Raising Your HDL Levels

Increasing the GOOD cholesterol
While it has been known for a number of years that high HDL cholesterol levels (the "good" cholesterol) seem to confer some degree of protection from heart disease, until relatively recently almost all the attention in the "cholesterol wars" has been focused on lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels (the "bad" cholesterol.) Click here for a quick review of cholesterol and triglycerides.
It was not until the last few years that low HDL cholesterol levels have been recognized as an independent risk factor for heart disease. That is, even if their total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels are normal, people with reduced levels of HDL have an increased risk of early coronary artery disease. (HDL levels, to be considered "normal," should be at least 35 - 40 mg/DL.) ...more