Medications Can Boost Or Lower Hdl Cholesterol
HDL levels are sometimes improved by drugs used to lower LDL and triglyceride levels such as prescription niacin fibrates such as gemfibrozil and certain statins, particularly simvastatin and rosuvastatin .
But clinical trials for several drugs specifically designed to increase HDL levels were halted early because they didn’t reduce the risk of heart attacks.
Drugs containing testosterone and other anabolic steroids can lower your HDL cholesterol levels. Avoiding these drugs may help increase your HDL numbers.
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Top 23 Tips On How To Increase Good Cholesterol Levels Naturally
1. Lose Weight If You Are Overweight
This is the first home remedy in this list of tips on how to increase good cholesterol levels naturally. Excess weight will adversely affect HDL levels. In fact, if you are overweight, losing a few kilograms of weight will also help to improve your cholesterol level . This means if you lose 3 kilograms of weight or more, you can increase your HDL levels and get rid of low density lipoprotein cholesterol. Combining exercise with healthy eating will help you lose weight. You can lose weight without doing both these principles .
However, to lose weight effectively, you should best perform both of them. You should focus on reducing calorie intake per day and exercise regularly. Just 30 minutes of walking a day also helps to lose weight steadily and safely. In addition, you can learn more about safe and effective weight loss ways to quickly achieve your goals. In the process of losing weight, you need to pay attention to the following:
2. How To Increase Good Cholesterol Exercise Regularly
This is another must-try treatment in this list of tips on how to increase good cholesterol levels naturally. Raise your heart rate at least 5 times a week, at least 30 minutes each time with activities such as basketball, gardening, walking, running, biking or swimming .
3. Eat Healthy Fats
4. Quit Smoking
5. How To Increase Good Cholesterol Drink Alcohol In Moderation
On the other hand, taking a moderate amount of alcohol can increase HDL levels .
What Is A Good Cholesterol Level
A good cholesterol level is different for people of different ages and sexes. For example, for anyone younger than 20 years old, total cholesterol should be less than 170 mg/dL, non-HDL cholesterol should be less than 120 mg/dL, LDL cholesterol should be less than 100 mg/dL, and HDL cholesterol should be more than 45 mg/dL.
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Two Types Of Cholesterol
After your provider checks your cholesterol, you will see a few numbers on your lab report. One of them is your total cholesterol. This looks at all the different types of cholesterol levels in your body. Here well look at two main types: HDL and LDL.
People often call high-density lipoprotein the good cholesterol. This is because its job is to bring bad cholesterol to the liver so your body can remove it. High levels of HDL help decrease your heart disease risk. Here are the recommended levels of HDL to get heart health benefits:
-
For males: over 40 mg/dL
-
For females: over 50 mg/dL
The other type of cholesterol low-density lipoprotein is your bad cholesterol. Thats because it can damage blood vessels, causing coronary artery disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease. Lowering your LDL can decrease your risk of heart disease.
So how low does your LDL need to be to get heart health benefits? For people at low risk of heart disease, the LDL goal is less than 100 mg/dl. For those at high risk, or those with diabetes and/or heart disease, the goal is less than 70 mg/dl.
It can be difficult to remember the target levels of HDL versus LDL. Heres a simple way to remember the goals for each: Aim high for HDL. Aimlow for LDL.
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 .
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Ways To Increase Your Hdl Cholesterol
There are some factors that lower your HDL that are outside of your control. But heres the good news: There are steps you can take to increase your HDL.
Experts recommend lifestyle changes starting with your diet as the best approach to improving your HDL. Examples include:
Swap fats. All fat isnt bad. In fact, you need fat for many body functions. Choose healthier fats such as omega-6, omega-3, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fats. These types of fats are in a wide variety of foods such as flaxseed, chia seeds, olive oil, and oily fish. The Mediterranean diet is a great example.
Forget or reduce sugar. The American Heart Association recommends males eat only 9 tsp of sugar per day and females eat 6 tsp per day. Most adults in the U.S. eat almost three times this amount daily. Sugar comes in many different forms, so be sure to read labels carefully when trying to eat less of it. If you have diabetes, controlling your blood sugar is especially important raising your HDL level may even improve your diabetes.
