What is A Good Cholesterol Level?

High cholesterol (particularly for LDL ‘bad cholesterol’) is one of major topics when talking about heart disease. It is identical with bad thing for your health. But did you know that there is also a kind of cholesterol that is important to help control LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein)? This type is familiar known as HDL or High Density Lipoprotein. What is a good cholesterol level? And what else you should know about HDL?

For more detailed information about what should your cholesterol be? And what are the normal (safely) and not-normal (unsafely) levels of HDL, LDL, and triglycerides, read also the previous post about cholesterol levels!

In general, unlike LDL -- Higher HDL is much better for your health. A HDL (good cholesterol) level should be higher than 60 mg/dL or higher. But when it drops at 40 mg/dL or lower, your risk of heart disease also increases!

You might also like to know more about causes & symptoms of high cholesterol and how to lower it naturally, before continuing!

Facts of a good cholesterol level!

How importance of HDL or good cholesterol level for your health? What else you need to know? The following are some facts of HDL:

1. Men typically have lower HDL than women. Some studies found that about 1/5 of women and about 1/3 of men may have HDL/good cholesterol levels below 40 mg/dL.
2. HDL can contribute to lower LDL, which eventually can help lower your risk of heart disease. HDL can help protect & against the buildup or accumulation of fatty deposits (plaques) in the arteries walls.
3. A good cholesterol level in the body may also be influenced by genetics.
4. HDL normally makes up 30-20 percent of the total cholesterol.

Why HDL is called as good cholesterol?

HDL does not refer to the cholesterol from foods that we eat, but it is often associated with the high-density lipoprotein flowing or circulating in the blood. But there are also some foods that believed can boost up your HDL.

The particle of HDL is relatively dense if compared to other cholesterol types -- that’s why we call it as ‘high-density’! And lipoproteins (helper molecules) are needed to circulate the cholesterol through the bloodstream.

The following are some common reasons why we call HDL as good cholesterol:

1. HDL can be so helpful for your body to recycle, reuse, and decrease LDL by delivering it back to the liver which then will be reprocessed! In other words HDL can help remove bad cholesterol /LDL.
2. HDL also can contribute to give regularly maintenance for endothelium (inner lining of the arteries). In fact, damaged endothelium is usually the first step of developing atherosclerosis, which then can cause stroke and heart attack.

How to increase your good cholesterol level?

Below are some helpful tips:

1. If you are being overweight, you should lose your weight to get healthy weight of your body. Being overweight can contribute to lower your HDL -- according to NCEP (the National Cholesterol Education Program).
2. Drinking alcohol in moderation also can contribute to higher your HDL.
3. Consider what you eat! Avoid eating too much any foods that are high in cholesterol. You can choose monounsaturated fats (better fats) instead of saturated fats to higher your good cholesterol level. Another idea you can try drinking 3 cups of orange juice a day to increase your HDL by 21 percent over 3 weeks -- according to a British study. Furthermore, you can also try with soy products or soy foods! They are not only high in fiber (good for your health) but also have essential proteins to raise HDL and decrease the levels of triglycerides & LDL! For better result, NCEP also give advice that most of the carbohydrate intake should be from low-fat dairy products, fresh vegetables & fruits, fat-free dairy products, and whole grains.
4. Stop smoking if you are smoker! Many experts believe and agree that cigarette smoking can lower your HDL!
5. Don’t be lazy to do your regular exercise! We all agree that regular exercise is so important to keep healthy, including to help raise HDL.

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Reference: WebMD
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