HDL Cholesterol Is Actually Good For You

Riley Hendersen

Everyone knows that cholesterol is bad. It can block the arteries and lead to heart attacks. But, what many people don't know is that there are two different kinds of cholesterol. LDL and HDL cholesterol are two very different things and one is actually good for the body.

LDL cholesterol is different than HDL cholesterol. The LDL type is the kind that forms plaque in the arteries. Over time, this plaque can build up badly and lead to a clogging of the arteries. This can, of course, lead to heart attacks and even strokes. It's highly recommended that people have their cholesterol levels checked on a regular basis to ensure low levels of the bad type of cholesterol.

On the other hand, HDL cholesterol is considered the "good" kind. It is believed by many to actually help the body get rid of the bad cholesterol by bringing it back to the liver where the body can ensure it's removed. Considering its "good status," hdl cholesterol is desired in the body in certain levels.

Making sure the body has enough HDL cholesterol is something most people don't even realize they need to do. In reality, the hdl levels should be 40 mg/dL or more to decrease the chances of heart disease. Any less and the risk tends to go up.

There are ways for those who have too little HDL cholesterol to increase the levels in their blood and help take advantage of its heart attack foiling properties. Let's take a look at some of the best ways for boosting the levels of good cholesterol in the blood stream.

Exercise: Aerobic exercise especially can boost HDL cholesterol levels. Pretty much anything from running and cycling to aerobics and beyond can help raise the level of good cholesterol in the blood.

Weight loss: While this is a good idea for anyone that has a few extra pounds, it can really help increase HDL cholesterol levels in the blood. This can also decrease the levels of bad cholesterol in the process.

Reduce trans fat intake: Anything that says it has hydrogenated vegetable oils can be removed to help increase hdl cholesterol levels and decrease the bad type of cholesterol in the process. Removing these fats from the diet or at least cutting them back can help with weight loss, too.

Alcohol: Some research supports that a drink or two a day can help increase HDL cholesterol levels. This one should be exercised with caution and it's important to remember that overdoing won't improve health.

Quit smoking: Anyone who smokes can increase their HDL cholesterol levels simply by quitting.

Diet change: When fiber is added along with monounsaturated fats, the results toward hdl cholesterol level increases can be great. Whole grains, olive oil and so on can actually increase levels and lead to a better overall diet.

We all know that cholesterol is bad for the body. What many people don't know is that there are two types. The good type, HDL cholesterol, should be a priority to actually have high levels of.

Natural Help With Cholesterol and High Triglycerides

Mike Fletcher

High cholesterol is a common affliction for those in Western societies. It is estimated that 101 million Americans suffer from high cholesterol which is defined as blood cholesterol greater then 200mg per deciliter. Americans are not the only ones with cholesterol problems, an Australian study found that 51.5% of male Australians have high blood cholesterol.

While some cholesterol is good, it is when the levels get too high that we run into problems. Cholesterol is necessary for hormone production, and is a major component in cell walls. Cholesterol also aids in the production of bile and aids in the metabolism of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

High cholesterol is one of the five leading risk factors leading to coronary heart disease. If your cholesterol levels need to drop a bit and you want to work on your good to bad ratio, drugs are not the only option.

As far as diet goes, adding soluble fiber is a good move as it binds to blood serum cholesterol and helps it leave the body. Good dietary sources of soluble fiber can be found in ground flax seeds, oat meal and oat bran, apples and a variety of other foods.

Niacin, known as Vitamin B3, is a water soluble vitamin that has also been proven to be helpful in lowering cholesterol levels and improving cholesterol ratios. The main function of niacin is to metabolize fats.

Niacin has been shown to reduce LDL, or bad cholesterol levels by 10-20%, reduce triglycerides by 20-50%, and raise HDL, or good cholesterol by 15-30%.

When choosing a Niacin product, be sure to start with 100mg dose and gradually ease your way up to avoid the flushing and tingling of skin that can happen with higher doses. This flushing is a result of niacin's effects on widening blood vessels which usually last beginning at 15 minutes after taking the pill to about an hour after. If you do suffer from the flushing sensation, taking your niacin with food can decrease your risk of these negative symptoms. Also, do not purchase niacinamide as it does not help in lowering cholesterol. It is common to work up to 1.5 to 3 grams per day for therapeutic doses.

Another great benefit of niacin for anyone who has suffered a heart attack or stroke is that the use of niacin has been shown to reduce the risk of having a second heart attack or stroke.

People who take niacin to lower cholesterol typically get their cholesterol levels checked every 6 to 12 months as niacin works gradually over time. Having your blood tested more often then that is not necessary as the cholesterol changes can be slow.

I do want to note that if you have been taking statin drugs or Red Yeast Rice, it is very important to add both Niacin and CoQ10 as statins and Red Yeast Rice both deplete your body of these nutrients. Be sure to consult your physician on this issue too.

It is important to work with your doctor on this to avoid any complications like high blood sugar or liver problems. High doses of niacin can also increase the effectiveness of medication for high blood pressure.

