How to raise good cholesterol?

[ReadingMama]

I just got my lab results and found out my total cholesterol is 163! Woo hoo! It's especially good news as I have quite a bit of weight to lose and I have PCOS. It came down about 30-35 points from eating oatmeal daily and eating more fruits and vegetables since April. My HDL is 37, and my doctor's office said it needs to be at least 40. Do you know of ways to raise it? What foods can help?

[sbgrace]

Yay! That's really terrific!

Fish oil can raise HDL though it may raise the LDL as well I believe. My mother in law is trying Alpha Lipoic Acid. I'd recommend you read up on it because it is safe, raises HDL, possibly lowers appetite/regulates weight, regulates blood sugar, and on in studies. I did a lot of reading on it for my MIL and you seem like a really great candidate given the PCOS--worth looking. The doses used in studies had a pretty wide range. She decided to work up to 900 mg in three doses of 300 mg but she's working up to that.

[JaneS]

ALA chelates mercury so it's dangerous if you have mercury (silver colored) fillings or have a history of mercury exposure.

My cholesterol is low too and I eat ridiculous amounts of cholesterol. But I also eat low omega 6 vegetable oils and high omega 3s in cod liver oil, pastured dairy, eggs and meat and wild seafood. My HDL/LDL numbers have improved since eating this way. I think a traditional Weston A. Price diet, no processed foods, is the way to go.

If I had PCOS I would be going Primal: grain and sugar free to reduce all need for insulin
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[JaneS]

And taking GTF chromium http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/chromium-000294.htm

[zmom2010]

Aerobic Exercising can raise HDL as can increasing your intake of MONOunsaturated fats (avocado oil, olive oil, etc), increasing soluble fiber intake, and eating foods high in omega-3 Fatty acids. You can supplement with a DHA EPA supplement as well.

Congrats on the lower numbers!