You can lower your risk for heart disease by maintaining normal good cholesterol levels. More than 102 million American adults have high cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association. About 35 million of these people have levels high enough that their doctors consider them to be a special risk for heart disease and could benefit from raising their HDL, or "good" cholesterol.
Benefits
Medical experts refer to HDL as the good cholesterol because of its role in decreasing the levels of harmful cholesterol in the bloodstream. A normal HDL level lowers total cholesterol levels by scavenging the blood for excess cholesterol to ferry back to the liver, where this cholesterol is processed and eliminated from the body. HDL also reverses some of the damage inflicted on vascular structures by removing plaque from arterial walls and reducing inflammation.
General Levels
Women in their childbearing years have healthier HDL levels than older women and men of all ages due to higher levels of estrogen in a young woman's body. This gives a pre-menopausal woman a natural advantage over heart disease. Her HDL will slowly decrease through menopauses and her subsequent risk for heart attack will rise to be equal to that of a man.
Levels
Unlike other components measured on a cholesterol test, you want to see high levels of HDL. An HDL of 60 mg/dL provides optimal protection against heart disease. A man whose HDL is less than 40 mg/dL has an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, as does a woman with an HDL of 50 mg/dL or less.
Treatment
Raise your normal good cholesterol levels and increase the therapeutic benefits provided by HDL to you cardiac system through dietary changes, increasing exercise and making a few lifestyle changes. Decrease your intake of saturated fat, trans fats and unhealthy carbohydrates to lower your total cholesterol level. This will raise the percentage of HDL in your blood, and make HDL's job of removing excess cholesterol a little easier. Eat fatty fish, like salmon and mackerel, at least twice a week. These fish contain omega-3 fatty acids, which increase HDL. Replace saturated fat like butter and trans fats in shortening with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated oils. Olive and canola oils improve HDL's anti-inflammatory properties. Exercise for a half an hour on five days a week to raise HDL. Within two months of starting this exercise program, your HDL will increase up to 5 percent, according to the Mayo Clinic. Increase HDL by one point for every six pounds you lose. Smokers may see their HDL rise by 10 percent after they quit smoking.
