In a word,
High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is "hot." Advances in research have
brought more attention to the blood lipid (or fat) we often call
"good" cholesterol.
"Good"
cholesterol doesn't refer to the cholesterol we eat in food, but rather to the
high-density lipoprotein cholesterol circulating in our blood. It's one of the
fats measured in the lipid panel blood test doctors perform. And it's the component
you want more of, because a higher HDL is associated with a
lower risk of heart disease.
By
Susan Ince The brutal truth: When a woman suffers a heart attack, she is
more likely than a man to die, be permanently disabled, or have a second attack
within a year. "We could do a lot to give women longer lives and
better-quality lives if we could help them recognize heart problems before the
first attack," says Jean C. McSweeney, Ph.D., R.N., nurse researcher at
the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. In an award-winning research
project, she interviewed hundreds...
Experts
from the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) note that although LDL
or "bad" cholesterol has gotten most of the attention, there's
growing evidence that HDL plays an important role.
Facts about "Good"
Cholesterol
·
HDL cholesterol normally makes up
20%-30% of your total blood cholesterol.
·
There is evidence that HDL helps
protect against the accumulation of plaques (fatty deposits) in the walls of
coronary arteries.
·
Research suggests that a five-point
drop in HDL cholesterol is linked to a 25% increase in heart disease risk.
·
In prospective studies -- that is,
studies that follow participants for a period of time to watch for events like
heart attacks or death from heart disease -- HDL usually proves to be the lipid
risk factor most linked to heart disease risk.
·
HDL cholesterol levels are thought to
be impacted by genetics.
·
Women typically have higher HDL
cholesterol levels than men. About a third of men and about a fifth of women
have HDL levels below 40 mg/dL. Doctors consider levels of less than 40 mg/dL
to be low.
Researchers
from the Netherlands who analyzed 60 studies concluded that the ratio of total
cholesterol to HDL (in which your total cholesterol number is divided by your
HDL number) is a better marker for coronary artery disease than LDL measurement
alone.
How Does HDL Cholesterol Help Your Heart?
Experts
aren't yet sure exactly how HDL cholesterol helps reduce the risk of heart
disease. But a few possibilities have emerged.
The NCEP
says that high HDL levels appear to protect against the formation of plaques in
the artery walls (a process called atherogenesis), according to studies in
animals.
Lab
studies, meanwhile, suggest that HDL promotes the removal of cholesterol from
cells found in plaques, or lesions, in the arteries.
"Recent
studies indicate that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of HDL
also inhibit atherogenesis," says the NCEP report.
8 Ways to Increase HDL Cholesterol
What many
people don't know is that some diet and lifestyle changes may help to increase
HDL cholesterol levels, although to a small extent.
Here are
some of the contenders:
1. Orange
Juice. Drinking three cups of orange juice a day increased HDL
levels by 21% over three weeks, according to a small British study (at 330
calories, that's quite a nutritional commitment). This study could be
highlighting an effect from high-antioxidant fruits and vegetables. Stay tuned
in the years to come.
2. Glycemic
Load. The glycemic load is basically a ranking of how much a
standard serving of a particular food raises your blood sugar. And as the
glycemic load in your diet goes up, HDL cholesterol appears to go down,
according to a small recent study. Along these lines, the NCEP report
recommends that most of our carbohydrate intake come from whole grains,
vegetables, fruits, and fat-free and low-fat dairy products. These foods tend
to be on the lower end of the glycemic scale.
3.
Choosing Better Fats. Replacing saturated fats with monounsaturated fats can not
only help reduce levels of "bad" cholesterol, it may also increase
levels of "good" cholesterol, according to the Food & Fitness
Advisor newsletter from Cornell University's Center for Women's Healthcare.
4. Soy. When
substituted for animal-based products, soy foods may have heart health
benefits. Soy products are low in saturated fats and high in unsaturated fats.
Soy products are also high in fiber. An analysis found that soy protein,
plus the isoflavones found in soy "raised HDL levels 3%, which could
reduce coronary heart disease risk about 5%," says Mark Messina, PhD, a
nationally known soy expert. Messina notes that soy also may lead to a small
reduction in LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (another type of blood fat), and
a possible enhancement in blood vessel function. Other studies have shown a
decrease in LDL cholesterol (about 3%) and triglycerides (about 6%) with about
three servings of soy a day. That adds up to 1 pound of tofu, or three soy
shakes. Further research should focus on whether a higher soy diet intervention
is associated with a reduction in heart disease risk.
5. Alcohol
in Moderation. Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol is associated with a
higher level of HDL. Alcohol is also associated with a lower risk of
cardiovascular disease in men and women.
6. Aerobic
exercise. Moderately intense exercise of at least 30 minutes on most
days of the week is the exercise prescription that can help raise your HDL,
according to many health care professionals.
7.
Stopping smoking. Experts agree that kicking the habit can increase your HDL
numbers a bit, too.
8. Losing weight. Being overweight or obese contributes to low HDL
cholesterol levels, and is listed as one of the causes of low HDL, according to
the NCEP.
