is basically a ranking of how much a standard serving of a particular food raises your blood sugar. And as the glycemic load in your diet goes up, HDL cholesterol appears to go down, according to a small recent study.  Along these lines, the NCEP report recommends that most of our carbohydrate intake come from whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and fat-free and low-fat dairy products.  These foods tend to be on the lower end of the glycemic scale.

4. Choosing Better Fats.  Replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fats can not only help reduce levels of "bad" cholesterol, it may also increase levels of "good" cholesterol.

5. Soy. When substituted for animal based products soy foods have heart health benefits. Soy products are high in saturated fats and low in unsaturated fats, soy products are also high in fiber.

6. Enough Time. Make sure you give soy some time. An analysis of 23 studies on soy found that improvements in HDL cholesterol were only seen in those studies lasting longer than 3 months.

7. Alcohol in Moderation. Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, especially with meals, appears to do 2 things to help reduce heart disease risk. According to research, it increases HDL cholesterol levels, and enhances the movement of cholesterol deposits out of cells in the artery walls.

8. Aerobic Exercise.  At least thirty minutes on most days of the week is the exercise prescription that can help raise your HDL, according to many healthcare professionals.

9. Stopping Smoking. Experts agree that kicking the habit can increase your HDL numbers a bit, too.

10. Losing Weight.  Being overweight or obese contributes to low HDL cholesterol levels, and is listed as one of the causes of low HDL, according to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP).
 

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