Not All Cholesterol Is Bad: Learn About Good Cholesterol and Ways to Enhance It

As soon as you hear the name cholesterol, you might remember the factors that increase heart problems, but do you know that cholesterol is actually very important for our health?

Cholesterol is a waxy and fat-like substance found in your blood and cells. It is essential for good health. It helps your body to make hormones, vitamin-D and cell membranes. However, if its quantity in the body exceeds normal, it can cause problems.

Cholesterol is mainly of two types, which are good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. We need good cholesterol for good health. Good cholesterol is necessary to keep the heart healthy and protect it from many types of diseases. Let us know what good cholesterol is and what measures can be taken to increase it.

Why is good cholesterol important?

Good cholesterol is also called high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. It helps remove excess cholesterol from your bloodstream and can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Improving diet and routine can not only reduce bad cholesterol, but it can also help in increasing good cholesterol.

Consuming fiber-rich foods such as fruits and legumes, fatty fish, olive oil, and omega-3 fatty acid foods can give you special benefits.

What are the benefits of good cholesterol?

As much as bad cholesterol is harmful for our health, HDL cholesterol can provide many health benefits.

Good cholesterol helps in removing bad cholesterol deposited in the arteries, reducing the risk of coronary artery disease and heart attack.

Good cholesterol helps in maintaining proper blood flow to the brain, which reduces the risk of stroke.

Many studies have found that HDL has anti-inflammatory properties, which are helpful in preventing inflammation and other diseases in the body.

Low HDL is considered to increase type 2 diabetes and obesity, as it can lead to the risk of metabolic syndrome.

What to do to increase good cholesterol?

Some measures can be followed to increase good cholesterol and keep the body healthy.

Improving the diet is most important. Things containing monounsaturated fat, such as olive oil, peanut oil, and avocado, can be beneficial.

Avoid trans fat. Do not eat packaged food, fried food, and processed snacks, as they can reduce good cholesterol.

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Take a diet rich in omega-3. This not only increases good cholesterol but also reduces the risk of heart diseases.

Aerobic exercises like running, cycling, and swimming can help increase HDL.

Quitting smoking increases the level of good cholesterol and improves heart health.

What do experts say?

According to Harvard Medical School, a level of good cholesterol in the body of 60 mg/dL or more reduces the risk of heart disease, while an HDL level less than 40 mg/dL increases the risk of heart diseases. According to the American Heart Association, regular exercise can increase HDL levels by 5-10%. Quitting smoking improves this further. Consuming a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids can help increase HDL levels by up to 15%.

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