HDL versus LDL- What you should know

When you hear the word cholesterol, most people automatically think bad, but did you know there are two types of cholesterol? Both determine if you are at risk for a heart attack or a stroke.

 First, let’s talk about where cholesterol comes from. Your body makes cholesterol naturally and your genetics can play a factor in how much your body produces. The other source of cholesterol is from the foods you eat, most importantly, from animal products. Think of the eggs you have in the morning, that chicken breast for lunch, or that burger for dinner. All of these contain different levels of cholesterol.

Let’s talk about LDL, also known as the “bad cholesterol”. LDL does not circulate well in the blood and can begin to build up on the artery walls, along with other substances, it can form a plaque build-up. This narrowing of the artery walls is also known as arteriosclerosis. If this happens and a blood clot forms then guess what will happen…a heart attack or a stroke, which can lead to death. Scary, right? Think of your artery as a water hose and you begin to pinch it tigher and tighter and the pressure builds up, much like your artery when you are having a heart attack.

HDL is known as the “good” cholesterol or as I like to call it, the superstar! High levels of HDL have shown to decrease your chance of heart attack by chiseling away at the plaque build-up and takes that cholesterol to the liver to get passed from the body.  This “good” guy is found in oils such as olive, peanut, and canola, nuts, fish, and other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids. Here is a source to find out about more foods containing omega 3:

World's Healthiest Foods rich in
omega 3 fatty acids

FoodCals%Daily Value

Flax seeds112199.5%

Walnuts16494.5%

Sardines19786.6%

Salmon15852.5%

Soybeans29842.9%

Halibut15925.8%

Scallops12717%

Shrimp11215.4%

Tofu8615%

Tuna15813.7%

Other ways to increase your HDL levels include quitting smoking, increase physical activity, such as brisk walking or running (at least 30 minutes, five times a week), losing weight (which if you increase your activity, this should follow suite), choose foods items that do not have saturated or trans fats, and moderate alcohol consumption (no more than 1 drink a day for woman/people 65 years or older; 2 drinks for men).

Remember HDL is the superstar and LDL is the villain in the movie called your heart. Everyone needs high levels of HDL and low levels of LDL. High levels of HDL should be at 40 mg/dL or higher for men and 50mg/dL for women. If you are unsure of your risk, always ask your doctor for help.