6 ways to improve your good cholesterol

Chances are you’ve heard bad things about cholesterol. Imagine a waxy, fat-like substance in the bloodstream, and you can understand how cholesterol clogs arteries, leading to heart disease and strokes.

But not all cholesterol is the same. HDL is a “good” cholesterol that actually lowers your risk of heart disease, and a few simple lifestyle changes can help you boost your HDL levels.

Bad cholesterol:

• Low density lipoproteins (LDL): Builds up on artery walls as plaque, which can break off and cause the blood to clot in the artery, leading to heart attack or stroke. You want your LDL number to be less than 130, and preferably below 100.

Good cholesterol:

• High density lipoproteins (HDL): They act like a scavenger by removing LDL plaque from the artery walls. Your HDL number should be at least 40, and ideally even higher.

Controlling cholesterol to reduce the risk of heart attack involves more than simply lowering LDL cholesterol. Having adequate levels of HDL cholesterol is just as important because higher levels seem to protect against heart disease. Statins, a class of drugs commonly prescribed to lower cholesterol, are effective in lowering bad cholesterol, but have a minimal impact on raising HDL.

What you can do:

• Get 30 minutes of physical activity every day: This can raise HDL by about five points.
• Increase your intake of soluble fiber: Foods include oats, beans, peas, rice bran, barely, citrus fruits, strawberries and apples.
• Switch to a diet rich in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats: Good sources are olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, avocados, peanut butter, many nuts and seeds.
• Avoid trans fatty acids: They can be found in baked goods, snacks, fried food, stick margarines and other spreads.
• Lose excess weight: As pounds drop, HDL increases.
• Stop smoking: Doing so can cause HDL levels to increase significantly.

Want to learn more about your risk for heart disease? Take a free, quick online quiz.