Conclusion
HDL can be raised in destructive ways – such as ingestion of toxins or pathogens – but there are healthy ways to raise HDL.
I believe the following four ways are healthiest, and are sufficient to optimize HDL levels:
- Eat a nourishing diet rich in saturated and monounsaturated fat, especially dairy fat, but low in omega-6 fats, fructose, and other toxins. In short: eat the Perfect Health Diet.
- Be physically active. Be on your feet as much as possible; favor a standing desk over sitting. Do resistance exercise or other intense exercise occasionally.
- Engage in intermittent fasting, and consume a lot of coconut oil, coconut milk, or MCTs to stimulate the ketone receptor.
- Drink alcoholic beverages – but only when consuming meals low in polyunsaturated fats. Drink up when you eat beef, but be cautious when the entrée is salmon.
Niacin, the most effective pharmaceutical for raising HDL, has some toxicity and is probably inferior to coconut oil and intermittent fasting except in people with protozoal or fungal infections.
Our best wishes for high HDL!
Related posts:
- HDL and Immunity, April 12, 2011
- HDL: Higher is Good, But is Highest Best?, April 14, 2011
References
[1] Navab M et al. HDL and cardiovascular disease: atherogenic and atheroprotective mechanisms. Nat Rev Cardiol. 2011 Apr;8(4):222-32. http://pmid.us/21304474.
[2] Ahmed K et al. GPR109A, GPR109B and GPR81, a family of hydroxy-carboxylic acid receptors. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2009 Nov;30(11):557-62. http://pmid.us/19837462.
[3] Spate-Douglas T, Keyser RE. Exercise intensity: its effect on the high-density lipoprotein profile. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1999 Jun;80(6):691-5. http://pmid.us/10378497.
[4] Bey L, Hamilton MT. Suppression of skeletal muscle lipoprotein lipase activity during physical inactivity: a molecular reason to maintain daily low-intensity activity. J Physiol. 2003 Sep 1;551(Pt 2):673-82. http://pmid.us/12815182.
[5] Yanagibori R et al. The effects of 20 days bed rest on serum lipids and lipoprotein concentrations in healthy young subjects. J Gravit Physiol. 1997 Jan;4(1):S82-90. http://pmid.us/11541183.
[6] Costa RR et al. Effects of resistance training on the lipid profile in obese women. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2011 Mar;51(1):169-77. http://pmid.us/21297577.
[7] Hamilton MT et al. Role of low energy expenditure and sitting in obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Diabetes. 2007 Nov;56(11):2655-67. http://pmid.us/17827399.
[8] Tall AR et al. Metabolic fate of chylomicron phospholipids and apoproteins in the rat. J Clin Invest. 1979 Oct;64(4):977-89. http://pmid.us/225354.
[9] Rice BH et al. Ruminant-produced trans-fatty acids raise plasma total and small HDL particle concentrations in male Hartley guinea pigs. J Nutr. 2010 Dec;140(12):2173-9. http://pmid.us/20980644.
[9b] Mozaffarian D et al. Trans-palmitoleic acid, metabolic risk factors, and new-onset diabetes in U.S. adults: a cohort study. Ann Intern Med. 2010 Dec 21;153(12):790-9. http://pmid.us/21173413.
[10] Lakshman R et al. Is alcohol beneficial or harmful for cardioprotection? Genes Nutr. [Epub ahead of print] http://pmid.us/20012900.
[11] Thornton J et al. Moderate alcohol intake reduces bile cholesterol saturation and raises HDL cholesterol. Lancet. 1983 Oct 8;2(8354):819-22. http://pmid.us/6137650.
[12] McConnell MV et al. Effects of a single, daily alcoholic beverage on lipid and hemostatic markers of cardiovascular risk. Am J Cardiol. 1997 Nov 1;80(9):1226-8. http://pmid.us/9359559.
[13] Brien SE et al. Effect of alcohol consumption on biological markers associated with risk of coronary heart disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies. BMJ. 2011 Feb 22;342:d636. http://pmid.us/21343206.
[14] Suh I et al. Alcohol use and mortality from coronary heart disease: the role of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial Research Group. Ann Intern Med. 1992 Jun 1;116(11):881-7. http://pmid.us/1580443.
[15] Carlson LA, Hamsten A, Asplund A. Pronounced lowering of serum levels of lipoprotein Lp(a) in hyperlipidaemic subjects treated with nicotinic acid. J Intern Med 1989; 226: 271–6.
[16] Carlson LA. Nicotinic acid: the broad-spectrum lipid drug. A 50th anniversary review. J Intern Med. 2005 Aug;258(2):94-114. http://pmid.us/16018787.
[17] Dunbar RL, Gelfand JM. Seeing red: flushing out instigators of niacin-associated skin toxicity. J Clin Invest. 2010 Aug 2;120(8):2651-5. http://pmid.us/20664168.
[18] Bassan M. A case for immediate-release niacin. Heart Lung. 2011 Mar 15. [Epub ahead of print] http://pmid.us/21414665.
[19] Lukasova M et al. Nicotinic acid inhibits progression of atherosclerosis in mice through its receptor GPR109A expressed by immune cells. J Clin Invest. 2011 Mar 1;121(3):1163-73. http://pmid.us/21317532.
[20] Li Y et al. Effects of multivitamin and mineral supplementation on adiposity, energy expenditure and lipid profiles in obese Chinese women. Int J Obes (Lond). 2010 Jun;34(6):1070-7. http://pmid.us/20142823.
[21] Yanai H, Morimoto M. Effect of ascorbate on serum lipids and urate metabolism during exhaustive training. Clin Sci (Lond). 2004 Jan;106(1):107-9. http://pmid.us/12927020.
[22] Choi MJ. Effects of dietary taurine supplementation on plasma and liver lipids in OVX rats fed calcium-deficient diet. Nutr Res Pract. 2008 Spring;2(1):13-6. http://pmid.us/20126359.
[23] Elvevoll EO et al. Seafood diets: hypolipidemic and antiatherogenic effects of taurine and n-3 fatty acids. Atherosclerosis. 2008 Oct;200(2):396-402. http://pmid.us/18242615.
[24] Ruiz-Roso B et al. Insoluble carob fiber rich in polyphenols lowers total and LDL cholesterol in hypercholesterolemic sujects. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2010 Mar;65(1):50-6. http://pmid.us/20094802.
[25] Giacosa A, Rondanelli M. The right fiber for the right disease: an update on the psyllium seed husk and the metabolic syndrome. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2010 Sep;44 Suppl 1:S58-60. http://pmid.us/20616745.
[26] Ishikawa M et al. Taurine’s health influence on Japanese high school girls. J Biomed Sci. 2010 Aug 24;17 Suppl 1:S47. http://pmid.us/20804624.
[27] Hata Y, Nakajima K. Life-style and serum lipids and lipoproteins. J Atheroscler Thromb. 2000;7(4):177-97. http://pmid.us/11521681.
