HDL or "good" cholesterol can help prevent heart disease, but did you know it can also protect you against cancer? A new study shows that it can cut your risk of cancer by 21% for every 10 point rise in your HDL cholesterol. Here are a few things you can do to pump up your HDL cholesterol.
Eat soy. Soy protein improves the liver's ability to product HDL cholesterol. British studies suggest that consuming 14 grams of soy protein daily can raise your HDL cholesterol by 4%. This is the equivalent of two 8-oz. glasses of soy milk or one soy burger.
Exercise. You can raise your HDL cholesterol by walking for 30 minutes per day. If you don't have that much time to spare, you can get the same benefit by doing some kind of strength training for 20 minutes, three times per week. The more muscle tissue you have, the more sugar you burn. When your blood sugar stays steady, your liver produces more HDLs.
Drink modestly. You might be surprised to learn that drinking a modest amount of alcohol each day can help stall the breakdown of HDL cholesterol. Researchers suggest that you drink either 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1 ounces of spirits daily to achieve this goal. If you are a teetotaler, you can drink cranberry juice or calcium fortified orange juice.
Eat nuts. A handful of nuts each day can life your HDL cholesterol levels by 11%. Nuts are loaded with monounsaturated fats which the liver uses to produce HDLs. The best nuts you can eat are pistachios, almonds or peanuts.