Super Fats and HDL

Not all fat is bad for you. There are a variety of fats which can be either good or bad, depending on their balance in your body. For today, we’ll focus on the importance of the relationship between HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein), a “good” fat, and its “bad” cousin, LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein).

About 50% of heart conditions are related to heart disease, which is commonly referred to as the “clogging” of arteries. One of the main culprits in heart disease is LDL fat. The oxidizing of these fats leads to a great deal of free radical production and can eventually cause the rupturing of artery walls, heart attacks and strokes. HDL fats stop this process from taking place by clearing the LDL from your bloodstream before it becomes a problem.

If you were to picture our arteries as streets, the HDL serves as garbage trucks picking up the LDL trash and taking it to the dump to be destroyed. If the trash were left on the streets it would eventually degrade and destroy the neighborhood. The ratio of HDL to LDL in our bodies should not be greater than 1:4. When the amount of LDL becomes 4 times greater than that of the HDL, the HDL can no longer remove enough LDL to prevent it from oxidizing and degrading your body.

There are two methods that you can use to regulate the ratio between the two fats. You can eat foods and supplements to increase HDL and reduce LDL. In addition, statin drugs are available to lower your LDL. Foods high in Omega 3 fatty acids, such as fish and the fruit of the maranga tree are an excellent source of good fats that may help boost HDL.

Everyone: Each day determine you will eat foods high in Omega 3 oils (that help produce HDL fats) and supplement your diet with Omega 3 products of high quality. At the same time, eat low cholesterol foods and take supplements like Policosanol to lower your LDL. Focus on getting your HDL to LDL ratio down below 1:4. Good Luck!

I usually take two tablespoons of UDO’s oil (a brand of high quality Omega Acid blend available at most vitamin stores) to get my supplement of Omega 3 oils. I also take a supplement that is composed of the oil from NZ Mussels that has helped boost my HDL levels by 8% in two weeks! (I took two separate blood tests, two weeks apart)