Low-Carb Can Raise HDL Levels Without Cholesterol Medication

New drug claims to raise your HDL "good" cholesterol in a few hours

Doctors and medical professionals in Singapore are rejoicing today in this story about a new drug designed to help raise good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides to help prevent heart attacks and stroke.

Singapore is the first Asian country to approve the use of Niaspan, an extended-release form of the prescription drug Niacin. According to their web site, Niaspan can be taken in combination with statin drugs (Lipitor, Crestor, etc.), but should not be taken with another form of niacin drug. It does not "prevent the development of heart disease" and should not be taken if you drink large amounts of alchoholic beverages. The primary side effect is flushing, which includes warmth, redness, itching, and/or tingling of the skin.

Health experts have long held the belief that lowering your LDL "bad" cholesterol is the key to reducing the chances of having a heart attack or stroke. But new studies are finding that doing this only decreases those risks by 25 percent. In other words, you still have a three in four chance of having a fatal heart attack or stroke despite taking these very expensive prescription drugs.

That is why the new focus is on finding ways to raise HDL "good" cholesterol.

James Shepherd from the University of Glasgow and Royal Infirmary in Scotland said raising HDL is "good for you."

"What we have not really appreciated is that if you raise HDL, the good cholesterol, and lower the bad cholesterol, you'll get even greater benefits than just lowering bad cholesterol," he remarked.

Interestingly, Dr. Peter Yan, a heart surgeon and cardiologist from the Gleneagles Medical Center and Mouth Elizabeth Medical Center said the benefits of raising "good" cholesterol are better than the ones you receive by lowering "bad" cholesterol.

"Epidemiological studies have shown that if you lower 1% of LDL, which is the bad cholesterol, you will get a 1% in coronary events reduction," he explained. "If you increase 1% of HDL cholesterol, you will get a 2% to 3% reduction in coronary risks or coronary events. So you actually get a better bargain."

As a result, in steps Niaspan to the rescue to be combined with other cholesterol-lowering medications. Or does it?

I have a hereditary reason for taking statin drugs (I've taken Lipitor and it killed my muscles, so I switched to Crestor and have felt fine) to keep my LDL "bad" cholesterol in check, but I have noticed my HDL "good" cholesterol has gone WAY UP since I started livin' la vida low-carb. Before I began my low-carb program last year, my HDL number was 27. Do you know what it is today after being on low-carb for a year and half? 72! WOO HOO! That's my GOOD cholesterol nearly TRIPLING thanks to the healthy benefits of low-carb living. At the same time, my triglycerides have fallen faster than a lead weight in water from a high near 300 down to 52!

All of this happened WITHOUT the assistance of any new prescription drug. It's all because of livin' la vida low-carb.

A few months ago I shared with you the opinion of Dr. Ron Rosedale who holds the belief that we shouldn't be worried about our cholesterol, but rather our blood sugar to help prevent the onset of heart disease. He might be right. Livin' la vida low-carb takes care of that too as you restrict unhealthy sugar and high fructose corn syrup consumption from your diet.

Why would you take another expensive prescription drug when a simple lifestyle change in the way you eat could produce the same results for you? If there was ever a reason to start livin' la vida low-carb, then this might be the best one you've heard if you have low HDL "good" cholesterol. My personal experience shows it can happen when it is tried. You might be surprised just how well it works!

Of course, as this story points out, you should include exercise and putting down the cigarettes to help keep your heart healthy, too.

"Not smoking will actually raise your HDL cholesterol by about 8% to 10%. It may lower your blood pressure as well. Exercise can also raise the levels of your HDL cholesterol," an endocrinologist said.

Low-carb may just be the lifestyle change you've been looking for.