Foods that boost HDL good cholesterol

HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is also known as good cholesterol for human body. Indeed, according to new study which published in The American Journal of Cardiology (October 7, 2011), proved that increasing HDL levels will lead to reduce heart attack and stroke risk. The American Council on Exercises recommends that having HDL levels above 60mg/dl is good for people while HDL levels below 40mg/dl seems to be considered as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

How to raise HDL levels? Scientists suggested people can increase good cholesterol without medication by controlling weight, eating healthy diet, avoiding smoking and doing exercises. There are some kinds of food that can provide HDL for you.

Alcohol

It’s so surprised that drinking alcohol can help to increase your HDL levels. However, you must drink in moderation; if too much, it can lead to lower HDL. So, scientists suggest a suitable amount is one drink per day for woman and two drinks per day for man. If you drink about one glass of red wine per day, you will increase HDL levels by 4mg/dl.

Omega-3 fatty acid rich foods

Omega-3 fatty acid rich foods consumption may raise your HDL levels as well as lower LDL (bad cholesterol). Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, halibut and mackerel is known as the best sources of omega-3 fatty acid. The American Heart Association advised that people should eat fish at least twice per week in order to get the most benefits from omega-3 fatty acids.

Besides fish, you can also consume nuts such as almond, walnuts and cashews but you should eat them raw because cooking process can eliminate some of benefit nutrients. In addition, you may avoid salted nuts due to their high sodium contents which not good for hypertension patients.

Niacin rich foods

Niacin is another name of vitamin B₃. Many recent studies show that this vitamin plays an important role in maintaining good cholesterol in our body. Indeed, niacin hinders the livers from removing HDL from blood vessels, by doing this, niacin have ability to maintain the high plasma level of HDL. Consuming niacin can raise your HDL level by 15% to 35%. You can naturally increase niacin just by eating eggs, lean meats, poultry, dairy products and enriched breads and cereals.

Soluble fiber

Similar to omega-3 fatty acids, scientists also found that intake soluble fiber can lead to both increase HDL and decrease LDL. Nature sources of soluble fiber are oats, legumes, apples, grapefruit and oranges.

Raising your HDL levels by natural ways such as healthy eating or doing exercise can be a challenge, because you have to change your lifestyle, it is not simple as taking a pill. However, the best way to get nutrients is from whole foods because it is more easy for our body to absorb nutrients as much as possible.

Read more at momega.com.au