How Can I Raise My Hdl Level
If your HDL level is too low, lifestyle changes may help. These changes may also help prevent other diseases, and make you feel better overall:
- Eat a healthy diet. To raise your HDL level, you need to eat good fats instead of bad fats. This means limiting saturated fats, which include full-fat milk and cheese, high-fat meats like sausage and bacon, and foods made with butter, lard, and shortening. You should also avoid trans fats, which may be in some margarines, fried foods, and processed foods like baked goods. Instead, eat unsaturated fats, which are found in avocado, vegetable oils like olive oil, and nuts. Limit carbohydrates, especially sugar. Also try to eat more foods naturally high in fiber, such as oatmeal and beans.
- Stay at a healthy weight. You can boost your HDL level by losing weight, especially if you have lots of fat around your waist.
- Exercise. Getting regular exercise can raise your HDL level, as well as lower your LDL. You should try to do 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise on most, if not all, days.
- Avoid cigarettes.Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke can lower your HDL level. If you are a smoker, ask your health care provider for help in finding the best way for you to quit. You should also try to avoid secondhand smoke.
- Limit alcohol. Moderate alcohol may lower your HDL level, although more studies are needed to confirm that. What we do know is that too much alcohol can make you gain weight, and that lowers your HDL level.
Fill Your Diet With Plant
Your liver makes all the cholesterol your body needs to function. So any cholesterol you get from your diet is extra, which is why dietary cholesterol can lead to high LDL levels. And that leads to a decline in HDL.
Animal-derived foodsmeat, poultry and dairy productsall contain dietary cholesterol and should be consumed sparingly, says Romano.
Its fine to have hamburger and fries on occasion, but she recommends more fruits and vegetables , whole grains , tofu, beans, seeds, and nuts, all of which will help increase your HDL levels.
The goal, says Romano, is a lifestyle focused on managing cholesterol, which will likely mitigate other health issues as well.
Adapting a diet that incorporates a variety of enjoyable and accessible foods is very much in line with general recommendations for decreased risk of many chronic diseases, she says.
Strike A Few Yoga Poses
After all this talk about aerobic exercise and lifting weights, it may seem odd that yoga would show up on the list. After all, yoga is mostly stretching, right?
Studies show, however, that yoga may reduce risk of heart disease. In some cases, it may directly affect cholesterol levels.
Researchers reported in the Indian Heart Journal that a three-month yoga program helped reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. It also improved HDL cholesterol levels in diabetics. The participants practiced for about one hour a day.
In a large study review published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, those who regularly practiced yoga showed significant improvement in LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and blood pressure over those who didnt exercise.
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How To Raise Your Good Cholesterol
One way is to eat a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates. The only problem is that youll also end up increasing your LDL cholesterol and your triglycerides. Any benefit you might get from higher HDL is cancelled out by increasing these other risk factors.
For this and lots of other reason, I suggest you limit your intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates like white bread. You dont have to go low carb. Just eat most of your carbohydrates in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
Take A Few Laps At The Pool
Swimming is probably the most joint-saving aerobic exercise you can do. In a 2010 study, researchers compared swimming with walking in women aged 50 to 70 years. They found that swimming improved body weight, body fat distribution, and LDL cholesterol levels better than walking did.
Researchers also looked at the beneficial effects of swimming in men in the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education. They found that swimmers had 53 percent, 50 percent, and 49 percent lower risk of dying from any cause than did men who were sedentary, walkers, or runners, respectively.
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Hdl Cholesterol Vs Ldl Cholesterol
As we know, HDL cholesterol is the good cholesterol while LDL is the bad type. Heres how the two stack up:
- levels increase with a healthy diet
- smoking lowers HDL levels
- is the main source of cholesterol buildup and blockage in the arteries
- higher levels mean an increases risk for serious heart problems and stroke
- being overweight is associated with a higher LDL level and a lower HDL level.
How To Raise Good Cholesterol
The key to raising HDL cholesterol is lowering LDL cholesterol. The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association recommend the following for increasing your HDL cholesterol level:
- Following a plant-based or Mediterranean eating plan that includes fruits, nuts, vegetables, legumes, and lean meats
- Avoiding saturated and trans fats, and limiting processed meats
- Avoiding sugar and artificial sweeteners in processed foods and in beverages
- Increasing aerobic activity and getting at least 30 minutes of exercise five times per week
- Losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight
- Quitting smoking
- Keeping blood pressure below 130/80 mm Hg
- Taking medications to help raise HDL cholesterol, including niacin and fibrates, which also lower triglycerides
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Other Conditions And Medications Associated With High Hdl
High HDL is also linked to other conditions, including:
- thyroid disorders
- inflammatory diseases
- alcohol consumption
Sometimes cholesterol-controlling medications can also raise HDL levels. These are usually taken to lower LDL, triglyceride, and total cholesterol levels. Medication types that have been linked to increased HDL levels include:
- bile acid sequestrants, which decrease fat absorption from the foods you eat
- cholesterol absorption inhibitors
- omega-3 fatty acid supplements, which lower triglycerides in the blood, but also increase HDL cholesterol
- statins, which block the liver from creating more cholesterol
Increasing HDL levels is usually a positive side effect in people who have low HDL levels as in most cases, it decreases their risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Which Is The Good Cholesterol
Cholesterol can be a silent killer. While the substance is flowing through your blood and clogging your arteries, there are few signs of a problem. That is, until a heart attack or stroke occurs.
Cholesterol is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease, says Indu Poornima, MD, a cardiologist with Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh. Unless checked by a blood test, it will never be detected.
Left untreated, abnormal cholesterol levels can lead to atherosclerosis , which can slow or block blood flow to the heart.
Thats the bad news. But theres an upside too.
Not all cholesterol is created equal, and one type can actually improve your health and lower your risk of heart problems. Thats right: as important as it is to prevent your LDL cholesterol from soaring, its just as crucial to make sure your protective HDL cholesterol is high enough.
Heres what you need to know about this good cholesterol, target numbers to aim for, and what to do if your number is too low.
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Work In Some More Movement To Your Daily Tasks
Do you need to start running every day? Do you need to join a gym or buy a bunch of home fitness equipment? If you want to, go ahead! But there are many other choices, and finding a routine that works for you is whats most important.
Ideally, you want to aim for at least 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity every week. You can break that up however you like. You might focus on doing something every day, or you could dedicate yourself to just a few days per week. The key is to just get started.
For example, do you usually take the elevator? Take the stairs instead. Do you walk your dog every day? Go a little farther than usual, or walk at a faster pace. Need to go shopping? Park farther away than you normally do. Catching up on your favorite TV series? Try stretching, dumbbells or kettlebells while youre watching rather than just sitting on the couch. Also look for chances to bring motion into your daily life, such as walking while you talk on the phone.
If youre feeling good, work up to more intense physical activity, like lap swimming, jogging or hot yoga. Dont overexert yourself, but remember that regular and consistent exercise has benefits beyond managing your cholesterol. It also helps reduce blood pressure and builds your overall physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Even if you just go a little farther or a little faster than you usually do, that extra activity will be a big step in the right direction for your health.
How Fats Affect Your Cholesterol Levels
The fat in your dietboth the type and the amounthas a big impact on your cholesterol levels but its tricky. Diets high in polyunsaturated fat, which is found in nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils, tend to lower both types of cholesterol, both HDL and LDL. Diets high in saturated fat, on the other hand, which is found in meat, dairy products, coconut and palm oils tend to raise both types of cholesterolalso a mixed bag.
The best advice I can give you is to is to avoid very low-fat diets because they dont really move anything in the right direction. As far as your cholesterol profile goes, a diet thats a little bit higher in fat is probably a better choice than one thats high in carbohydrates. And there appears to be some advantages to including both saturated and unsaturated fats in your diet. In other words, theres room for both peanut butter and cheese!
Whatever you do, however, continue to be vigilant about avoiding foods made with partially hydrogenated oils. These are the dreaded trans fats, of course, and among their many sins is a tendency to lower those good HDL cholesterol levels and raise the bad LDL levels.
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Mechanism Of Reverse Cholesterol Transport
Our understanding of reverse cholesterol transport and its role in cholesterol efflux has progressed over the last few decades . Reverse cholesterol transport is a pathway by which cholesterol is transported from the artery walls to the liver for excretion from the body. It is through this process that the body reduces the amount of plaque buildup in vessel walls and reverses atherosclerosis.
HDL is synthesized in the liver and is a key factor in RCT. The liver releases the nascent HDL particles into the bloodstream. ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 translocates cholesterol to the cell surface, where they appear to form lipid domains that interact with amphipathic -helixes in apolipoproteins. ApoA1 and A2 on HDL stimulate the enzyme LCAT, which then esterifies the cell surface cholesterol molecules to form cholesteryl ester, which migrate to the core of the HDL particle to form mature migrating HDL. Cholesterol esters are then exchanged for triglycerides in apoB100-containing lipoproteins . These cholesteryl esters are then taken up by the liver through the LDL-R Receptor. Finally, a liver protein named SR-B1 is the HDL receptor expressed on liver cells, allowing the liver to endocytose HDL, removing it from circulation .
What To Look For On Nutrition Labels
Nutrition labels on foods tell you how much of each nutrient or fat is in the item, based on the recommended serving size. The numbers and percentages are written for a 2,000 calorie/day diet. Youll find a label on the back of packaged, canned, or bottled items that says Nutrition Facts.
