HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is "good" cholesterol. According to "Controlling Cholesterol" (see References), 40- to 59-year-old men have "excellent protection" from heart disease when their HDL is above 52 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) while women 40 to 59 need a HDL rating above 69.

Strenuous exercise

Strenuous exercise in general raises HDL, according to "The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure," which cited a "Journal of the American Medical Association" article reporting that elderly people who exercised regularly raised their HDLs from a 54.5 average to 61.

Bicycling

Sedentary men raised their HDLs an average of 5 mg/dl after riding stationary bicycles four to five days per week for eight to 11 months, according to a July 1988 article in "Circulation" cited in "Cholesterol Cure."

Weightlifting

The American College of Sports Medicine tested whether weightlifting raised HDLs. Everyone who lifted weights saw their HDLs increase significantly by an average of 10 percent. No one in the control group (the non-lifters) had any increase in their HDLs.

Brisk walking

"Cholesterol Cure" author Robert Kowalski and "Controlling Cholesterol" author Dr. Kenneth Cooper both wrote that brisk walking increases HDLs. Cooper said the change comes in "just a few months." He cited a University of Minnesota Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene study that concluded that treadmill walking 3.2 miles per hour for 16 weeks raises HDLs about 16 percent.

Calisthenics

The HDLs of 83 heart attack survivors rose from 40 to 47 mg/dl after a 13-week calisthenics/walking/jogging program, according to "Controlling Cholesterol," which cited a University of Washington School of Medicine study.

Source:

"Controlling Cholesterol;" Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper; 1989

"The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure;" Robert E. Kowalski; 1989

"The Well Adult;" Dr. Mike Samuels and Nancy Samuels; 1988

More Information:

Mayo Clinic