Foods That Raise HDL (Cont.)

Walnuts

Walnuts are another food that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and that may reduce the risk for heart disease. Walnuts are most beneficial when used to replace less healthy fats, such as saturated fat from meat; however, they have not been shown to raise HDL or lower LDL.
 

Garlic

Dietary use of garlic may lower some types of cholesterol in the short term, but it does not appear to offer long-term protection against heart disease. Garlic may help to reduce low density lipoproteins (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol, and triglycerides. However, this food has not been shown to raise HDL.
 

Alcohol

Moderate alcohol intake actually does raise HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), but does not lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol). Research studies have shown that HDL can be raised, on average, by 4.0 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) with moderate alcohol consumption.
 
(Click Alcohol and High Cholesterol for more information.)
 

Foods That Raise HDL: A Summary

Although at this point, there are no foods that raise HDL, there are a number of other natural ways of achieving this. These include:
 
  • Losing weight, if you are overweight
  • Exercising
  • Quitting smoking, if you smoke.
     
(Click Raising HDL for more information on how to raise HDL levels.)
 

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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD