How Can I Increase My HDL Cholesterol Level?

Posted on Thu, 21 Jul 2011

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : I am 36 year old women. And i found that my hdl chol is 36 mg/dl. How can i increase my hdl ? pls advice . Iam a pure vegetarian
My height is 5.3
Weight is 63 kg

Answered by Dr. Sumanth.P (27 minutes later)

Hello,

Thanks for posting your query.

The normal HDL levels should be above 40mg/dl.

Ways to increase HDL levels are:
- Aerobic exercise.

- Weight loss.

- Nicotinic acid supplementation.

- Smoking cessation.

- Elimination of trans fatty acids from diet.

- Addition of soluble fiber to the diet.

- Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids such as fish oil or flax oil.

- Increased intake of unsaturated fats.

- Pharmocologic Niacin doses increase HDL levels by 10-30%, making it the most powerful agent increase the HDL cholesterol.

Niacin or vit B3 seen in avocados,dates,tomatoes,leaf vegetables,broccoli,carrot,sweet potatoes,asparagus,nuts,whole grain products,legumes,mushrooms.

Hope I have answered your query.

Wishing you good health.

Regards,

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Radhika