Move more. The AHA recommends 150 minutes of physical activity a week. Cardiovascular exercise, or aerobic exercise, increases HDL levels. Exercise may also make HDL work better, so it can clear out more LDL.
Stop smoking. Your HDL improves very quickly after you quit smoking . Quitting smoking isnt easy, but it has many health benefits.
Natural Ways To Lower Your Cholesterol Levels
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Cholesterol is made in your liver and has many important functions. For example, it helps keep the walls of your cells flexible and is needed to make several hormones.
However, like anything in the body, too much cholesterol creates concerns.
Like fat, cholesterol does not dissolve in water. Instead, to move around the body, it depends on molecules called lipoproteins. These carry cholesterol, fat, and fat-soluble vitamins in your blood.
Different kinds of lipoproteins have different effects on health. For example, high levels of low-density lipoprotein results in cholesterol deposits in blood vessel walls, which can lead to (
- heart attack
- kidney failure
In contrast, high-density lipoprotein helps carry cholesterol away from vessel walls and helps prevent these conditions (
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What About A Low
Substantial evidence now shows that a low-fat diet often reduces rather than increases HDL levels. This result is not specifically caused by not enough fat, but rather, is caused by consuming too many carbohydrates. The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology have quietly stopped recommending low-fat diets for heart disease prevention. Indeed, it is low-carb diets and not low-fat diets which are associated with higher HDL levels.
How Do I Know When I Need To Increase My Hdl Cholesterol
There are no symptoms of low HDL until you develop heart disease or metabolic conditions like obesity. The only way to know you need to increase your HDL is to have a blood test that checks your cholesterol.
Experts recommend that adults over age 20 get cholesterol screening every 5 years. People who are at higher risk of heart disease should check their cholesterol more frequently.
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Hdl Vs Ldl Cholesterol
HDL cholesterol contains a higher proportion of protein and is made up of substances that dont lead to plaque buildup in your arteries. High-density cholesterol also carries LDL cholesterol away from the arteries back to the liver, where its broken down and eliminated from the body.
On the other hand, LDL cholesterol has a higher cholesterol and lower protein composition. When theres an excess of LDL cholesterol from consuming a diet high in calories and fat, excess LDL cholesterol seeps through artery walls and oxidizes .
When oxidation occurs, macrophages consume the oxidized LDL cholesterol in the artery wall and die, leading to inflammation in the artery walls. The body is then triggered to block the increasing macrophage by creating tissue in the artery walls called plaque, resulting in atherosclerosis.
Medicines To Lower Your Cholesterol Level
Medicines called âstatinsâ are most often used to lower cholesterol levels. There are other cholesterol-lowering medicines that your doctor might prescribe, like resins, fibrates, and niacin. If you need to take a medicine to lower your cholesterol level, your doctor will help you find the one that works best for you.
Estrogen replacement therapy lowers your bad cholesterol level and raises your good cholesterol level. However, studies have not shown that it lowers the risk of heart disease.
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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.
How Long Does It Take For Consumed Foods To Help Lower Bad Cholesterol
A 2015 study from Penn State University found that obese or overweight people had a 50% drop in LDL levels after following an avocado-rich, low-fat diet for five weeks. An earlier study from Mexico reported that a similar diet in healthy people with mild hypercholesterolemia reduced total cholesterol by 17% and “bad” LDL cholesterol by 22% after only seven days.
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Myth: I Would Be Able To Feel It If I Had High Cholesterol
Fact: High cholesterol usually has no signs or symptoms. You may not know you have unhealthy cholesterol levels until it is too latewhen you have a heart attack or stroke. Thats why its so important to get your cholesterol levels checked at least every 5 years.1,2 Learn more about getting your cholesterol checked.
Occasionally, some people develop yellowish growths on their skin called xanthomas, which are cholesterol-rich deposits. People with xanthomas may have high cholesterol levels.
How To Increase Good Hdl Cholesterol
Its a very common misconception that cholesterol is generally bad and high levels are always cause for serious concern. But what if I told you that there is a type of cholesterol thats not only good at higher levels, but also decreases your risk of major health issues like heart disease? I have great news: This type of cholesterol really does exist. Its called HDL cholesterol, and its our good cholesterol.
