High cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease. There are two types of cholesterol, HDL and LDL. A high HDL cholesterol level and a low LDL cholesterol level are considered beneficial to heart health. Dietary and lifestyle changes can significantly improve your cholesterol numbers. Please talk to your doctor before you make any drastic changes to your diet or level of physical activity.
About HDL
HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein and is considered your "good" cholesterol. In general, HDL is thought to fight or counterbalance your LDL or "bad" cholesterol. HDL cholesterol supposedly shuttles LDL cholesterol away from your arteries to prevent it from clotting and potentially causing a heart attack or a stroke. Dietary habits, lifestyle and genetics all have a significant effect on your level of HDL cholesterol. A low HDL level means that you may have a greater risk for heart disease, while a high level of HDL suggests that you may have less of a risk.
HDL Levels
HDL levels at or greater than 60 mg/dL is considered desirable for a man or a woman. An HDL level at or less than 40 mg/dL is considered low. The average man's HDL cholesterol usually falls between 40 and 50, and the average woman's HDL level falls between 50 and 60. A total cholesterol, HDL plus LDL, above 200 is considered high, while a cholesterol level between 140 and 200 is considered ideal. There won't be signs or symptoms of high total cholesterol or low HDL levels; blood tests are needed to determine the levels.
Increase Your HDL
There are several things you can do to increase your HDL levels and increase your overall wellness. Getting moderate to strenuous aerobic exercise can boost your HDL by 5 to 10 percent, according to Harvard Medical School. Losing weight will help increase your HDL. Quitting smoking can increase your HDL by as much as 20 percent. Avoiding trans fat in your diet will raise your HDL and lower your overall cholesterol level. Despite the effect of HDL upon LDL, your main goal should still be lowering your LDL level, rather than raising your HDL level. If diet, exercise and lifestyles changes are not enough to raise your HDL, ask your doctor about dietary supplements or prescription medications.
Advanced HDL Function
Even after decades of cholesterol research, scientists and researchers are just beginning to discover what exactly HDL cholesterol is and what it does. Harvard Medical School reports that HDL is much more complex than was once originally thought. HDL is actually a family of lipoproteins, rather than a single entity. Some of them remove LDL, while some of them do not. In the future, scientists may discover a better measure of HDL showing how efficient it is in removing LDL and preventing atherosclerosis. Until then, you should make the effort to exercise, eat healthfully and visit the doctor once a year for a physical to measure your cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
References
- Harvard Medical School: HDL: The Good, But Complex, Cholesterol
- University of Pennsylvania Medical School: Penn Study Shows New Measure Trumps HDL Levels in Protecting Against Heart Disease
- University of Illinois Extension: What is HDL-cholesterol: The "Good" Cholesterol
- Cedar Sinai Hospital: High Cholesterol
