HDL

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT HDL MEANS IF THE TEST RESULTS IS LOW AND WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN THEY TELL ME THAT IT NEEDS TO BE HIGHER.

[Brooke_38]

High-density lipoproteins. These lipoproteins are often referred to as HDL, or "good," cholesterol. They act as cholesterol scavengers, picking up excess cholesterol in your blood and taking it back to your liver for disposal. The higher your HDL level, the less "bad" cholesterol you'll have in your blood. In addition, HDL may have other protective effects on your heart and blood vessels, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting effects.


For the average man, HDL cholesterol ranges from 50-60 mg/dL

lifestyle changes you can make to boost your HDL cholesterol.

Don't smoke. Smoking lowers HDL cholesterol and increases your blood's tendency to clot. It also causes chemical changes to HDL, which may eliminate HDL's beneficial effects. If you smoke, quit. Quitting smoking can increase your HDL cholesterol by up to 10 percent.

Maintain a healthy weight. Excess pounds take a toll on HDL cholesterol. But there's good news. If you're overweight, losing even a few pounds can improve your HDL level. For every 2 pounds you lose, your HDL may increase by 0.35 mg/dL (0.01 mmol/L). That's about 1 mg/dL (0.03 mmol/L) for every 6 pounds.

Get more physical activity. Within two months of starting, frequent aerobic exercise can increase HDL cholesterol by about 5 percent in otherwise healthy sedentary adults. Your best bet for increasing HDL cholesterol is to exercise briskly for 30 minutes, five times a week, so that you get more than 120 minutes of brisk aerobic exercise a week. Aerobic exercise is the kind that increases your heart rate and maximizes the amount of oxygen in your blood.

Choose healthier fats. A healthy diet includes some fat, but there's a limit. In a heart-healthy diet, between 25 and 35 percent of your total daily calories can come from fat — but saturated fat should account for less than 7 percent of your total daily calories. Avoid foods that contain saturated and trans fats (BAD FAT), which raise LDL cholesterol and worsen inflammatory effects. Trans fat is found in many margarines and commercial baked products, and anything that contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. On the other hand, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — found in olive, peanut and canola oils — tend to improve HDL's anti-inflammatory abilities. Nuts, fish and other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids are other good choices for improving your LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio.

Drink alcohol only in moderation. In some studies, moderate use of alcohol has been linked with higher levels of HDL cholesterol — but the benefits aren't strong enough to recommend alcohol for anyone who doesn't drink already. If you choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation. This means no more than one drink a day for women, and one to two drinks a day for men.

What is your current level?