The higher the HDL (60 or greater), the less a person faces heart attacks.
Many drugs have been used to inflate HDL but all have fallen short.
The drug most used for this purpose has been Niacin. Unfortunately, this B vitamin was shown in new research that it did not offer
added protection for heart disease when added to a statin. The conclusion was that the statin alone offered all the beneficial effect
in cardiovascular disease. Statins do very modestly increase HDL.
Lifestyle changes are more important in boosting the good cholesterol.
1. Exercise: can raise HDL by 4 mg /dL.
2. Quitting smoking: can raise HDL by 2-4 mg/dL.
3. Losing weight: can raise HDL by 1mg/dL per 3-6 lbs.
4. Eating fish and/or olive oil and vegetables may increase HDL by 3-5 mg/dL.
5. Avoiding carbohydrates can boost an HDL by 8mg/dL
Therefore instead of taking medications with all the side effects, use lifestyle changes and especially cut down on your carbs!