HDL or high-density lipoprotein is your "good" cholesterol. Generally speaking, it is thought that HDL cholesterol shuttles LDL "bad" cholesterol away from your arteries and prevents it building up as plaque that can lead to heart disease or stroke. There are several dietary and lifestyle factors that can cause a drop in your HDL cholesterol. Likewise, making the right healthful changes can result in a desirable raise to your HDL. Consult your doctor before attempting to make drastic changes to your diet or lifestyle.
Smoking Decreases HDL
Smoking any kind of tobacco product can result in a decrease in your HDL cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association. This is especially true if your family has a history of heart disease. The University of Tennessee reports that smoking lowers your HDL by an average of 5 points. Second-hand smoke can also lower your HDL levels. While 5 HDL points may not seem like a lot, consider that smoking also increases your blood pressure, increases your LDL, increases blood clotting tendency and decreases your oxygen capacity to exercise. All of these effects combined can cause major cardiovascular problems. Likewise, quitting smoking will increase your HDL cholesterol.
Very Low Fat Diets
Following a diet that is too low in fat will lower your HDL, according to the University of Masschusetts Medical School. A 2004 pilot study at the University of Buffalo published in the "Journal of the American College of Nutrition" confirms this and found that when subjects ate a diet in which only 19 percent of the calories came from dietary fat, their HDL cholesterol was significantly lowered in comparison to diets of 30 and 50 percent dietary fat. This is significant because many people follow a low fat diet to try to improve their cardiovascular health may actually be harming their health. Eating a more balanced diet can increase your HDL if you have been following a diet that is very low in fat.
Weight Gain and Inactivity
Weight gain, fat gain specifically, can decrease your HDL levels, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Overweight and obese individual generally do not have favorable cholesterol levels. In addition, a lack of physical activity can contribute directly to both weight gain and a drop in HDL. Likewise, increasing your level of physical activity and exercise will increase your HDL, help you lose weight and encourage a more favorable overall lipid profile.
Anabolic Steroids
According to New York University, taking anabolic steroids can significantly decrease your HDL levels. Doctor Carl Grunfeld, chief of the metabolism and endocrine departments at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, states that the effect of anabolic steroids on your HDL cholesterol is dose-dependent. The adverse effects of oral anabolic steroids on your lipid profile can be seen in under three months. While anabolic steroids are commonly associated with athletes trying to enhance their performance and bodybuilders taking super-physiological doses to build enormous amounts of muscle beyond their genetic capacity, anabolic steroids are also have medical uses. In HIV-patients who were given a physician-approved conservative dose of 20 mg of oxandrolone a day to prevent muscle wasting, the risk of heart attack increased 58 percent from the adverse effects on cholesterol levels.
References
- University of Massachusetts: Rasing HDL
- University of Tennesee: Are you Putting Your Heart at Risk?
- American Heart Association: Cigarette Smoking and Cardiovascular Diseases
- University of Buffalo: Very-Low-Fat Diet Decreases "Good Cholesterol," Does Not Improve Heart Health, UB Study Shows
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Cholesterol - Risk Factors
- New York University: Anabolic Steroids for non-therapeutic use
