HDL cholesterol: anyone knows if you can icnrease it without meds?

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LKArgh
LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Just got my blood test results back and while the good news are that everyhting is normal (LDL 118, triglycerides 100) the bad news are my HDL is only 38, when for a woman it should be in the 50s or higher.
My dr appointment is next week, so to prepare about what questions to ask, does anyone know if it is possible to raise your HDL in a "natural" way?
The generic guidelines are to stop smoking, which I never smoked, lower weight, but my BMI has been around 20 or below for years, to exercise regulalry which I do, and to not overdo it with alcohol, which again I drink just a few of servings of wine or beer per week.
I know the cause for this is probably having Hashimoto's but I am medicated, and all my numbers have been "perfect" for years, so not much I can do in this direction.

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  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    It typically goes up on low carb diets, but in all honesty I can't recall "why" ! Probably the higher fat content, as low fat diets decrease HDL
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    But wouldn't this also increase LDL?
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
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    aggelikik wrote: »
    But wouldn't this also increase LDL?

    Losing weight often causes it short term. Most people have normal HDL and LDL in 6 months to a year. Both of my numbers have always been dead on normal, even when I first went on keto, so it's not even a guarantee the LDL will go up at all. There are two sizes of LDL, but it's usually not broken down on blood work unless you specifically ask for it. In the cases I've seen where people ask, the small LDL, doesn't go up, only the large. Small is considered the one that puts you at risk for heart problems. As for whether OP's Hashimoto's would alter that process, that's another issue entirely.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    aggelikik wrote: »
    But wouldn't this also increase LDL?

    not necessarily, depends on the fats and the individuals. In many people the cardiovascular risk factors improve. http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1900694 reports a reduction in Total/HDL cholesterol ratio of 0.44 and an increase in HDL of 7 mg/dl so any increase in LDL was less than the benefit of the higher HDL.

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