6 ways to raise HDL levels

Long ignored by doctors, HDL, or "high-density lipoprotein" cholesterol,  is the newest heart-protection factor to receive serious attention from progressive researchers. The following six steps will explain the benefits of increasing HDL points for a healthier lifestyle.

HDL is the body's LDL cholesterol clean-up crew, actually fusing with the bad type of cholesterol and carrying it to the liver for disposal. New evidence suggests that HDLs also act as antioxidants, shielding LDLs from the type of damage that makes it promote plaque.

"Every one-point rise in HDLs reduces your risk for a fatal heart attack by three percent," says Johns Hopkins University cardiologist Roger Blumenthal, MD, director of the university's Ciccarone Preventive Cardiology Center. "That's as potent as a one-point drop in LDLs. For too long, doctors only emphasized cutting LDLs. Now we know how to raise HDLs and that it has heart-protecting benefits. It's time to take action."

The new thinking: Higher is better. Women after menopause should aim for levels of 50 mg/dl or higher, while men should aim for at least 40 mg/dl.  Here are some ways to move your measure higher.

Kicking the cigarette habit can raise your HDLs about four points.

A glass of wine with dinner could increase your good cholesterol by four points. But skip this step if you also have high triglycerides — alcohol can make them soar and would cancel out the benefits.

You'll enhance your HDL level by two to three points if you regularly snack on a small handful of walnut halves or pecans, report researchers from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran and from Loma Linda University in California.

If your doctor approves of your weight-loss plans, gradually moving to a healthy weight could raise your HDLs by one point for every 2.9 kilograms (6.5 pounds) you lose, experts say.

You can raise your HDLs by one to four points with a fast-paced stroll (just vigorous enough that conversation is a little difficult) for a half-hour on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Johns Hopkins University cardiologists say.

You read that right. Your body needs some fat to help maintain its HDL level. Choose "good" monounsaturated fats found in olive and canola oils, and omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, walnuts, and fish-oil capsules, to help your body keep HDLs on an even keel.