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High Density Lipoprotein & Diet

High density lipoproteins (HDL) are a healthy form of cholesterol that removes excess cholesterol from the blood. This process reduces the chance of the unhealthy cholesterol (low density lipoproteins or LDL) from accumulating in the arteries and causing plaque build-up. A diet that promotes production of healthy high density lipoproteins will reduce your risk for heart disease.

  1. Low carb

    • According to a 2005 study in The Journal of Nutrition titled "Modification of Lipoproteins by Very Low-Carbohydrate Diets," very low carbohydrate diets improve HDL profiles, even without weight loss. While LDL (bad cholesterol) levels did not decrease significantly, they saw consistent improvements in HDL (good cholesterol). When combined with weight loss, very low carbohydrate diets showed improvement in pro-inflammatory markers as well, which means Inflammation decreased. Inflammation is a key suspect in heart disease.

    Low Fat

    • For patients with heart disease, a low-fat diet is often prescribed as part of the treatment. According to a March 2000 study from the Journal of Lipid Research, low fat diets slightly decreased the HDL (good cholesterol), but substantially decreased the LDL (bad cholesterol). While the healthy cholesterol did not increase with the low fat diet, the bad cholesterol levels were lowered significantly.

    Diabetics

    • Type II diabetics generally have low levels of high density lipoprotein. Raising the HDL reduces the risk of heart disease. In 1985 the American Diabetes Association evaluated 65 volunteer type II diabetics to determine if HDL was affected by education control, diet, exercise or diet and exercise combined. After just three months, the group who used diet alone saw healthy improvements in high density lipoproteins. The other three groups saw little change. This shows that HDL can be affected by diet, especially for those with diabetes.

    Increase HDL

    • Dietary changes can help you increase your high density lipoproteins. Increasing intake of monosaturated fats, such as olive and avocado oil, omega-3 fatty acids like fish, and getting at least 2 servings of soluble fiber a day will benefit HDL levels. Fresh vegetables, fruit, legumes and oats contain soluble fiber. Eggs also help raise high density lipoprotein levels.

    Avoid

    • Trans fats, found in many processed foods, will lower HDL levels. Avoid any foods that include partially hydrogenated oils on the label. Cutting these trans fats from your diet will increase your high density lipoprotein and decrease your low density lipoproteins.

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