High Cholesterol? Here are the Top 12 Non-Drug Strategies to Increase Your HDL Levels

Think you’ve heard it all when it comes to cholesterol? Well, even the most cholesterol-savvy may be in for a surprise. It turns out that perhaps the most important aspect has to do with making sure you have enough cholesterol – the good kind, that is.

Cholesterol is composed of two types: the healthy “HDL” (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and the lousy “LDL” (low-density lipoprotein) variety.

Most Americans focus on reducing LDL cholesterol as a key part of their treatment. A new study, however, found that having too little HDL cholesterol is at least as damaging when it comes to heart disease as having too much LDL, and it may even be more predictive of heart disease.

In fact, the most common cholesterol problem among those with heart disease is too little HDL. That’s because HDL cholesterol works to remove LDL cholesterol from the arteries. Even if their total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels are normal, people with reduced levels of HDL have an increased risk of early coronary artery disease. When HDL levels are increased, a little goes a long way. It’s estimated that for every 1 mg/dl increase in HDL cholesterol, there is a 2 to 4 percent decrease in your risk of coronary heart disease.

12 Strategies to Increase Your HDL

Exercise: Aerobic exercise (the kind that raises your heart rate for an extended period of time – say 20-30 minutes), can increase your HDL if done regularly. Examples include: jogging, biking, fast walking, aerobics, going upstairs, etc.

Maintain a Healthy Weight: Being overweight or obese can increase your LDL cholesterol levels while reducing your HDL. Losing weight can help to increase HDL.

Don’t eat trans-fats: This form of fat should be avoided as studies show they clog arteries and increase LDL and decrease HDL. and is found in margarine, shortening, fried foods like French fried and fried chicken, donuts, cookies, pastries, crackers, peanut butter (ex. Jif and Skippy), and other processed foods. Look for the words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oil on ingredient labels.

Eat more healthy, unsaturated fats: Increasing foods that contain these healthy fats – olive oil, safflower oil, natural peanut butter or nut butters, avocados, fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna), etc. – can raise your HDL levels without harming your total cholesterol.

Eat soluble fiber-rich foods: Fiber can increase your HDL cholesterol while decreasing your LDL. It’s found in fruits like apples, oranges, pears, berries and grapes, seeds and nuts, oat bran, dried beans, oatmeal, barley, rye and vegetables. At least two servings per day is ideal.

Avoid too many processed carbohydrates: Too many refined carbs from white sugar, flour, potatoes, etc. causes your blood sugar to rise. This has been linked to decreases in HDL levels.

Pile on the onions: Research suggests that half of a raw onion a day may raise HDL levels by as much as 30 percent.

Drinking: One or two alcoholic drinks per day may help to increase HDL levels. An ideal choice may be red wine due to the antioxidants contained in red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir, that help slow down the oxidation of HDL and LDL cholesterol. Go over one or two drinks, however, and you’ll do more damage than good. If you don’t drink, don’t start. If you do, limit your intake.

Don’t eliminate all fat from your diet: Just like too much fat in your diet can cause problems, too little fat in your diet can lead to a deficiency of essential fatty acids. It has also been linked to significant reductions in HDL cholesterol. For best results, eat a variety of healthy fats, like monounsaturated fats, and avoid the unhealthy ones, like trans fats.

Quit smoking: Doing so will result in an increase in HDL levels.

Consider taking niacin: According to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), niacin (vitamin B3) is an important tool to normalize cholesterol. Several studies have found that this vitamin can increase HDL by 30 percent, while lowering total cholesterol by 10 to 25 percent.

Get lots of omega-3: This essential fatty acid, found in fish, fish oil, flaxseed and walnuts, has been found to increase HDL cholesterol.