How to increase HDL Cholesterol

Call your doctor up, tell her you are concerned about your cholesterol and
ask her to refer you to a nutritionist for counseling.

Jeff

Andrew said:

Hi there,

Just got a blood test back that said that I am very low on HDL
cholesterol (fortunately, my total is still below 150 but only
barely). I'd like to increase my HDL - what are the methods of doing
this?

Any particular type of exercise (endurance, cardio, weight lifting?)

Brisk walking for 30 minutes daily right before supper will raise your
HDL.

Quoted message said:

Any particular types of foods (meat, fish, veggies?)

HDL increases as your weight gets closer to "ideal."

Quoted message said:

Any particular types of supplements (niacin, vit C, etc)

Niacin.

Quoted message said:

Just curious what levers I can push on to increase my HDL over time.
Thanks.

You are welcome.

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/

Jeff said:

"Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Andrew wrote:

(...)

Quoted message said:

Brisk walking for 30 minutes daily right before supper will raise your
HDL.

While I totally agree that walking for 30 minutes will raise one's HDL, but,
why just before supper?

Multiple plausible reasons (mobilization of hepatic biosynthetic pathways
favoring HDL synthesis so that when substrates from the largest meal of the day
becomes available, HDL synthesis is favored over LDL, mobilization of "signals"
from adipose tissue to improve lipid metabolism and transport, appetite
suppression for those who are overweight, reduced oxyradical production when
energy substrates are low, etc) .

Quoted message said:

Would it be just as effective if, say, I walk from
the bus station to work rather than take the subway (I did this a couple of
Thursdays ago -- seemed that there was a slight problem with subways in NYC
working when there was no electricity). Or if I walk on the way from work to
the bus station say 2 hours before supper?

Probably less effective.

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/

In article said:

Quoted message said:

Would it be just as effective if, say, I walk from
the bus station to work rather than take the subway (I did this a couple of
Thursdays ago -- seemed that there was a slight problem with subways in NYC
working when there was no electricity). Or if I walk on the way from work to
the bus station say 2 hours before supper?

Probably less effective.

Maybe less effective, but it is damn great for you anyway, so yes
please walk instead of the bus.

i

Any exercise. When I first went to work on my cholesterol,
I did exercise more but it was mostly diet and both HDL and
LDL went down. When I doubled my workout the LDL kept going
down and the HDL went back up although I did nothing to my
eating habits.

Andrew said:

Hi there,

Just got a blood test back that said that I am very low on HDL
cholesterol (fortunately, my total is still below 150 but only
barely). I'd like to increase my HDL - what are the methods of doing
this?

Any particular type of exercise (endurance, cardio, weight lifting?)

Any particular types of foods (meat, fish, veggies?)

Any particular types of supplements (niacin, vit C, etc)

Just curious what levers I can push on to increase my HDL over time.
Thanks.

Andrew says...

Quoted message said:

Just got a blood test back that said that I am very low
on HDL cholesterol (fortunately, my total is still below
150 but only barely). I'd like to increase my HDL -
what are the methods of doing this?

I think it's mostly exercise. I get a lot of exercise,
mostly aerobic, but some weights as well. And I also
consume about one fluid ounce of olive oil every day. I
think that helps, but can't prove it. I don't take niacin
or statins. My numbers:

LDL 115
HDL 75
Tot 209
Ratio 2.8
Tri.. 62

But then, I also have high blood pressure. Go figure.

My doctor says my cholesterol is too high. I told her I
could fix that if I stop exercising. :-)

That exercise impacts HDL sounds counterintuitive to me. How does it
work?

I

In article GjU1b.12323$xf.9888@lakeread06 said:

Andrew says...

Quoted message said:

Just got a blood test back that said that I am very low
on HDL cholesterol (fortunately, my total is still below
150 but only barely). I'd like to increase my HDL -
what are the methods of doing this?

I think it's mostly exercise. I get a lot of exercise,
mostly aerobic, but some weights as well. And I also
consume about one fluid ounce of olive oil every day. I
think that helps, but can't prove it. I don't take niacin
or statins. My numbers:

LDL 115
HDL 75
Tot 209
Ratio 2.8
Tri.. 62

But then, I also have high blood pressure. Go figure.

My doctor says my cholesterol is too high. I told her I
could fix that if I stop exercising. :-)

Dr. Andrew B. Chung said:

Brisk walking for 30 minutes daily right before supper will raise your
HDL.

