HDL - High-density lipoprotein
The Good Cholesterol
It's good for you!
About one-fourth to one-third of blood cholesterol is carried by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). It is believed that HDL can remove cholesterol from atheroma within arteries and transport it back to the liver for excretion or re-utilization - this is the main reason why HDL-bound cholesterol is sometimes called "good cholesterol".
In simple terms, we can think of HDL as a type of cholesterol that washes the bad cholesterol out of the body. Of course, it is better not to have too much bad cholesterol in the first place!
Diet and lifestyle
Certain changes in lifestyle can have a positive impact on raising HDL levels:
- Aerobic exercise
- Weight loss
- Smoking cessation
- Removing trans fatty acids from the diet
- One drink of alcohol a day or less yields higher HDL-C levels
- Adding soluble fiber to diet
- Using supplements such as omega 3 fish oil
- Limiting intake of dietary fat to 30-35% of total calories
