By Suzana Looking For Heart Healthy Ways to Raise HDL Cholesterol Naturally
HDL stands for high density lipoprotein and is known in the realm of heart and artery health as good cholesterol. You may recognize LDL from one of those crime shows. He is the bad guy that gives most people he befriends a heart attack or stroke. We can’t afford to have too many friends like LDL.
All humor aside, one of the most important components of any cholesterol management program is to raise the level of HDL while lowering the LDL levels. You can think of HDL’s as scavenger molecules that remove cholesterol from the arteries. Having a lot of HDLs reduces your risk of heart attack regardless of your total cholesterol levels. In fact, research has confirmed that people who raise their good cholesterol through a combination of exercise, eliminating exposure to first and secondhand smoke, and diet modification not only reduce the cholesterol in the arteries but also remove the dangerous plaque accumulations, thus opening arteries and reducing heart attack and stroke risks. Let me repeat that last though. Making heart healthy choices that raise HDL cholesterol actually reverse artery disease caused by arterial cholesterol deposits.
Exercise and avoiding cigarette smoke pretty much speak for themselves, on the other hand foods that raise HDL require a more detailed explanation.
Apples and Pomegranates: Apples and pomegranates contain what are called soluble pectins that form a gel in your stomach and collect cholesterol like a magnet in a neighborhood of paperclips. This gets rid of the bad cholesterol through stool. Soluble pectins also raise HDL cholesterol levels as well.
Fish, Fish Oil, and Flax Seed Oil: If you are cholesterol you might not want to date any one of these three high omega 3 bruisers. Omega 3 fatty acid is plentiful in these three. This healthful substance has been shown to lower overall fat in the blood, reduce the amount of arterial plaque by raising HDL, and improve the overall health of the arterial lining.
There are many other heart healthy foods including oat bran, olive oil, and walnuts that are helpful in the battle against cholesterol but they haven’t been shown to consistently raise HDL levels.
What Next? Lowering cholesterol, in most cases, is about changing old habits, adopting new healthier habits, and enlisting the help of natural cholesterol reducing remedies if needed. Put simply, this basically means finding ways to increase raise HDL cholesterol and decrease LDL through making smart choices.