The Power Of A Good Diet In Texas

Pat Carpenter

A series of recent studies seems to confirm that the foods individuals in Dallas, Houston and elsewhere in Texas put in their mouths has a substantial impact on their health.

Oatmeal is Heart Smart.
It's not the first time oats have been touted as heart healthy, but a new review of recent studies on oats and heart disease risk now back up some of those claims.

The studies stopped short of showing a direct effect of eating oatmeal on reducing heart disease risk or heart-related death, but researchers say they found oatmeal-based foods did produce an overall cholesterol-lowering effect.

People who ate a diet rich in oatmeal and wholegrain oat products experienced a decrease in both total cholesterol and unhealthy low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. Elevated overall cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels are major risk factors for heart disease.

In the 2007 study, published in the Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews, researchers reviewed ten studies on the effects of giving whole-grain foods to adults. Eight of the studies involved whole-grain oats and included a total of 914 adults at risk for heart disease.

When researchers pooled the results of the studies, they found people who ate whole-grain oatmeal had lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels compared with those who ate refined grain foods. The average reduction in total cholesterol levels was 7.7 mg./dL and the average reduction in LDL cholesterol levels was 7 mg./dL.

Based on these results, researchers say there is evidence on wholegrain oats to suggest that health care professionals could recommend oats as part of a cholesterol-reduction program. But they say more study is needed.

The American Heart Association already recommends whole-grain foods for a heart-healthy diet. According to the association, "The fiber found in unrefined whole-grain foods can help lower your blood cholesterol, which is important in preventing heart disease and stroke."

Mediterranean-Style Diet May Help Individuals Breath Easy
Researchers recently reported that a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fruits, vegetables and olive oil could help reduce childhood respiratory allergies and asthma. The study of children living on the Greek island of Crete showed that diet may explain why skin allergies are as common as anywhere else, but wheezing and sneezing are rarer.

Britain's Royal Brompton Hospital and National Heart and Lung Institute, as well as researchers in Greece and Spain, studied 690 children aged 7 to 18. Children who ate the most fresh fruits and nuts were the least likely to suffer from breathing allergies, and those who ate the most margarine were the most likely to. Researchers noted that 80 percent of children ate fresh fruit (and 68 percent vegetables) at least twice a day.

Grapes, oranges, apples and fresh tomatoes, the main local products in Crete, had no effect on skin allergies but children who ate more of them were less likely to have wheezing or runny noses, the researchers found. A high consumption of nuts was found to be inversely associated with wheezing, whereas margarine increased the risk of both wheeze and allergic rhinitis (sneezing and runny nose) researchers wrote.

This particular diet may explain the relative lack of allergic symptoms in this population. Researchers noted that grapes had never before been shown to protect against allergies. Compounds found in grape skins, especially antioxidant substances, may be responsible.

Dark Chocolate May Pump Up Your Arteries.
It's dark, indulgent and most individuals in Dallas, Houston and elsewhere in Texas have an insatiable craving for it. But, unfortunately, we all were told that chocolate was bad for us. Well, the tables are turning on chocolate, specifically dark chocolate. A new U.S. study suggests that delicious nibbles of dark chocolate may also boost the function of vital endothelial cells that line the inside of blood vessels.

Cocoa is rich in flavonoids, a group of antioxidant compounds, which are also found in fruits and vegetables, wine and green tea. Research suggests that consumption of foods rich in flavonoids may decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The 2007 study, conducted by researchers at the Yale Prevention Research Center in Connecticut, included 45 healthy people with a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 35 kg/m2. The participants were divided into three groups that ate either eight ounces of cocoa without sugar; cocoa with sugar; or a placebo.

BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. A BMI reading of 25-29.9 is an indicator of being overweight, while a reading of 30 or more indicates obesity.

For six weeks, the participants underwent endothelial function testing. This type of testing, called flow mediated dilation (FMD), is done by using high-frequency ultrasound to measure the ability of the brachial artery (which runs from the shoulder to the elbow) to relax and expand in order to accommodate increased blood flow.

The study found that FMD improved significantly, up to 2.4 percent, in the group that consumed cocoa with no sugar, compared with 1.5 percent in the group that ate cocoa with sugar. There was a 0.8 percent decrease in FMD in the group that ate the placebo.

In the group of healthy adults with BMI between 25 and 35 kg/m2, the ingestion of dark chocolate over a short period of time was shown to significantly improve endothelial function. This led the research team to believe that greater benefits may be seen through a long-term, randomized clinical trial.

The researchers also noted that, while the findings from this study do not suggest that people should start eating more chocolate as part of their daily routine, it does suggest that there should be more attention paid to how dark chocolate and other flavonoid-rich foods might offer cardiovascular benefits.

Boosting The Good And Lowering The Bad In Texas

Pat Carpenter

Although it's been suspected, researchers have shown for the first time that raising "good" cholesterol levels is almost as important as lowering levels of "bad" cholesterol to help individuals in Dallas, Houston and elsewhere in Texas reduce heart-threatening plaque in arteries.

