What Is Good Cholesterol?

When people talk about “good cholesterol,” they’re talking about high-density lipoproteins (HDL)—the kind of cholesterol that works positively in your bloodstream.

HDL, low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and triglycerides, make up your total cholesterol count, the magic number your doctor might be telling you to lower. In that count, HDL cholesterol is the kind you want in higher numbers.

Why Is It Good?

Because cholesterol can’t dissolve in the blood, it relies on lipoproteins to transport it to and from cells. Good cholesterol is responsible for sweeping the artery-clogging bad cholesterol out of the bloodstream and taking it to the liver, adrenals, ovaries, and testes. In essence, HDL cholesterol is the “good cholesterol” because it removes bad cholesterol from the body. Because of this, HDL cholesterol is responsible for reducing the hardening of the arteries, which lowers your risk of heart attack or heart disease.

Research has also found that having a low HDL level increases your chances of memory loss and dementia.

Get your Cholesterol regularly check

How to Raise Good Cholesterol

Good cholesterol can be raised in many ways, including:

Don't Smoke. 

If you do smoke, please quit. Quitting smoking can increase your HDL cholesterol by up to 10 percent. We all know quitting smoke is not an easy way, but you can increase your odds of success by trying more than one strategy at a time. Talk with your doctor about your options for quitting.

Try Loose some Weight. 

Extra pounds take a toll on HDL cholesterol. If you're overweight, losing even a few pounds can improve your HDL level. For every 6 pounds (2.7 kilograms) you lose, your HDL may increase by 1 mg/dL (0.03 mmol/L). If you focus on becoming more physically active and choosing healthier foods — two other ways to increase your HDL cholesterol — you'll likely move toward a healthier weight in the process.

Get more Physical Activity. 

Within two months of starting, frequent aerobic exercise can increase HDL cholesterol by about 5 percent in otherwise healthy sedentary adults. Your best bet for increasing HDL cholesterol is to exercise briskly for 30 minutes five times a week. Examples of brisk, aerobic exercise include walking, running, cycling, swimming, playing basketball and raking leaves — anything that increases your heart rate. You can also break up your daily activity into three 10-minute segments if you're having difficulty finding time to exercise.

Better Cholesterol Diet. 

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — found in olive, peanut and canola oils — tend to improve HDL's anti-inflammatory abilities. Nuts, fish and other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids are other good choices for improving your LDL cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio.

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