HDL 'Good' Cholesterol (HDL) Testing

HDL cholesterol carries cholesterol away from your artery walls, so higher levels are better. The higher your HDL cholesterol level, the lower your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Lack of exercise, smoking and high alcohol consumption can reduce your HDL cholesterol. It can also be temporarily lowered during sudden illness, or recovering from surgery or an accident.

Increasing your HDL is recommended - the higher the better.

This can be achieved through losing weight, avoiding smoking, exercising more and maintaining a healthy diet. Low-carb and ketogenic diets have been shown to increase HDL cholesterol.

• HDL levels can be increased, and triglycerides decreased, through increased physical activity. Just an hour of moderate aerobic exercise a week can make a significant difference.
• Trans fats should be avoided in your diet where possible. Trans fats increase bad cholesterol (LDL) and reduce good cholesterol (HDL) levels. This means reducing your intake of most fried foods as well as baked goods such as cakes, pie crusts, biscuits, frozen pizza etc.
• Reducing dietary saturated fat can also be beneficial, for example by lowering your intake of full-fat dairy products and choosing leaner cuts of meat. A diet which emphasises fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish and nuts is recommended.
• If you smoke, please try to stop! Smoking tobacco increases bad cholesterol (LDL) and reduces good cholesterol (HDL levels), particularly in women. Smoking can also increase your triglyceride blood levels.
• Moderate alcohol use can actually help raise your HDL levels, but if you don't drink, don't start. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to weight gain, and as a result may increase blood pressure and triglyceride levels, both of which increase your risk from cardiovascular conditions.