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How to raise good cholesterol:
Actions you can take
If you're researching how to raise good cholesterol, you've probably heard that maintaining optimum HDL (good) cholesterol levels is just as important as watching your LDL (bad) cholesterol numbers.
Good cholesterol cleans out blood vessels, carrying away excess cholesterol to the liver for processing. If an individual's good cholesterol levels are less than 40 mg/dl, there is a significant risk factor for heart disease (even if the person's total cholesterol and LDL or bad cholesterol levels are normal). The recommended range is 40 to 59 mg/dL. If a person's good cholesterol is at least 60 mg/dL, they may be protected from developing heart disease.
Sounds like when it comes to good cholesterol, the higher the better. Now we get to our topic, How to raise good cholesterol.
How to raise good cholesterol - Get lots of aerobic exercise
Researchers from the University of Tokyo evaluated data from 25 studies researching the effect of exercise on HDL levels and published their findings in May 2007 in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The participants in the studies analyzed did not diet and, on average, worked out 3 or 4 times a week, with each aerobic session lasting about 40 minutes.
The participants who exercised at least two hours a week experienced modest increases in their good cholesterol levels, enough to be significant. The changes in good cholesterol reading represented a five percent reduction in heart disease risk for men and a seven percent reduction for women.
Researchers concluded that an excercise session is most effective on raising good cholesterol if it is at least 30 minutes long. The session does not need to be high intensity, walking was enough aerobic activity to generate results.
How to raise good cholesterol - Drink cranberry juice
 This strategy is easier than beginning a cardio exercise routine. A 2006 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition reports the results of a trial in which 30 overweight men drank increasing amounts of low-calorie cranberry juice cocktail daily, eventually consuming about two cups a day. At the end of 16 weeks, the men increased their good cholesterol levels by about eight percent.
Besides providing information on how to raise good cholesterol, we've also researched methods to lower your bad and total cholesterol.
Maintain a healthy weight
Being overweight is detrimental to cholesterol two ways: it increases LDL (bad) cholesterol readings and lowers HDL (good) cholesterol numbers.
How to raise good cholesterol - Stop smoking
The American Heart Association says that "smoking has been shown to lower HDL (good) cholesterol levels." So if you smoke, this is one more medical reason to kick the habit.
Eat more unsaturated fats - the good fats
 Unsaturated fats (monunsaturated and polyunsaturated fats) are well known for the positive effect on cholesterol levels, increasing good cholesterol and decreasing bad cholesterol. A study conducted by Dutch researchers and published in 2003 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition analyzed 60 trial that looked at the link between carbohydrates, fats and cholesterol levels. In the research projects where polunsaturated and monounsaturated fats were eaten instead of carbohydrates, the good cholesterol levels increased while bad cholesterol levels dropped.
Excellent sources of monounsaturated fats are canola, peanut and olive oil, nuts such as macadamia, hazelnuts, almonds and pecans, ripe olives, avocados, and pumpkin and sesame seeds.
Polyunsaturated fats are found in abundance in sunflower, corn, soybean and flaxseed oil and in foods including walnuts, flax seeds and fish. Omega 3 fats are a type of polyunsaturated fat. Top food sources of Omega 3 fats are salmon, walnuts, flax seeds, cooked soybeans, baked or broiled halibut, snapper and scallops, steamed or boiled shrimp, baked winter squash and raw tofu.
How to raise good cholesterol - Try Niacin
Niacin is vitamin B3 and can be found in foods such as dairy products, lean meats, poultry, fish, nuts and eggs. According to Mayo Clinic's website and May Clinic preventive cardiologist Dr. Gerald Gau, niacin can raise good cholesterol by as much as 15 to 35 percent. Individuals are advised to talk to their doctor before they start taking a niacin supplement to raise their good cholesterol levels. Niacin can raise blood sugar levels in some people. If taken in high doses (1,000 milligrams or more) an individual may experience harmless, temporary flushing of the skin, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
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The information on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice or diagnose or treat any health condition. The statements on this site have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
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