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| 2010-03-10 How to Raise your "Healthy" Cholesterol |
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Most of the focus is on ridding our bodies of "bad" cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein). But increasing your HDL cholesterol-- the "good" kind is important for your health. Here's how to raise your levels.
When experts talk about improving cholesterol, most of the focus in on lowering LDL-- the "bad' type. But having a high HDL , or the "good" kind, is also important. An HDL reading lower than 50 milligrams per deciliter is associated with a higher risk of heart disease, and every point increase reduces your risk of dying from heart disease or a heart attack by 6 percent. That's why experts at Johns Hopkins University recently issued the following guidelines on how to up your HDL.
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Exercise: Short, frequent workouts, (e.g. five 30-minute sessions per week) can increase HDL by 3 to 9 points.
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Stop Smoking: After you quit, your HDL goes up by an average of 4 points.
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Achieve a Healthy Weight: If you are overweight, you'll boost HDL by 0.35 points with every 2.2 pounds you drop.
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Have One Drink: A single alcoholic beverage per day--wine, beer, or a tequila shot--ups HDL by about 4 points. (No, four tequila shots aren't even better)
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Have some Good Fat: People with diets rich in polyunsaturated fats from foods like olive and canola oil and nuts have higher HDL levels.
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Cut down on Refined Carbs: Regularly eating white breads, sugary cereals and processed snacks lowers HDL levels.
Courtesy of Fitness Magazine |
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