HDL CHOLESTEROL, GOOD CHOLESTEROL

High Density Lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol for short, is often referred to as “good cholesterol”.

Whether a cholesterol is considered as good or bad cholesterol depends on the type of carrier molecule that transports the cholesterol. Earlier in “What is cholesterol”, we learned that cholesterol cannot dissolve in blood and has to be carried by from the cells by special carriers called apoproteins. These apoproteins combine with cholesterol to form lipoproteins. The density of these lipoproteins are determined by the amount of protein in the molecules. High- density lipoprotein, like the name suggests, simply means HDL cholesterol contains high density of proteins.

Most of the cholesterol in your body consist of LDL cholesterol. A small percentage of the cholesterol in your body, usually about one- third to one- fourth of your blood cholesterol levels, consist of HDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is the smallest of the lipoproteins and contains the smallest amount of lipid (fat). HDL cholesterol also has the highest density as they are made up mostly of protein. Besides the protein, HDL cholesterol also contains small amount of fat.

WHY IS HDL CHOLESTEROL CALLED "GOOD" CHOLESTEROL

The simplest way to understand why high- density lipoprotein is considered good cholesterol is that HDL cholesterol picks up excess cholesterol away from the artery walls and returns it to your liver, thus preventing LDL cholesterol buildup in the artery walls. If you want something more technical, here goes:

Your liver synthesises lipoproteins capable of picking up cholesterol from cells they interact with. Since cholesterol cannot dissolve in blood, these lipoproteins pick them up as they circulate through the bloodstream. These lipoproteins increase in size as they pick up more cholesterol.

The high- density lipoproteins are able to pick up the excess cholesterol from the artery walls and other body tissues, and carry them away. This reduces the buildup of LDL cholesterol in the artery walls. High LDL cholesterol levels are often a major cause of cardiovascular diseases.

If you recall from “What is Cholesterol”, LDL cholesterol kills by crystalizing into a solid in the artery walls, kick- starting the body's natural clotting process, before eventually bursting outwards towards the bloodstream, causing damages to the arteries. Therefore, by removing LDL cholesterol from your artery walls, you are in fact lowering your risk of cardiovascular diseases.

HDL cholesterol carries the excess cholestereol back to your liver where they are reprocessed or excreted from your body. Because HDL cholesterol helps you by removing all the other harmful and excess cholesterol from your body, therefore lowering your risk of getting cardivascular diseases, HDL cholesterol is considered "good" cholesterol.

WHAT IS THE IDEAL HDL CHOLESTEROL LEVEL

A high level of HDL cholesterol lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

The reverse is also true. Low levels of HDL cholesterol increases your risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Since HDL cholesterol is a good cholesterol, try to get as high HDL cholesterol reading as possible. A healthy HDL cholesterol level is about 40 to 50 mg/dL for men and 50 to 60 mg/dL for women.

It is considered as a risk factor of cardiovascular diseases if your HDL cholesterol level is below 35 mg/ dL (some experts put the risky HDL cholesterol level at below 40 mg/ dL). As a general rule, women need higher levels of HDL cholesterol than men.

The table below shows the guidelines for acceptable levels for your total, HDL and LDL cholesterol levels. If you are a female, you may want to add 5 – 10 mg/ dL to the levels. You will also need to make modifications if you are suffering from cardiovascular diseases.

A word of caution: do not rely on this table alone. There are other factors besides your LDL and HDL cholesterol levels in determining your risk of cardiovascular diseases and general state of health. Consult your doctor who will be in a better position to give you advice.

