It is unlikely that during a water cooler conversation one of your co-workers says "You know Bill my HDL just hasn't been very good lately and I am thinking about taking a few days off to recuperate".
In fact you may not have even heard of HDL until it was mentioned to you by your doctor.
Nevertheless, HDL or high density lipoproteins are a very important part of not only cholesterol management but overall good health as well.
Gaining a better understanding of why low LDL is so damaging to persons cardiovascular health could be a life saving revelation for some predisposed to coronary artery disease.
The tale of HDL (high density lipoproteins) and LDL (low density lipoproteins) is a tale of two different stories.
LDL is the hapless but essential boob that is responsible for bringing you the necessary supplies for your extended camping trip.
The problem is he often drops many of them along the way.
In fact, he drops so many, particularly when his back pack is overloaded that the path to your camp becomes completely blocked.
You would fire him but he is your brother in law.
So since essential, but sometimes careless, LDL has blocked the path you must hire another employee to clear the path in order to get life sustain supplies, and of course the only real man for the job is that famous cholesterol buster HDL.
But what might cause HDL to get distracted and not be able to perform his life saving task.
Sometimes there is simply too much work to do; too few HDL molecules and too many LDL molecules.
If the imbalance is 4 to 1 or greater for total cholesterol and 2 to 1 or greater for LDL cholesterol you will be putting yourself at risk for atherosclerosis.
Additionally, smoking, alcohol, certain prescription medications, and/or lack of exercise also decrease his efficiency.
Generally speaking you can think of high density lipoproteins as scavenger molecules that reduce cholesterol from the arteries.
Having a lot of high density lipoproteins reduces the chances of heart attack "Regardless Of Your Total Cholesterol Levels".
A HDL reading of 40 or less is considered too low (and in some cases dangerously low) and a reading of 60 or better is considered good.
Nevertheless, most experts studying low HDL cholesterol believe it is the ratios that matter the most.
We have stressed the importance of these scavenger molecules and the next logical question would be what step can be taken to elevate them.
There are a couple of new prescription medications that make this claim.
Additionally, there are some natural ways to boost good cholesterol levels.
There are a number of foods that can help.
Examples would be foods containing soluble pectins such as apples and pears.
Also, avocados, olive oil, pomegranates, cranberries, and dark skinned grapes have produced good results.
Additionally, many natural health minded individuals have found success in reversing low HDL cholesterol by combining HDL boosting foods with exercise and natural cholesterol reducing remedies.
This three step approach has produced powerful results for some and is a natural option worth discussing with your doctor.