A Five Step Approach To Improve HDL Cholesterol Levels Naturally

HDL stands for high density lipoprotein is the white knight that comes to the rescue when bad cholesterol starts to get out of control. These tiny lean molecules are made-up mostly of protein, and work exhaustively behind the scenes to get rid of excess blood cholesterol which can, and normally does, end up in our arteries as dangerous arterial plaque deposits. So finding ways to improve HDL cholesterol levels naturally should be something that those committed to achieving cardiovascular health should be focused on each and every day.

You may be wondering why there isn’t more information concerning how to improve HDL cholesterol levels naturally, or for that matter artificially.

It is a good question, and one that I personally have wondered about for a number of years now. But if I were to provide an educated guess as to why this is the case I would suggest to you that this idea may not fit neatly into the prescription drug companies approach to lowering cholesterol.

You see their flagship cholesterol drugs called statins work by blocking an enzyme called HMG-CoA reductase which is needed by the body to create cholesterol, which in turn encourages the liver to remove cholesterol from the bloodstream. This approach essentially minimizes the importance of HDL, or good cholesterol. But while effective this concept is not without its critics, and there can be serious side effects if the right set of circumstances were to occur.

I believe most medical professionals would love to see their patients be able to improve HDL cholesterol levels naturally so they would not have to prescribe prescription medication with these potentially serious side effects. On the other hand they are aware of the dangers of high blood cholesterol and often times not willing to wait long enough to see results.

A simple five step approach to improve HDL cholesterol naturally

If you decide to try this natural approach to restoring cholesterol balance the good news is that you will likely dramatically lower LDL (bad cholesterol) along the way. Now let’s get right to our five step approach.

*Don’t smoke: Smoking is perhaps the single worst thing a person can do when it comes to cardiovascular health. By simply quitting smoking a person would see both their HDL levels rise and their LDL levels drop.

*Resveratrol: This is a powerful antioxidant found in dark skinned grapes and pomegranates. While additional research need to be done it seems that by adding resveratrol rich foods to ones diet they can boost HDL levels by about 7 percent. About 4 ounces of blueberry juice a day should be enough to see results. Nevertheless, you should talk to your doctor for the amount that he considers to be right for you.

*Other foods: There is a short list of foods which have been shown to improve HDL cholesterol naturally. On this list are cranberries, apples, oats, sugar cane, and cold water fatty fish such as salmon. Additionally, women over the age of 50 may be able to benefit from calcium supplementation as it applies to HDL levels.

*Stay active: Low activity levels are present in about 40 percent of heart attack victims. This is partially due to the impact inactivity has on cholesterol levels. According to the American Heart Association daily moderate doctor approved exercise lasting about 30 minutes a day, five or more days a week, can substantially improve cholesterol ratios.

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