Cholesterol: More of the Good Stuff

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is often called “good” cholesterol, but really it’s great: for every point you add to your score, you get a 2-3% drop in your risk of heart disease. Cholesterol-cutting statins aren’t very effective at raising HDL – but, happily, these foods are:

• Dark chocolate In a recent study, volunteers who ate 100g of dark chocolate (70% cocoa) every day for a week raised their HDL by 9%. That’s a load of chocolate (about 2300kJ), but Paul Gurbel of Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, the study’s co-author, says eating smaller daily doses (say 15g) over an extended period of time should also help.


• Salmon HDL rose 4% in adults who ate two 115g servings a week for four weeks, according to a study by Loma Linda University in California. Other fatty fish – mackerel, herring, sardines – should deliver similar benefits, researchers say.


• Berries HDL levels rose 5% when adults ate a cup of frozen berries every day for eight weeks.


• Eggs Healthy adults who ate an egg every day for 12 weeks increased HDL as much as 48%, according to a Thai study. Eggs are rich in lecithin – which, animal studies have shown, raises HDL.