How to Raise HDL Quickly

High-density lipoprotein, often referred to as HDL for short, is the good type of cholesterol in your blood. You gain benefits when levels are above 60 milligrams per deciliter, according to MayoClinic.com. This type of cholesterol, helps eliminate damaging low-density lipoprotein, thus protecting your cardiovascular system. If your HDL is lower than recommended, you’ll need to make several changes to get it up quickly. It won’t increase overnight, but by following a few simple steps, your HDL should slowly start to rise over the next few months.

Lose Weight

If you see that number on the scale climbing week by week, you may want to talk with your doctor about a weight loss plan. Shedding just 6 pounds can boost your HDL by as much as 1 milligram per deciliter, reports MayoClinic.com. So, for example, if you want to lose 30 pounds at a rate of 2 pounds per week, your high-density lipoprotein could increase by 5 milligrams per deciliter in less than 4 months.

Exercise

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Exercise not only helps you get your weight back on track, it is also another factor for quickly upping your good cholesterol level. Burning 1,200 to 1,500 calories weekly, which is approximately the amount of calories you’d burn from doing 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week, increases your HDL by as much as 9 percent, explains Johns Hopkins Medicine. That means if your high-density lipoprotein lingers around 50 milligrams per deciliter, you can increase it by about 4.5 points just by going for a brisk half-hour walk every other evening.

Take Niacin

Niacin is a type of B vitamin that boosts HDL cholesterol by an average of 20 to 35 percent, the Johns Hopkins Medicine website states. It can be even more effective at improving your cholesterol levels and keeping your heart healthy when you take it in a combination with a statin or other type of cholesterol-lowering medication. You can get niacin over the counter, but prescription-strength niacin is even more beneficial for quickly elevating your high-density lipoprotein. Talk to your doctor about this as it does cause some side effects.

Eliminate Trans Fats

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Trans fats are found in many types of prepared foods. Anything from fried chips to processed baked goods could be packed with trans fats. These fats are particularly harmful because they not only raise the bad low-density lipoprotein, they also lower your high-density lipoprotein, making them a double threat. Avoid foods that are processed, contain partially hydrogenated oil or have more than 0 grams of trans fats per serving as indicated on its nutrition label, to help boost the high-density lipoprotein in your blood.