How to Raise Good HDL Cholesterol
HOW TO RAISE GOOD HDL CHOLESTEROL<br />Gabe Mirkin, M.D.<br /><br />If your good HDL cholesterol is below 35, you are at increased risk for heart attacks. You can reduce chances of suffering a heart attack by two percent for every mg/dl rise in HDL.<br /><br />To raise HDL cholesterol, run at least seven miles a week or burn at least 1200 calories with exercise per week. [Go to <a href="http://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/jumpsite/calculat.htm">http://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/jumpsite/calculat.htm</a> to use the activity calorie calculator for exercises you complete during the week.] Lose weight. For every pound of fat lost, expect a one percent rise in HDL (1). <br /><br />Exercise before you eat fat. A study at the University of Missouri shows that exercising regularly before eating high-fat meals raises HDL cholesterol considerably (2). Exercise stimulates the fat-clearing enzyme, lipoprotein lipase, which drops triglycerides to produce more HDL cholesterol. <br /><br />Don't smoke. A study at Vanderbilt University showed that within just one week of quitting smoking, HDL levels increased by seven points. <br /><br />Avoid refined carbohydrates -- sugar, flour, white rice and milled corn. Foods that cause a spike in blood sugar drop your HDL cholesterol. You raise HDL by exercising and avoiding refined carbohydrates. <br /><br />1) Peter Kokkinos, a clinical exercise physiologist at Georgetown University who observed the effect in 3,000 men. <br /><br />2) Tom Thomas, at the U of Missouri<br /><br />Taken from <a href="http://www.drmirkin.com/">drmirkin.com</a>
