By Amy Bertrand, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 25, 2006

Q: My husband''s doctor put him on Niaspan to raise his HDL. It is 28. He is already taking Lipitor for his cholesterol. Can you tell me foods that would raise his HDL also? My cholesterol was 244, and I asked my doctor if I could try diet first before going on medicine. Is a low-fat diet the best diet to go on? What foods should I eat or not eat? Is there a website where I could find out the best foods for my husband and me, or can you tell me? -- B.F., Florissant

A: So much attention has been given to LDL, or bad cholesterol, that not many people pay attention to good cholesterol, or HDL, which stands for high-density lipoproteins. Congratulations to you for doing that, says Dr. Andrew Kates, a Washington University cardiologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and director of the Heart Disease Prevention Program.

Doctors usually like to see HDL of at least 40 for men and 50 for women.

"Every 1 percent increase in HDL can reduce your heart problems by 3 percent," Kates says. A high HDL number is good because HDL "helps get the cholesterol out of your system."

Some foods may help, he says, such as red wine, orange juice, fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, olive oil, oat bran and soy protein. But a diet low in fat (20 to 35 percent of your total calories from fat, and less than 10 percent from saturated fat and trans fat) and daily exercise will also help, as will quitting smoking if you are a smoker.

For a website, check out www.mypyramid.gov or www.americanheart.org. For more information about the Heart Disease Prevention Program, call 314-867-3627.