The value of lowering LDL is well known. But scientists have been unsure about the merits of raising HDL when it comes to atherosclerosis, or the accumulation of plaque in the lining of the arteries. It is presently unclear whether the strategy will translate into fewer heart attacks and other negative cardiovascular events.

The challenge now is to find safe ways to elevate HDL even more than is currently possible with the widely used drugs called statins. Dr. Gregory Dehmer, professor of internal medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and director of the cardiology division at Scott & White Hospital, added, "It's almost been the holy grail to treat LDL in patients, and most take statins for that. Many clinicians stop with LDL and don't continue to aggressively attack HDL. This points up the need to aggressively address HDL and to not give up the cause."

"A little bit of HDL -- high-density lipoprotein, or "good" cholesterol -- goes a long way. A small increase in HDL produces nearly as much of a benefit as LDL -- low-density lipoprotein or "bad" cholesterol -- reduction," said Dr. Steve Nissen, senior author of the study and chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. "In general, when we've found a therapy that slowed progression of disease, that translated into major clinical benefits. This makes a lot of sense."

"We've always known that statins were very good at lowering LDL, and we knew that they increased HDL a little bit, about 7 to 8 percent," Nissen said. "That seemed to most of us to be fairly trivial, so we've already attributed the benefit of statins primarily to the lowering of bad cholesterol. But, we've always wondered whether that little bit of an increase in HDL was important as well."

In a new study, published in the Feb. 7, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers revisited four previously conducted studies involving 1,455 participants. All patients had coronary artery disease and were taking statins. They underwent two ultrasound exams 18 moths to 24 months apart to determine changes in the amount of plaque in a coronary artery. Participants who both raised their good cholesterol levels and achieved very low bad cholesterol levels showed evidence of the most plaque removal.

"People were concerned about the HDL hypothesis, but this shows the hypothesis is sound," Nissen said. "This helps to nail down the fact that at least with respect to progression of disease, the HDL-raising properties of the statins are important."

According to another a new study in the latest issue of Human Communication Research, writing about affectionate feelings for loved ones may have health benefits for the heart. Participants in the study spent three 20-minute sessions writing about their loved ones over a five-week period and exhibited significantly lower cholesterol levels than their peers.

"High cholesterol is a chronic health problem for millions of Americans," says study author Kory Floyd. "Although many pharmaceutical medications exist to treat this condition, our research shows promise for an additional, non-medical treatment that could provide an added benefit to these patients." Floyd acknowledges that additional research needs to be completed to confirm the benefits in patients.

According to Floyd, this research is particularly interesting because it highlights the effects of showing affection. "There are many studies showing that patients benefit from receiving care and attention during illness," says Floyd. "Our research shows that it's as rewarding to give as it is to receive."

The battle to raise good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol should begin while you're young and healthy, through diet and lifestyle changes.

High Cholesterol Should Be Avoided

Riley Hendersen

No one wants to be told they need to change their habits, but in the case of high cholesterol it's an unavoidable, but necessary statement a doctor might have to make. While high cholesterol isn't a condition in and of itself, it's a marker for some serious problems that might plague a person down the road.

The fact is high cholesterol levels are readily associated with clogged arteries, cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. None of these things are pleasant for a person to endure. Fortunately, cholesterol levels can provide valuable warning signs that can help a person avoid bad outcomes. To avoid these things, a person has to get their high cholesterol levels in check. The fact is when levels are high the risk for bad things happening increases immensely.

Turning high cholesterol numbers into acceptable ones can take a little while, but the process is well worth the trouble. By doing such things as making healthier food choices, adding exercise to a routine and even dropping a few unwanted pounds, a person can see a real difference in their test results.

Reducing fat intake is also a fantastic way to lower high cholesterol numbers. This one, however, can be a bit tricky. The truth is not all fats are bad for the body and in reality some of it is needed as part of a healthy diet. This, of course, leads to the question of what fats are okay to eat?

When looking to lower high cholesterol numbers, avoid the saturated fats. Steer clear of greasy, fatty foods that are cooked in trans fats and other undesirables. Don't, however, avoid those foods that come with healthy fat. That's right, there are some healthy fats out there. These are called monounsaturated fats. The foods in this category include such things as peanuts, olive and canola oils and even avocados. These are more than acceptable to keep as part of a diet and they can actually help lower cholesterol levels. This doesn't mean a person should try and survive off these alone, but they don't need to be avoided like the plague.

There are other "good fats" out there that don't have to be eliminated from a diet to reduce high cholesterol numbers. These include omega-3 fatty acids that are found naturally in some fish. There's even scientific proof to support the notion that omega-3 fats are actually good. When saturated fats are cut out of a diet and omega-3s are put in, cholesterol levels tend to drop.

Dealing with high cholesterol levels can be a very frightening experience. No one wants to hear they might have to adjust their lives to avoid a heart attack, but the truth is the adjustments can be healthy and tasty, too. The benefits of making the changes are great, as well.

When looking to lower high cholesterol numbers, remember, the recommendation doesn't mean you can't ever enjoy a greasy order of fries. It just means don't do it all the time. Relay on the good foods most of the time and make splurging a once in a while thing and high cholesterol levels should go down fairly quickly.