Boost Your Good Cholesterol Sky-High
Ben Kallen
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When a new doctor sent me for a cholesterol check, I wasn't worried. As a relatively young man living a fairly healthful lifestyle, I expected the results to be reassuring. I was right: With a total cholesterol level of 147, about the same as I've had since college, I have little chance of serious heart disease anytime soon.
And yet . I was struck by the fact that my level of high-density lipoproteins (the "good" cholesterol) measured out at just 51
milligrams per deciliter of blood. Not a bad result-in fact, above the male average of 45ish-but current wisdom says that an HDL of about 60 translates into clearer arteries and better health. If I intended to live the long, hearty life to which I've always aspired, I knew I had some work to do.
The Cholesterol You Want
Why is one form of cholesterol considered good and another bad? There are actually as many
as 18 kinds of cholesterol, but to save confusion, doctors divide them into two categories: LDL (bad) and HDL (good). Your liver manufactures most of your cholesterol, and small amounts of it go toward a variety of healthy purposes, including creating
hormones that help turn food and exercise into muscle. Serving as cholesterol chauffeurs are fat/protein bunches called lipoproteins, and that's where the fun begins: Low-density lipoproteins tend
to deposit cholesterol on artery walls, where it builds up and eventually interferes with blood flow. But the high-density variety seems to take cholesterol back to the liver, where it can be eliminated from the body.
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