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Diet and Nutrition

`Good`Cholesterol

05/20/2004

Question:

I am a male, 28 years old , in good shape (or so I thought) I recently found out that my "bad" cholesterol is well within the "safe" zone, however my "good" cholesterol is very low (23). My doctor wants to put me on medication to help raise it. I really don`t want to start taking pills for this problem. Maybe I need to look at my diet. I generally eat a low-fat diet to maintain a healthy weight. I am 5`9 and about 160-165 lbs. Are there any particular foods I should add to my diet to help raise the good cholesterol? Also, should I take a multi-vitamin?

Answer:

Thanks for your question.  Similar questions about cholesterol and HDL have been answered on NetWellness.  Please do a search on cholesterol or fat in this section.

Taking a multivitamin may be beneficial for overall health, but will not increase your HDL level.  Regular exercise (at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity 5 or more days/week) will increase HDL, so continue to exercise or start if you`re not.

As for your doctor wanting to start you on medication to improve your HDL, he/she may want to do this if you have other risk factors for heart disease (family history, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc).  I suggest you talk over the risks and benefits of taking medication before deciding completely against it.  Good luck.

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Response by:

University of Cincinnati Lisa Cicciarello Andrews, MEd, RD, LD
Adjunct Faculty
University of Cincinnati
Lisa Cicciarello Andrews, MEd, RD, LD