My doctor says my HDL cholesterol is low. HDL cholesterol is what the body uses to remove excess LDL from the bloodstream. It is important to understand that foods do not contain HDL cholesterol.
All animal foods contain dietary cholesterol.
HDL cholesterol, however, is manufactured in the body. Genetics, exercise, diet and certain lifestyle behaviors such as smoking can affect how much HDL our bodies make. There isn t much any of us can do to change our genes, and unfortunately, some of us are not blessed with healthy HDL levels. But there is plenty we can do to change our behavior, which in turn can have a positive effect on our HDL cholesterol levels. For the first time, the panel recognized low levels of HDL as an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease and recommended that everyone be tested not only for total cholesterol, but also for HDL cholesterol.