If it's the right kind, that is. Here's why HDL is your heart's best friend-and how you can raise it. 
IT takes a lot to scare a man who has performed 3,000 autopsies. But Henry McGill, MD, discovered something terrifying when he reviewed 760 postmortems of young folks between the ages of 15 and 34. Sure, many of the bodies were mangled from violent auto wrecks and homicides. Plenty of nasty suicides, too. But that didn't faze him. It was their hearts. 

"These autopsies found out that one out of five men in their early thirties had already developed a dangerous heart blockage," explains Dr McGill, a pathologist at the University of Texas Health Science Centre in San Antonio. "I am talking about fatty arterial blockages that would have killed them by the time they were 45 or 50. It was shocking." 

He made another surprising discovery: many of the dead men with the largest blockages had a common risk factor that proved to be statistically more dangerous then even smoking. The men had low levels of high-density-lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol. This is the beneficial type of cholesterol that removes harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles from your cardiac arteries before they can choke off the blood flow. 
Unfortunately, says Michael Gaziano, MD, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, few men realise how critical HDL cholesterol is in preventing fatal heart attacks and strokes. 

"If you don't have enough HDL scouring your arteries, even low amount of LDL cholesterol can form dangerous blockages," says Upendra Kaul, a cardiologist at the Fortis Group of Hospitals in Delhi. 
So how much HDL is enough? Current guidelines say 35 milligrams per decilitre of blood (mg/dl) is normal, but most cardiologists would prefer you to have an HDL count that's twice that. "The higher the better," says Dr Kaul. "Once you get over 60 mg/dl, it's a strong positive factor in avoiding heart diseases," he added. 

"But even then people are more concerned about their LDL counts then their HDL because it is easy to increase the LDL count in the body then the HDL count," adds Kaul. 
There are easy ways you can increase your HDL levels. Regular exercise, good diet and a healthy lifestyle are some which Kaul says are ideal to increase your HDL level. We give you 10 simple ways to follow suit so that you cut your risk of developing heart disease by 2 per cent for every 1 mg/dl increase in HDL above 35 mg/dl. 

+10 POINTS 
Drink three glasses of orange juice every day 
If you are built like 25 Canadians at the University of Western Ontario, this will increase your HDL by 21 per cent (or 10 to 20 points) within four weeks. 
"We're not sure, but this effect may be due to a flavonoid in orange juice called hesperidin," says Elzbieta Kurowska, PhD, the study leader. 
Drop 4kg 
"That's where you see big increases in HDL cholesterol, a 6-10 point rise," says Peter Kokkinos, PhD, a clinical exercise physiologist at Georgetown University. 
What's more, for every bit of fat you lose, studies show you can expect a 1 per cent rise in HDL. At a certain point you'll waste away and die, of course, but your heart valves ought to be clean as hell. 
 
Refuse to drink white wine 
It's wimpy. More important, it doesn't do anything to help your cholesterol profile. There are antioxidants in red wine that slow down the oxidation of both HDL and LDL cholesterol. This preventive effect may be doubly good: oxidation can lower your HDL cholesterol count, and it also seems to encourage the formation of arterial plaques. 
Cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir had similar antioxidant properties, they all went nicely with the laboratory's cheese plate, too. 

+7 POINTS 
Quit smoking 
"That should be top priority," says Kaul. A study of six people by Nashville's Vanderbilt University school of medicine found that within just one week of quitting smoking, their HDL levels increased by 15 per cent or roughly 7 points. Researchers don't know why smoking makes such a selective attack on HDL cholesterol; if lung cancer doesn't get you, heart disease definitely will. 
Weigh the pros and cons of drugs 
If you fail to raise your HDL naturally, ask your doctor about HDL-boosting drugs. You are a likely candidate to take them if (1) you still have an HDL count of less than 28 mg/dl or (2) you have an HDL count of less than 35 mg/dl but also have two risk factors for heart disease, obesity or high blood pressure. If you are on the border ask your doctor to give you an ultra fast computed tomography (CT) scan to see if blockages are forming in your arteries. 
Those who exercise regularly before they eat high-fat meals have the highest HDL counts. 
 
There are certain drugs which can raise your HDL levels by as much as 15 points. It has been seen that most patients have at times achieved a 30 per cent increase in HDL levels. 
Some drugs again work best in combination. But never forget to consult your doctor before poping those pills. Also keep an eye on the development of any side effects such as flushing, heartburn and liver problem due to these medications. 
Eat red foods 
Kidney beans, red beans and apples are all low-glycaemic carbohydrates, which don't cause an insulin spike during digestion. And that's a good thing for your HDL count. A British study of 1,420 people found that those who had diets rich in low-glycaemic foods like beans also had the highest levels of HDL cholesterol. Cut down on refined starches like white bread and white rice; they might reduce HDL cholesterol levels. 
 
+5 POINTS 
Run at least 8km every week 
Or burn 1,200 to 1,600 calories per week doing any type of aerobic exercise (best done in four 30-minutes sessions). "At 8km every week, you see favourable HDL cholesterol changes," explains Kokkinos, who observed the effect in 3,000 men to determine this. And keep a moderate pace by slowly increasing the pace gradually. If you push yourself too hard at the start, there is every posibility of injuring yourself; and injured men don't exercise to receive the benefit, says Kokkinos. 

+4  POINTS 
Exercise before you eat like a pig 
A study by the University of Missouri showed that those who exercised regularly before eating high-fat meals had the highest HDL counts. Exercise stimulates a fat-clearing enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, which cuts triglycerides to help produce more HDL cholesterol. The more lipoprotein lipase circulating in your blood during a high fat meal, the better. The lipoprotein lipase levels peak about 12 hours after exercise so the best strategy is to work out in the morning in preparation for dinner, which is usually the fattiest meal of the day. 
Do some squats before you run 
Resistance training causes cellular damages to your muscle, which may force them to burn more fat for energy during aerobic exercise. And burning fat has a strong effect on raising HDL levels. So do some squats to warm up your body before you hit the road or attack the treadmill.

.....Back