How Do I Increase My HDL (Good Cholesterol)

How do I increase my HDL is a question that many people are asking due to the staggering number of deaths caused by heart attack and stroke. With heart attack ranking number one amongst the top ten causes of death in America and stroke coming in a distant third it is easy to see why HDL (good cholesterol) has become a major focus.

Why HDL? Cholesterol does not float freely in the bloodstream, it is attached to special carriers called lipoproteins. The two major players are HDL (good) and LDL (bad). The HDL molecule is made up primarily of protein whereas the LDL molecule is primarily fat. As LDL distributes cholesterol to the cells it tends to drop a little along the way thus producing arterial plaque. One of the primary functions of HDL is to clean up the mess. You can think of HDLs as scavenger molecules that collect and remove cholesterol from the body in the form of solid waste.

Many experts feel that your cholesterol readings are only healthy if you have enough HDL. When you have over 2 times more LDL than HDL all of the sudden your chances of arterial plaque formation starts to rise. At ratios of less than 2:1 not only will current cholesterol balance be at healthy levels but a reduction in old arterial plaque will be enjoyed; thus opening previous clogged arteries. As you can see how do I increase my cholesterol if a question certainly worth asking, and following through on, especially if you have a personal or family history of heart disease or stroke.

So how can I accomplish this? The best place to start is by eliminating any risk factors that could be pushing your HDL cholesterol down. Examples would including smoking, being overweight, physical inactivity, and stress. While not everyone is overweight or a smoker, statistics tell us that typically a person who has dangerously low HDL levels has at least one of these four common risk factors.

The next step is to look for ways to implement foods shown to raise good cholesterol levels. Apples, garlic, and low fat products containing plant sterols are three of the best.

What Next? Lowering cholesterol, in most cases, is about changing old habits, adopting new healthier habits, and enlisting the help of convention medications such as statins or lowered-cholesterol.com natural cholesterol reducing remedies if needed. Put simply, this basically means finding ways to increase HDL (good cholesterol) and decrease LDL (bad cholesterol levels). Certainly the aforementioned statin drugs will be one of your options but they do carry a number of serious label warnings. The side effect risks have made natural cholesterol reduction supplements combined with diet modification an alternative treatment combination worth considering.

Rob D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of safe and effective high quality alternative health products and natural living, with over 10 years experience in the field. Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at purchaseremedies.com Purchase Remedies.com