Once upon a time, our fellow Sully
  rambled on about "Re: Low HDL - Niacin - Gout?."
Our champion De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

Exercise works plain and simple.  But, there may be other factors.

Other factors known to lower HDL are:
- Smoking
- excessive amounts of trans-fatty acids (ie, partially
 hydrogenated oils)
- Excessive zinc
- and "Glycaemic Index as a Determinant of Serum HDL-Cholesterol
 Concentration"  (ie, too many refined grains and starchy foods)
http://atkinscenter.com/Archive/2002/1/11-160950.html
"Results indicated that among the 1,420 participants with complete
data, there was a negative relationship between HDL-cholesterol
concentration and the glycemic index of the diet for both men and
women."

Other factors known to increase HDL levels are:
1)500 mg a day of curcumin
2)Fat in your diet

The following is all the info that I have on the subject of increasing
hdl.

Subject: Exercise: How to Raise Good Hdl Cholesterol
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2002 22:45:09 +0000

"Exercise before you eat fat. A study at the University of
Missouri shows that exercising regularly before eating high-fat
meals raises HDL cholesterol considerably."

To get the maximum effect from exercise on HDL you should always
exercise at least one hour before consuming a meal with fat.  This
effect depends a lot on the intensity of the exercise performed,
but low-intersenty exercises, like fast-walking, will work
provided you exercise for long periods of time.

And, if you engage in intense aerobic exercise you can effective
use this technique to cheat on your low-fat diet, with an
occasional high-fat meal.  Further, the high-fat meal can be
consumed up to 12 hours after exercising.

"The purpose of this study was to examine the optimal time to
exercise (before or after a fat meal) to magnify the effect of
exercise on postprandial TG and HDL responses."

"At 24 h, HDL2-Ch concentrations in both the 1 h-Pre and 12 h-Pre
trials were significantly higher than in Control."

"The TG-lowering effect in the premeal-exercise trials is
accompanied by elevation of HDLtot-Ch and HDL2-Ch. These findings
suggest that the detrimental effects of eating fat during a meal
can be decreased by exercise before the meal. Furthermore,
exercising 12 h before a fat-rich meal intake may magnify this
beneficial effect on the TG response and HDL metabolism, which may
more efficiently blunt the postprandial-induced atherosclerotic
process."

How to Raise Good Hdl Cholesterol
http://www.drmirkin.com/heart/8756.html
"Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

If your good HDL cholesterol is below 35, you are at increased
risk for heart attacks. You can reduce chances of suffering a
heart attack by two percent for every mg/dl rise in HDL.

To raise HDL cholesterol, run at least seven miles a week or burn
at least 1200 calories with exercise per week. Lose weight. For
every pound of fat lost, expect a one percent rise in HDL (1).

Exercise before you eat fat. A study at the University of Missouri
shows that exercising regularly before eating high-fat meals
raises HDL cholesterol considerably (2). Exercise stimulates the
fat-clearing enzyme, lipoprotein lipase, which drops triglycerides
to produce more HDL cholesterol."

Zhang JQ, Thomas TR, Ball SD.
Effect of exercise timing on postprandial lipemia and HDL
cholesterol subfractions.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9
760349&dopt=Abstract
J Appl Physiol. 1998 Oct;85(4):1516-22.
PMID: 9760349

FREE Full Text of article at Journal of Applied Physiology Online:
http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/85/4/1516

"Fig. 3.   A: effect of acute exercise on plasma total
high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol"
http://jap.physiology.org/content/vol85/issue4/images/large/japp06053003x.jpeg

Aldred HE, Perry IC, Hardman AE.
The effect of a single bout of brisk walking on postprandial
lipemia in normolipidemic young adults.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8
028506&dopt=Abstract
Metabolism. 1994 Jul;43(7):836-41.
PMID: 8028506

Avoid taking 100 mg or more Zinc a day.  I would not supplement
with more than 50 mg a day of Zinc.

Freeland-Graves JH, Friedman BJ, Han WH.
Effect of zinc supplementation on plasma high-density lipoprotein
cholesterol and zinc.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7
081096&dopt=Abstract
Am J Clin Nutr. 1982 May;35(5):988-92.
PMID: 7081096

Hooper PL, Visconti L, Garry PJ.
Zinc lowers high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7
420708&dopt=Abstract
JAMA. 1980 Oct 24-31;244(17):1960-1.
PMID: 7420708

http://www.smartbodyz.com/herbal-cardiovascular-formula-Text.htm
"When 500 mg a day of curcumin was given to ten volunteers, there
was a 29% increase in beneficial HDL cholesterol after only 7
days.  Total cholesterol was reduced by 11.6% and lipid
peroxidation was by 33% (Indian Journal of Physiology
36(4):273-275 1992)."

Soni KB, Kuttan R.
Effect of oral curcumin administration on serum peroxides and
cholesterol levels in human volunteers.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1
291482&dopt=Abstract
Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 1992 Oct;36(4):273-5.
PMID: 1291482
--
John Gohde,
  Feeling Great and Better than Ever!

Healers who believe in the healing power of nature,
Vis Mediatix Naturae, worship Hygeia and the vital force.
http://tutorials.naturalhealthperspective.com/history.html