Comments on: How to Raise Your HDL Levels Naturally http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:23:21 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: HC1975 http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/comment-page-1/#comment-104637 HC1975 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:27:50 +0000 http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/#comment-104637 Wow! How comforting to see I am not the only one in this boat. I too was faced with high triglycerides (500), high LDL (215) and low HDL (25) but overweight. I went on a low fat, calorie restricted diet. Lost 30 pounds. I was able to bring down by TRI (142), LDL (103) and unfortunately my HDL (24) also. Is it the low calorie diet that is causing the reduction in HDL? I take the following supplements: Fiber pills (4grams/day); Fish Oil (4 grams/day); Sterols (2g day); Multivitamin Any suggestions for naturally increasing HDL? Wow! How comforting to see I am not the only one in this boat.

I too was faced with high triglycerides (500), high LDL (215) and low HDL (25) but overweight.

I went on a low fat, calorie restricted diet. Lost 30 pounds. I was able to bring down by TRI (142), LDL (103) and unfortunately my HDL (24) also.

Is it the low calorie diet that is causing the reduction in HDL?

I take the following supplements: Fiber pills (4grams/day); Fish Oil (4 grams/day); Sterols (2g day); Multivitamin

Any suggestions for naturally increasing HDL?

]]> By: Ed http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/comment-page-1/#comment-93598 Ed Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:20:03 +0000 http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/#comment-93598 37% of all my calories come from saturated fats, while total fat accounts for 66% of all calories. 10% of all calories come from coconut products such as coconut oil, coconut chips, and coconut milk powder which equate to 4 tablespoons of coconut oil a day. Most of the coconut I eat are either flakes, which I mix with my yogurt or chips, which I mix with macadamia nuts. Sources of saturated fats are eggs, full-fat yogurt, salmon, beef (fatty cuts not lean), macadamia nuts, and very dark chocolate. I eat non-starchy vegetables and the only fruit I eat are berries. I take 4.5 g of immediate-release niacin to raise my HDL. I recently added N-acetyl cysteine to my regimen which added 5 points to my HDL which is now 76. I'm careful to take the n-acetyl cysteine only after a full meal with lots of water. If I don't, I develop terrific heartburn. I keep my intake of vitamin C to 250mg a day and my vitamin E is primarily gamma-tocopherol. Alpha-tocopherol in sufficient amounts may be counter-productive to increasing HDL. I also minimize polyunsaturated fats with the exception of fish oil. The only vegetable oils I consume are coconut and olive oil. The final trick others have mentioned is to eliminate refined sugar in all it's forms. I do eat berries because they typically contain a fairly low amount of sugar and they release that sugar slowly. There are now foods I can't eat because they are too sweet. That's also the reason I moved from milk to dark to very dark chocolate. I never was able to have "a" piece of chocolate. With extra dark chocolate, I can have one piece with no problem. I also refuse to take statins because the long-term effects are not accurately characterized. With my eating approach, my LDL cholesterol is actually lower than my HDL cholesterol. My triglycerides are usually around 40 and my blood sugar 85. I actually had to add salt to my diet because eating a low-carb diet dropped my blood pressure too low. Eating whole foods also can cause that problem. Whole foods have a lot more potassium than sodium. If you really want to know what's in the food you're eating, I suggest downloading the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Just google "USDA" and "SR22" and you can find the page to download the software. 37% of all my calories come from saturated fats, while total fat accounts for 66% of all calories. 10% of all calories come from coconut products such as coconut oil, coconut chips, and coconut milk powder which equate to 4 tablespoons of coconut oil a day. Most of the coconut I eat are either flakes, which I mix with my yogurt or chips, which I mix with macadamia nuts. Sources of saturated fats are eggs, full-fat yogurt, salmon, beef (fatty cuts not lean), macadamia nuts, and very dark chocolate. I eat non-starchy vegetables and the only fruit I eat are berries.

I take 4.5 g of immediate-release niacin to raise my HDL. I recently added N-acetyl cysteine to my regimen which added 5 points to my HDL which is now 76. I’m careful to take the n-acetyl cysteine only after a full meal with lots of water. If I don’t, I develop terrific heartburn. I keep my intake of vitamin C to 250mg a day and my vitamin E is primarily gamma-tocopherol. Alpha-tocopherol in sufficient amounts may be counter-productive to increasing HDL.

