Advice from Pittsburgh personal trainer, life coach, and Independent Beachbody Coach, Jackie Omotalade, The First Lady of Fitness, Fashion, and Fun:

Atherosclerosis is a major cause of heart disease. It involves deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste
products, calcium and other substances in the inner lining of an artery. This buildup is called plaque. It usually affects large and medium-sized arteries.

Plaques can become unstable and rupture. Those that rupture cause a blood clot (thrombus) to form that can totally
block blood flow in the artery. A blood clot that breaks off and travels to another part of the body is called an embolus. If a clot blocks a blood vessel that feeds the heart, it causes a heart attack.

A high level of cholesterol in the blood is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke.
Hypercholesterolemia is the term for high levels of blood cholesterol. Cholesterol can’t dissolve in the blood. It has to be transported to and from the cells by carriers called lipoproteins. Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is known as “bad” cholesterol. High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, is known as “good” cholesterol. These two types of lipids, along with triglycerides and Lp(a) cholesterol, make up your total cholesterol count, which can be determined through a blood test.

An American Heart Journal's study of cholesterol levels in 136,905 heart-attack patients from across the country recently revealed that 75% of the heart attack patients had normal or below normal levels of LDL, but more than half also had poor levels of HDL.

HDL numbers seem to be dwindling amongst heart attack patients from 2000 to 2006. The patients studied in 2006 averaged 10% lower HDL levels than when the studey began in 2000. Accordingly, raising HDL levels is the next fontier in cardiovascular risk reduction.

There are studies that show that HDL can act as a virtual Roto-Rooster for clogging blood vessels, pushing out bad cholesterol and causing a slowdown in the build-up of arterial plaque, the substance that leads to the hardening of the arteries. Different students show that high levels of HDL can improve memory and cognition.

So, the question is how do you improve your levels of HDL?

The most effective way to improve HDL levels may be regular aerobic exercise that raises your heart rate for 20 to 30 minutes at a time. Recent evidence suggests that the duration of exercise, rather than the intensity, is the more important factor in raising HDL choleserol.

You can also improve your HDL levels by loosing weight. Obesity leads to increased LDL cholesterol as well as reduced HDL cholesterol.

If you smoke, giving up tobacco will result in an increase in HDL levels.

Trans fatty acids not only increase LDL cholesterol levels, they also reduce HDL cholesterol levels, so eliminate them from your diet. Trans fatty acids are currently present in anything in which the nutrition label reads "partially hydrogenated vegetable oils."

One or two alcoholic drinks per day can significantly increase HDL levels. More than one or two drinks per day, however, can lead to substantial health problems including heart failure.

Monounsaturated fats such as canola oil, avocado oil, or olive oil and in the fats found in peanut butter can increase HDL cholesterol levels without increasing the total cholesterol, so include lots of them in your diet.

Soluble fibers are found in oats, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, and result in both a reduction in LDL cholesterol and an increase HDL cholesterol, so include at least two servings a day of soluble fibers in your diet.

Cranberry juice has been shown to increase HDL levels. Fish and other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids can also increase HDL levels. In postmenopausal women (but not, apparently, in men or pre-menopausal women) calcium supplementation can increase HDL levels.

Source: The American Heart Association