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HDL cholesterol: How to boost your 'good' cholesterol
Your cholesterol levels are an important measure of heart health. For HDL cholesterol, also known as your 'good' cholesterol, the higher the better. Here's how to boost your HDL.
By Mayo Clinic staffAlthough your doctor may have told you to lower your total cholesterol, it's important to raise your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is known as the "good" cholesterol. It might sound like a mixed message, but reducing "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and increasing HDL cholesterol is a great way to lower your risk of heart disease.
Understanding HDL cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that's found in all of your cells and has several useful functions, including helping to build your body's cells. It's carried through your bloodstream attached to proteins. These proteins are called lipoproteins.
- Low-density lipoproteins. These lipoproteins carry cholesterol throughout your body, delivering it to different organs and tissues. But if your body has more cholesterol than it needs, the excess keeps circulating in your blood. Over time, circulating LDL cholesterol can enter your blood vessel walls and start to build up under the vessel lining. Deposits of LDL cholesterol particles within the vessel walls are called plaques, and they begin to narrow your blood vessels. Eventually, plaques can narrow the vessels to the point of blocking blood flow, causing coronary artery disease. This is why LDL cholesterol is often referred to as "bad" cholesterol.
- High-density lipoproteins. These lipoproteins are often referred to as HDL, or "good," cholesterol. They act as cholesterol scavengers, picking up excess cholesterol in your blood and taking it back to your liver where it's broken down. The higher your HDL level, the less "bad" cholesterol you'll have in your blood.
Just lowering your LDL cholesterol might not be enough for people at high risk of heart disease. Increasing HDL cholesterol also can reduce your risk of heart disease.
Set your target HDL cholesterol level
Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood, or millimoles (mmol) per liter (L). When it comes to HDL cholesterol, aim for a higher number.
| At risk | Desirable | |
|---|---|---|
| Men | Less than 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L) | 60 mg/dL (1.6 mmol/L) or above |
| Women | Less than 50 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L) | 60 mg/dL (1.6 mmol/L) or above |
If your HDL cholesterol level falls between the at risk and desirable levels, you should keep trying to increase your HDL level to reduce your risk of heart disease.
If you don't know your HDL level, ask your doctor for a baseline cholesterol test. If your HDL value isn't within a desirable range, your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes to boost your HDL cholesterol.
Next page(1 of 2)
- LDL and HDL cholesterol: What's bad and what's good? American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=180. Accessed May 24, 2010.
- Executive summary of the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol/atp3xsum.pdf. Accessed May 24, 2010.
- Singh IM et al. High-density lipoprotein as a therapeutic target: A systematic review. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2007;298:786.
- The Emerging Risk Factor Collaboration. Major lipids, apolipoproteins and risk of vascular disease. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2009;302:1993.
- Grover SA, et al. Evaluating the incremental benefits of raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels during lipid therapy after adjustment for the reductions in other blood lipid levels. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2009;169:1775.
- FDA statement on the AIM-HIGH trial. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm256841.htm. Accessed May 27, 2011.
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