How to Increase Good Cholesterol Level for Women

Heart health is inextricably linked with cholesterol numbers. Of the two types of cholesterol, good cholesterol, also called high density lipoprotein (HDL), has a protective effect on the heart. Bad cholesterol, on the other hand increases the risk of heart disease. Before menopause, women naturally have higher levels of HDL, as compared to men, due to the presence of estrogen in their bodies. The natural advantage in women decreases with advancing age, but much can be done through diet and lifestyle changes to increase, and maintain HDL levels over a lifetime.

Things You'll Need

• Athletic shoes
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Oats
• Beans
• Calcium supplements
• Yogurt
• Monounsaturated oils

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Instructions

• 1

  Engage in aerobic exercise regularly. Regular aerobic exercise not only increases HDL levels, but also decreases LDL levels. Choose activities, such as walking, running, swimming and biking, which keep the heart rate elevated for 40 minutes or longer. Studies report that longer durations of aerobic exercise have a direct role in increasing good cholesterol.

• 2

  Include several servings of soluble fiber-rich foods in a daily diet. Foods containing soluble fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, oats, beans and other legumes, are known both to increase good cholesterol levels as well as decrease bad cholesterol levels.

• 3

  Stop smoking for good. The benefits of giving up tobacco are many, but one of the most immediate ones is an increase in HDL numbers.

• 4

  Talk to a doctor about taking a calcium supplement if you are postmenopausal. Calcium supplements have long been recommended to post menopausal women for maintaining bone health, but some studies that tested women specifically also found the supplements increased HDL levels.

• 5

  Commit to losing weight if you are overweight. Overweight people see an immediate increase in good cholesterol when they lose weight.

• 6

  Eliminate trans-fats from a diet. Avoid eating at fast food restaurants, and read ingredient lists of packaged foods carefully. Commonly found in baked goods and fried food, trans-fats decrease HDL levels and increase LDL levels in the body.

• 7

  Eat yogurt on a regular basis to increase HDL. Choose plain yogurt that has live cultures and have probiotics and prebiotics added to them. The results of a research study geared specifically toward females reported that women who ate yogurt every day saw a significant increase in HDL levels. Yogurts that were enhanced with probiotics and prebiotics showed an additional advantage.