Cholesterol : More of the Good Stuff

June 13, 2010

High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is often called “Good” cholesterol, but really it’s great: for every point you add to your score, you get a 2-3% drop in your risk of heart disease. Cholesterol-cutting statins aren’t very effective at raising HDL – but, happily these foods are :

  • Dark Chocolate
    in recent study, volunteers who ate 100g of dark chocolate (70% cocoa) every day for a week raised their HDL by 9%. That’s a load of chocolate (about 2300kJ), but Paul Gurbel of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, the study’s co-author, says eating smaller daily doses (say… 15g) over an extended period of time should also help.
  • Salmon
    HDL rose 4% in adults who ate two 115g servings in a week for four weeks, according to the study by Loma Linda University in California. Other fatty fish – mackerel,  herring, sardines – should deliver similar benefits, researchers say.
  • Berries
    HDL levels rose 5% when adults ate a cup of frozen berries every day for  eight weeks.
  • Eggs
    Healthy adults who ate an egg every day for 12 weeks increased HDL as much as 48%, according to a Thai study. Eggs are rich in lecithin – which animal studies have shown, raises HDL.

posted in Health by Squall

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