Pray tell, What's the magic elixir for doing it before supper or any
meal?

--
Caveat Lector
"the further you go outside, the further you go inside" - B. McKibben
Doug Freese
[email hidden]

In alt.support.diet Peabody said:

Ignoramus24807 says...

Quoted message said:

That exercise impacts HDL sounds counterintuitive to me.
How does it work?

Quoted message said:

I don't know, but I believe there are lots of studies
supporting the idea. However, the effect does vary a good
bit from person to person.

I've found that it had nearly zero impact. Last year I had blood work
done that showed I had vanishingly low HDL, low over-all cholesterol and
varies indications of Syndrome X. I decided to change my life and avoid
diabetes and heart disease, etc. I got regular with what had been
sporadic exercise, added protein to my nearly-vegan diet, started taking
Omega-3 supplements and adding flaxseed to my daily menu and I lost 50
pounds. A year later I had more blood work done. I was astonished at how
poorly I had increased my HDL.

BEFORE AFTER
Total Chol: 173 184
HDL: 31 34
RATIO: 5.6 5.4
TRIGL: 121 124

I'm not sure I know why the low HDL is bad. My total cholesterol is
supposed to be fine (I'm nearly 39). (I don't know reference ranges for
the triglycerides, either.) All I know is that I'm supposed to raise my
HDL. I can try drinking more (it's always been a goal of mine) and I can
try the time-release Niacin, but I'd sure like to know why all my efforts
in the past year yielded such poor results.

Wendy

On Sat, 23 Aug 2003 20:14:16 -0500, Peabody
<[email hidden]> posted:

Quoted message said:

Andrew says...

Quoted message said:

Just got a blood test back that said that I am very low
on HDL cholesterol (fortunately, my total is still below
150 but only barely). I'd like to increase my HDL -
what are the methods of doing this?

I think it's mostly exercise. I get a lot of exercise,
mostly aerobic, but some weights as well. And I also
consume about one fluid ounce of olive oil every day. I
think that helps, but can't prove it. I don't take niacin
or statins. My numbers:

LDL 115
HDL 75
Tot 209
Ratio 2.8
Tri.. 62

But then, I also have high blood pressure. Go figure.

My doctor says my cholesterol is too high. I told her I
could fix that if I stop exercising. :-)

What is your weight doing?

Mooshie peas says...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I think it's mostly exercise. I get a lot of exercise,
mostly aerobic, but some weights as well. And I also
consume about one fluid ounce of olive oil every day. I
think that helps, but can't prove it. I don't take
niacin or statins. My numbers:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

LDL 115
HDL 75
Tot 209
Ratio 2.8
Tri.. 62

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

But then, I also have high blood pressure. Go figure.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My doctor says my cholesterol is too high. I told her
I could fix that if I stop exercising. :-)

Quoted message said:

What is your weight doing?

I'm at 170 lbs and 5'10". Waist is 33". Muscles. No
paunch or even love handles. I've done absolutely all of
the lifestyle stuff re diet, salt, exercise, weight and meditation,
and while everything else, including cholesterol, seems
fine, none of that had even the slightest effect on my blood
pressure. Oh well.

Recent tests say my aldosterone level is normal (17), but
renin is essentially undetectable. Anybody know what that
means, or what test you would do next?

Peabody said:

Ignoramus24807 says...

Quoted message said:

That exercise impacts HDL sounds counterintuitive to me.
How does it work?

I don't know, but I believe there are lots of studies
supporting the idea. However, the effect does vary a good
bit from person to person.

Ime, the timing of the exercise is very important.

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/

Doug Freese said:

Dr. Andrew B. Chung said:

Brisk walking for 30 minutes daily right before supper will raise your
HDL.

Pray tell, What's the magic elixir for doing it before supper or any
meal?

Nothing magic about it. This has been discussed earlier in another thread.

If you take a statin for lowering LDL and raising HDL, you are taking that
statin with your biggest meal of the day (supper) for similar reasons. No
magic, sorry.

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/

Wendy Marsden said:

In alt.support.diet Peabody said:

Ignoramus24807 says...

Quoted message said:

That exercise impacts HDL sounds counterintuitive to me.
How does it work?

Quoted message said:

I don't know, but I believe there are lots of studies
supporting the idea. However, the effect does vary a good
bit from person to person.