So if there is a cholesterol that is actually good for us, how can we naturally increase its levels? The short answer is lifestyle. Your lifestyle actually has the single greatest impact on your HDL cholesterol level. So making changes to daily and completely controllable habits like diet and exercise can equate to healthier HDL cholesterol levels, which can lower your risk for life-threatening health issues.
Lets get started on improving those HDL cholesterol numbers because positive change can literally start today!
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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.
The Best Foods To Raise Your Hdl
Here at Allrecipes, we’re strong believers that all foods fit. As long as you’re not allergic to an ingredient, everything in moderation, we say! So while we’ll never say, “Don’t eat that!” we certainly will shout, “Load up on this!” And these four foods are particularly on our stock-up-now list since they’ve been shown to improve HDL cholesterol levels.
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The Link Between Dietary And Blood Cholesterol
The liver produces as much cholesterol as your body needs. It packages cholesterol with fat in whats called very low-density lipoproteins .
As VLDL delivers fat to cells throughout the body, it changes into the more dense LDL, which carries cholesterol wherever it is needed.
The liver also releases HDL, which then carries unused cholesterol back to the liver. This process is called reverse cholesterol transport, and it protects against clogged arteries and other types of heart disease.
Some lipoproteins, especially LDL and VLDL, are prone to damage by free radicals in a process called oxidation. Oxidized LDL and VLDL are even more harmful to heart health .
Although food companies often advertise products as being low in cholesterol, recent research has shown that dietary cholesterol actually has only a small influence on the amount of cholesterol in the body .
This is because the liver changes the amount of cholesterol it makes depending on how much you eat. When your body absorbs more cholesterol from your diet, it makes less in the liver.
Current guidelines by leading U.S. health organizations for lowering risk of heart disease no longer contain specific recommended levels for dietary cholesterol, including the:
- American Heart Association (
- 7 )
The guidelines do recommend moderating cholesterol consumption, but this is more to limit the saturated fat that often accompanies cholesterol in foods than to limit intake of cholesterol itself .
How Do I Know What My Hdl Level Is
A blood test can measure your cholesterol levels, including HDL. When and how often you should get this test depends on your age, risk factors, and family history. The general recommendations are:
For people who are age 19 or younger::
- The first test should be between ages 9 to 11
- Children should have the test again every 5 years
- Some children may have this test starting at age 2 if there is a family history of high blood cholesterol, heart attack, or stroke
For people who are age 20 or older::
- Younger adults should have the test every 5 years
- Men ages 45 to 65 and women ages 55 to 65 should have it every 1 to 2 years
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What Foods Raise Good Hdl
Start incorporating the following Mediterranean-style and HDL-friendly foods into your daily diet. Olive oil. The type of heart-healthy fat found in olives and olive oil can lower the inflammatory impact of LDL cholesterol on your body. Beans and legumes. Whole grains. High-fiber fruit. Fatty fish. Flax. Nuts. Chia seeds.
Use Polyunsaturated Fats Especially Omega
Polyunsaturated fats have multiple double bonds that make them behave differently in the body than saturated fats. Research shows that polyunsaturated fats reduce LDL cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease.
For example, one study replaced saturated fats in 115 adults diets with polyunsaturated fats for 8 weeks. By the end of the study, total and LDL cholesterol levels were reduced by about 10% .
Polyunsaturated fats also may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
Another study changed the diets of 4,220 adults, replacing 5% of their calories from carbohydrates with polyunsaturated fats. Their blood glucose and fasting insulin levels decreased, indicating a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes .
Omega-3 fatty acids are an especially heart-healthy type of polyunsaturated fat. Theyre found in seafood and fish oil supplements. Especially high amounts occur in fatty fish like:
- salmon
- deep sea tuna like bluefin or albacore
- shellfish , including shrimp
Other sources of omega-3s include seeds and tree nuts, but not peanuts.
summary
All polyunsaturated fats are heart-healthy and may reduce the risk of diabetes. Omega-3 fats are a type of polyunsaturated fat with extra heart benefits.
Trans fats are unsaturated fats that have been modified by a process called hydrogenation. This is done to make the unsaturated fats in vegetable oils more stable.
The resulting trans fats are not fully saturated and are called partially hydrogenated oils .
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