I also minimize polyunsaturated fats with the exception of fish oil. The only vegetable oils I consume are coconut and olive oil.

The final trick others have mentioned is to eliminate refined sugar in all it’s forms. I do eat berries because they typically contain a fairly low amount of sugar and they release that sugar slowly. There are now foods I can’t eat because they are too sweet. That’s also the reason I moved from milk to dark to very dark chocolate. I never was able to have “a” piece of chocolate. With extra dark chocolate, I can have one piece with no problem.

I also refuse to take statins because the long-term effects are not accurately characterized. With my eating approach, my LDL cholesterol is actually lower than my HDL cholesterol. My triglycerides are usually around 40 and my blood sugar 85. I actually had to add salt to my diet because eating a low-carb diet dropped my blood pressure too low. Eating whole foods also can cause that problem. Whole foods have a lot more potassium than sodium.

If you really want to know what’s in the food you’re eating, I suggest downloading the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Just google “USDA” and “SR22″ and you can find the page to download the software.

]]> By: Wes Babbitt http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/comment-page-1/#comment-83559 Wes Babbitt Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:26:06 +0000 http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/#comment-83559 I am a 49 year old male have been a vegetarian most of my life, a non smoker, I don't drink and I exercise Daily.For the last 2 years I have taken 2 folate,2 Fish oil, 2 garlic tabelets and 2000mg of niacin daily,I eat nuts , drink and eat soy products. I have don't a lot of research on HDL , LDL and trig. and have found a lot of people on the internet are like me, They can not get their blood levels into the " normal range". I feel all these supplement diets and foods and excise are all a bold Face lie and theory. Yes ,we are what we eat and excise is good . But there is something else going on with us and I have not found a found a solution for my HDL or LDL levels. I work in the cancer field and I personally will not take statin drugs I do take lisinopril for my high blood pressure. I will continue to live life by faith and faith in God alone. I am a 49 year old male have been a vegetarian most of my life, a non smoker, I don’t drink and I exercise Daily.For the last 2 years I have taken 2 folate,2 Fish oil, 2 garlic tabelets and 2000mg of niacin daily,I eat nuts , drink and eat soy products. I have don’t a lot of research on HDL , LDL and trig. and have found a lot of people on the internet are like me, They can not get their blood levels into the ” normal range”. I feel all these supplement diets and foods and excise are all a bold Face lie and theory. Yes ,we are what we eat and excise is good . But there is something else going on with us and I have not found a found a solution for my HDL or LDL levels. I work in the cancer field and I personally will not take statin drugs I do take lisinopril for my high blood pressure. I will continue to live life by faith and faith in God alone.

]]> By: Chaudhary http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/comment-page-1/#comment-81479 Chaudhary Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:37:18 +0000 http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/#comment-81479 I have 3 lab reports shows that simvastatin reduce total cholesterol, LHD but at the same time it reduce HDL and increase trig. High saturated good fat, low carb. diet; may be nutts, butter instead of margrine, cold processed oil in a reduced quantity, no fried food, fish, meet, cheese, full fat milk and yogurt may help increase HDL but may also increase LDL and total Kolesterol but may reduce Trig. Expert says high cholesterol I have 3 lab reports shows that simvastatin reduce total cholesterol, LHD but at the same time it reduce HDL and increase trig. High saturated good fat, low carb. diet; may be nutts, butter instead of margrine, cold processed oil in a reduced quantity, no fried food, fish, meet, cheese, full fat milk and yogurt may help increase HDL but may also increase LDL and total Kolesterol but may reduce Trig. Expert says high cholesterol

]]> By: Lemon Peeler http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/comment-page-1/#comment-80153 Lemon Peeler Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:25:34 +0000 http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/#comment-80153 So much work!!! I\'ll just wait for National Healthcare and get my problems fixed for free! So much work!!! I\’ll just wait for National Healthcare and get my problems fixed for free!

