• Now there is intriguing evidence that having a high HDL level can even boost a person’s overall longevity.

You’ve heard how important it is to maintain a high level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good”) cholesterol to protect yourself against heart disease and stroke. And recent research suggests that a healthy HDL level may also be key to warding off Alzheimer’s disease. Now there is intriguing evidence that having a high HDL level can even boost a person’s overall longevity.

The very protective HDL cholesterol is one component of the lipid profile—a group of tests that is often ordered to determine a person’s risk of coronary heart disease. Other components include total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol, and triglycerides. HDL exerts its good effects on the heart by removing dangerous fats from the blood vessel walls, thereby reducing the risk of atherosclerosis.

Research recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association determined that many people who live exceptionally long, healthy lives—average age of study participants was 98 years—share a particular gene mutation that leads to higher levels of HDL cholesterol as well as larger particles of HDL and LDL cholesterol than those seen in the general population.

It has been suggested that larger LDL particles may be protective against cardiovascular disease because such particles cannot readily penetrate the walls of arteries and contribute to atherosclerosis. The gene mutation responsible for high HDL levels and bigger HDL and LDL particles appears to protect against many chronic diseases associated with aging, such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Although we are not all lucky enough to inherit the “longevity gene,” there is much that you can do to raise your HDL level on our own—and perhaps increase your odds for a longer and healthier life. The American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association currently recommend HDL levels of above 40 mg/dL for men, and HDL levels of above 50 mg/dL for women. However, the greatest benefits seem to come when a person’s HDL level is over 60 mg/dL regardless of gender.

If your HDL is below these levels, there are numerous lifestyle changes you can make to help raise it. These include quitting smoking, exercising regularly, losing excess weight, and, in your diet, replacing trans fatty acids (found in margarines and many baked goods) with healthier monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil and canola oil, because they can help preserve HDL levels. If lifestyle changes alone are insufficient to raise your HDL level, there are several medications you can add to help improve your HDL level.