I've found that it had nearly zero impact. Last year I had blood work
done that showed I had vanishingly low HDL, low over-all cholesterol and
varies indications of Syndrome X. I decided to change my life and avoid
diabetes and heart disease, etc. I got regular with what had been
sporadic exercise, added protein to my nearly-vegan diet, started taking
Omega-3 supplements and adding flaxseed to my daily menu and I lost 50
pounds. A year later I had more blood work done. I was astonished at how
poorly I had increased my HDL.

BEFORE AFTER
Total Chol: 173 184
HDL: 31 34
RATIO: 5.6 5.4
TRIGL: 121 124

I'm not sure I know why the low HDL is bad. My total cholesterol is
supposed to be fine (I'm nearly 39). (I don't know reference ranges for
the triglycerides, either.) All I know is that I'm supposed to raise my
HDL. I can try drinking more (it's always been a goal of mine) and I can
try the time-release Niacin, but I'd sure like to know why all my efforts
in the past year yielded such poor results.

Wendy

Folks usually find their HDL increasing more when exercise is right before
their biggest meal of the day (usually supper). The exercise should be
cardiovascular (brisk walks for at least 30 minutes daily is usually
sufficient). Losing weight is also important here.

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/

Peabody said:

Mooshie peas says...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I think it's mostly exercise. I get a lot of exercise,
mostly aerobic, but some weights as well. And I also
consume about one fluid ounce of olive oil every day. I
think that helps, but can't prove it. I don't take
niacin or statins. My numbers:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

LDL 115
HDL 75
Tot 209
Ratio 2.8
Tri.. 62

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

But then, I also have high blood pressure. Go figure.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My doctor says my cholesterol is too high. I told her
I could fix that if I stop exercising. :-)

Quoted message said:

What is your weight doing?

I'm at 170 lbs and 5'10". Waist is 33". Muscles. No
paunch or even love handles. I've done absolutely all of
the lifestyle stuff re diet, salt, exercise, weight and meditation,
and while everything else, including cholesterol, seems
fine, none of that had even the slightest effect on my blood
pressure. Oh well.

Recent tests say my aldosterone level is normal (17), but
renin is essentially undetectable. Anybody know what that
means, or what test you would do next?

You sound fine to me. What did your doctor say s/he is worried about?

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/

Dr Chaos said:

Dr. Andrew B. Chung said:

Nothing magic about it. This has been discussed earlier in another thread.

If you take a statin for lowering LDL and raising HDL, you are taking that
statin with your biggest meal of the day (supper) for similar reasons. No
magic, sorry.

My physician told me to take atorvastatin at bedtime. I was led to
believe that there was some diurnial cycle in the liver.

Sometimes my largest meal is at lunch. What then?

If you want more effect from either the atorvastatin or exercise, then the timing
should follow the biggest meal of the day (lunch in your case).

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/

Rich said:

MD/PhD said:

Folks usually find their HDL increasing more when exercise is right before
their biggest meal of the day (usually supper).

Any citations/studies that support this assertion?? Or is this
something that you noticed in your clinical practice??

Largely empirical...

However here is a refererence:

http://tinyurl.com/l5yh

Comment: These obese kids saw a marked rise (15-19%) in their HDL with 20
minutes of vigorosus exercise done daily during the school year (ie after
school probably right before supper).

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
Board-Certified Cardiologist
http://www.heartmdphd.com/

Dr. Andrew B. Chung said:

Dr Chaos said:

Dr. Andrew B. Chung said:

Nothing magic about it. This has been discussed earlier in another thread.

If you take a statin for lowering LDL and raising HDL, you are taking that
statin with your biggest meal of the day (supper) for similar reasons. No
magic, sorry.

My physician told me to take atorvastatin at bedtime. I was led to
believe that there was some diurnial cycle in the liver.

Sometimes my largest meal is at lunch. What then?

If you want more effect from either the atorvastatin or exercise, then the timing
should follow the biggest meal of the day (lunch in your case).

Should I take the medication before, during or after lunch? How long?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

MD/PhD said:

Folks usually find their HDL increasing more when exercise is right before
their biggest meal of the day (usually supper).

Rich said:

Quoted message said:

Any citations/studies that support this assertion?? Or is this
something that you noticed in your clinical practice??

MD/PhD said:

Largely empirical...

However here is a refererence:

http://tinyurl.com/l5yh

Comment: These obese kids saw a marked rise (15-19%) in their HDL with 20
minutes of vigorosus exercise done daily during the school year (ie after
school probably right before supper).

We