]]> By: Deana http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/comment-page-1/#comment-78389 Deana Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:26:38 +0000 http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/#comment-78389 I thought I was eating healthy...a low fat diet for 8 years. My lab work really wasn't changing, weight remained at 10 lbs over. Then I started researching diets and reading labels. This is what I learned. A low fat diet will not maintain a healthy level of HDL. You have to eat a lot of healthy fats. And when I say healthy....margarine is not it. Each of you need to watch not only the bad fats, but the sugars. Many of you have added high fiber. Start reading labels. For instance, did you know that most breads you purchase in the grocery store contain high fructose corn syrup. These cause spikes in your insulin which will in turn lower your hdl and raise your triglycerides. This spike in insulin is also caused by too many servings of simple carbs. This includes potatoes, carrots, white flour products, white rice and all fruits. Processed foods such as cereal bars and yogurt contain corn syrup and or sugar substitutes. All fruit juices are simple carbs and should be avoided. Eat healthy fats such as nuts and avocadoes. Make sure they are in their raw form and not roasted with salt added. Get back to foods that are not processed. If you can't pronounce something on the label....do not eat it. Avoid refined or hydrogenated oils such as Margarine.Any chemical alteration to your food should be avoided. Cook with Olive oil or grape seed oil. Limit your sauces including salad dressing. Eat an alkaline based diet. Limit your breads and get your fiber from green leafy veggies. Keep exercising. Avoid Statins. There are many 'green' and fiber supplements you can take in replace of these. I thought I was eating healthy…a low fat diet for 8 years. My lab work really wasn’t changing, weight remained at 10 lbs over. Then I started researching diets and reading labels. This is what I learned.
A low fat diet will not maintain a healthy level of HDL. You have to eat a lot of healthy fats. And when I say healthy….margarine is not it.
Each of you need to watch not only the bad fats, but the sugars. Many of you have added high fiber. Start reading labels. For instance, did you know that most breads you purchase in the grocery store contain high fructose corn syrup. These cause spikes in your insulin which will in turn lower your hdl and raise your triglycerides.
This spike in insulin is also caused by too many servings of simple carbs. This includes potatoes, carrots, white flour products, white rice and all fruits. Processed foods such as cereal bars and yogurt contain corn syrup and or sugar substitutes. All fruit juices are simple carbs and should be avoided.
Eat healthy fats such as nuts and avocadoes. Make sure they are in their raw form and not roasted with salt added. Get back to foods that are not processed. If you can’t pronounce something on the label….do not eat it. Avoid refined or hydrogenated oils such as Margarine.Any chemical alteration to your food should be avoided. Cook with Olive oil or grape seed oil. Limit your sauces including salad dressing. Eat an alkaline based diet. Limit your breads and get your fiber from green leafy veggies. Keep exercising. Avoid Statins. There are many ‘green’ and fiber supplements you can take in replace of these.

]]> By: asfafda http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/comment-page-1/#comment-77041 asfafda Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:18:28 +0000 http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/#comment-77041 Really Really

]]> By: Singh http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/comment-page-1/#comment-73937 Singh Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:00:31 +0000 http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/#comment-73937 Thanks for your post ED. Could you please provide little more detail on your daily diet. 1.What percentage of your daily intake comes from saturated fat ? 2.What are your sources of saturated fat ? 3. How much coconut you consume daily ? 4.What else makes up your daily diet other than saturated fat.? Thanks. Thanks for your post ED. Could you please provide little more detail on your daily diet.
1.What percentage of your daily intake comes from saturated fat ?
2.What are your sources of saturated fat ?
3. How much coconut you consume daily ?
4.What else makes up your daily diet other than saturated fat.? Thanks.

]]> By: Rebekah http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/comment-page-1/#comment-67019 Rebekah Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:44:47 +0000 http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/#comment-67019 Oh, I forgot to mention....I am only 23. Oh, I forgot to mention….I am only 23.

]]> By: rebekah http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/comment-page-1/#comment-67017 rebekah Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:43:53 +0000 http://healthmad.com/nutrition/how-to-raise-your-hdl-levels-naturally/#comment-67017 Heart disease runs in my family and I always vowed that I would do whatever I could to not have a heart attack. I am on a decent diet with regular exercise. My only problems I have encountered is I am a bit over weight and I smoke, (am quitting) but my LDL is 117 and my HDL is 37. I fasted for 12 hours as instructed. I don\'t eat fish, though. But why is my cholesterol so bad? I am very worried. What else could I do to help? Heart disease runs in my family and I always vowed that I would do whatever I could to not have a heart attack. I am on a decent diet with regular exercise. My only problems I have encountered is I am a bit over weight and I smoke, (am quitting) but my LDL is 117 and my HDL is 37. I fasted for 12 hours as instructed. I don\’t eat fish, though. But why is my cholesterol so bad? I am very worried. What else could I do to help?

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