	Healthy	Borderline	Unhealthy
Total Cholesterol	Below 200	200 - 240	Above 240
HDL Cholesterol	Above 45	35 - 45	Below 35
LDL Cholesterol	Below 130	130 - 160	Above 160
Total Cholesterol /HDL Cholesterol	Below 4.5	4.5 - 5.5	Above 5.5
LDL/ HDL	Below 3	3 - 5	Above 5

 

High level of total cholesterol (TC) level is considered unhealthy. However, it is important that you view the total cholesterol level in its proper perspective. Since total is made up of LDL and HDL cholesterol, you should look at the amount of HDL cholesterol that contributes to the TC level. This is often referred to as the TC:HDL ratio. High HDL cholesterol level and low LDL cholesterol level indicates healthy cholesterol levels since this translates to a low TC:HDL ratio.

Men tend to have noticeably lower HDL cholesterol levels than women. While women tend to have higher levels of HDL cholesterol than men, their LDL cholesterol levels tend to increase in their post- menopausal years (after the age of 50). This is believed to be caused by the decreasing levels of estrogens in their bodies after menopause.

HOW TO INCREASE HDL CHOLESTEROL

HDL cholesterol levels less than 35mg/ dL is considered a risk factor of cardiovascular diseases, even if your total cholesterol levels is within healthy limits. Therefore, it is important that on top of lowering your LDL cholesterol levels, you should also take steps to increase your HDL cholesterol levels.

Below are some measures you can take to increase your HDL cholesterol levels:

Eat more foods that increase HDL cholesterol levels. Soluble fibers (found in whole grains, oats, brown rice, legumes, lentils, fruits and vegetables), monounsaturated fats (such as canola and olive oil), polyunsaturated fats (such as flax seed oil, omega- 3 fatty acids from fatty fish) increase your HDL cholesterol levels.

Avoid trans fats. Trans fats increase LDL cholesterol and lowers HDL cholesterol levels. Trans fats are often found in commercially produced foods like biscuits, cookies, and other snacks containing sugar. It is also found in fried foods, margarine and shortenings.

Exercise regularly. Regular exercise increases HDL cholesterol levels. Aerobic exercise like brisk walking or running are very effective in increasing HDL cholesterol levels. Start off with light exercises if you have been inactive for a long time.

The keyword here is “regular”. Try to exercise or engage in any physical activity at least 3 times a week and give your HDL cholesterol levels a boost.

Lose excess weight and fat. Being overweight tends to increase LDL cholesterol levels and decrease HDL cholesterol levels.

Stop smoking. Other than the well published harmful side effects, smoking also lowers HDL cholesterol levels by up to 15 percent.

Consuming alcohol once a day. We leave this last because it is the LEAST important. While evidence indicates that daily consumption of a glass of wine a day does increase HDL cholesterol levels, there are many other adverse health effects and consequences of excessive alcohol consumption.

Furthermore, there are different subclasses of HDL cholesterol, each with varying degree of effectiveness in preventing atherosclerosis. Large HDL particles give the best results. It is believed that alcohol increases the less important subclass of HDL cholesterol.

If the above measures look too daunting, there is always BiosLife™ Complete.

BiosLife™ Complete is clinically proven to lower LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol at the same time, all without any side effect.

We are not suggesting that you stop exercising or start eating unhealthily. However, due to certain work or lifestyle constraints, some may find it difficult to keep to an exercise program or to certain foods. BiosLife™ Complete offers you a good alternative to lowering your LDL cholesterol and increasing your HDL cholesterol levels at the same time. Even for those who lead a healthy lifestyle, BiosLife™ Complete is the perfect complement for your cholesterol care program.

 

You can get more information in:

What Is Cholesterol for information on the different kinds of cholesterol, the links between cholesterol and the various risk factors, as well as other valuable cholesterol related information.

LDL Cholesterol for information on low- density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol, why is it considered "bad" cholesterol and the healthy LDL cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol Diet for comprehensive information on the best low cholesterol foods and diets that help you to lower your LDL cholesterol levels.

High Cholesterol Foods for information on the foods and diets to avoid if you want to lower your LDL cholesterol levels.

Low Cholesterol Foods for information on the foods and diets to lower your LDL cholesterol levels as well as increase your HDL cholesterol.