How to Lower HDL

You have two type of cholesterol--your HDL, or "good," cholesterol and your LDL, or "bad," cholesterol. These two numbers play an important role in your overall health. If your HDL is too low, you are at greater risk for dangerous health conditions that can be deadly--namely, heart attack, heart disease and stroke. The decisions you make play an important role in whether or not your HDL level falls or increases.

Things You'll Need

• Unhealthy foods
• Cigarettes

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Eat an unhealthy diet and avoid foods like grains, nuts, vegetables and fruits that help raise your HDL levels. You may even want to make a point to consume animal and transfats, to give your LDL or "bad" cholesterol an extra boost. The key is to watch out for unsaturated fats, as these are often healthy for you and raise HDL.

• 2

  Avoid moderate exercise. Besides genetics, exercise plays an important role in the decrease or increase of your HDL level. It is such a powerful role player that it can even affect your overall health with or without diet modification. According to Len Kravitz of the University of New Mexico, even moderate exercise 3 days a week can raise HDL levels in men and low to moderate exercise most days of the week can raise HDL levels in post-menopausal women. So it is helpful to remain as sedentary as possible if you want to lower your HDL.

• 3

  Shun drinking a glass or two of wine per day. This has been shown to have a positive affect on HDL levels, so you should avoid this practice if you want to lower your HDL. On the other hand, excessive alcohol consumption has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, so if that is your overall goal, then drink away.

• 4

  Continue smoking or pick up the habit. Smoking has a huge impact on HDL levels and quitting can encourage your levels to improve rather quickly. So if you don't smoke, pick up the habit in order to lower your HDL, and if you already smoke, continue to keep your HDL levels low.