Heres how to read the label properly:
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What Is Good Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in the membranes of the majority of tissues in our body and they are transported in the plasma of the human body. There are two types of cholesterol: Low Density Lipoprotein and High Density Lipoprotein .Bad cholesterol is a type of lipoprotein that carries cholesterol in the blood. This index is not beneficial because it causes excessive cholesterol to enter the blood vessel walls, causing atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction,
Good cholesterol is a mucus protein and it has a fairly high density. In particular, it is possible to take excess cholesterol in the walls of blood vessels to the liver to metabolize, reducing the risk of stroke and myocardial infarction. If your HDL levels are higher than 60mg / dl, you do not need to worry about cardiovascular disease. However, if your HDL levels are less than 40mg / dl, you need to pay special attention to the symptoms of the body. For that reason, everyone wants to increase the good cholesterol.
Some Misconceptions About LDL And HDL
Cut Out The Trans Fatty Acids
Trans fatty acids are likely present in many of your favorite prepared foods anything in which the nutrition label reads “partially hydrogenated vegetable oils” so eliminating them from the diet is not a trivial task. But trans fatty acids not only increase LDL cholesterol levels, but they also reduce HDL cholesterol levels. Removing them from your diet will almost certainly result in a measurable increase in HDL levels.
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Remember that HDL is produced by the body. Like all lipoproteins carry cholesterol, HDL is produced by the body and it is not present in the food. The amount of HDL produced is determined by the gene and is related to the need for cell regeneration, but the levels of all lipoproteins depend on diet and exercise. On the other hand, cholesterol is present in foods and is also produced by the liver and the intestinal wall. The liver removes cholesterol from the body by secreting cholesterol out of the bile . This process of cholesterol regulation affects the levels of lipoprotein, including HDL levels.
HDL works in tandem with LDL. LDL is called bad cholesterol, but in fact it is just a cholesterol transporter from the liver to the cell, including the damaged arteries. The problem arises when cholesterol builds up in the artery wall, it attracts macrophages and stimulates plaque formation a typical sign of atherosclerosis or blocked artery.HDL works in tandem with LDL and tries to balance the amount of cholesterol needed to regenerate cracks in the artery instead of limiting accumulation. In physiological terms, nothing is called good or bad cholesterol, although some types of lipoproteins are considered healthier than others.
What Are Common Causes Of High Cholesterol?
What Are Common Symptoms Of High Cholesterol?
Foods That Help Raise Good Cholesterol
Its possible to raise good cholesterol levels by eating HDL-boosting foods. The Mediterranean diet is associated with eating higher levels of HDL. Try these Mediterranean diet dinners to get started.
Opt for healthy oils and fats to boost your good cholesterol. A good rule of thumb is to stick with liquid cooking fats instead of solid ones. This means that olive oil is a healthier choice than butter, as it is liquid at room temperature. Fats that are solid at room temperature like butter and lard are high in saturated fats and tend to raise LDL cholesterol.
When it comes to protein, reach for lean chicken breast over red meat to keep your saturated fat intake down.
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How To Increase Your Good Cholesterol And Decrease The Bad
By Troy Randle, DO, FACC, FACOI, CardiologistVirtua Cardiology
You hear a lot about lowering your cholesterol numbers. But did you know you want to keep your high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level high?
Your HDL, or good, cholesterol should be greater than 40 mg/dl in men and greater than 50 mg/dl in women. Thats because HDL carries low-density lipoprotein , or bad, cholesterol to the liver, where it’s removed from the body.
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But theres a form of cholesterol thats actually good for you and you can use that to your advantage.
High-density lipoprotein is one of two types of cholesterol youll find on lipid panel test results that screen for your risk of cardiovascular disease. The other is low-density lipoprotein .
Think of HDL as the good, or helpful, cholesterol, says cardiovascular medicine specialist Heba Wassif, MD, MPH. LDL, meanwhile, is the lousy and less desirable cholesterol.
So, how are they different? Lets find out.
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What Is Hdl Cholesterol
High-density lipoprotein is a protective form of cholesterol that carries bad cholesterol away from the arteries and into the liver where it can be broken down and eliminated from the body.
When your HDL is high60 milligrams per deciliter or higheryour risk of heart attack or heart disease is lower. When your HDL is lowfor women less than 50 mg/dl, for men less than 40 mg/dlyour chances of having a heart attack or heart disease are increased.
Here are several types of foods you should consider eating more often to raise your HDL and lower your LDL.
Potential To Treat Atherosclerosis Through Reverse Cholesterol Transport
The cost and health risks involved with cardiac stenting have turned physicians and researchers to explore alternative methods. Studies have shown success in treating atherosclerosis through preventive and lifestyle approaches. These approaches include nutritional intervention, exercise plans, and pharmaceutical intervention. In order to review and understand these methods and why they are successful, we must first understand how cholesterol is transported out of the arteries to stop the progression of atherosclerosis.
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