Photo: Mike Baird, Flickr

Obviously, exercise is good for you, but just how much it benefits you depends on many factors, including your gender and your race, according to a long-term study led by the University of Northern Carolina.

Researchers have been tracking exercise and cholesterol levels in 15,000 African American and Caucasian men and women since the late 1980s. In all groups, adding an hour of mild exercise or a half an hour of moderate exercise a week increased levels of 'good' cholesterol, the heart-healthy HDL kind. However, the increased activity lead to lower levels of LDL ('bad') cholesterol only in women, not men. Additionally, the only group to exhibit improvement in all cholesterol levels were African American women. Caucasians who exercised more saw a decrease in harmful triglycerides, but African Americans didn't show the same result.

The reason for the differences? Researchers aren't sure, but they suspect it has something to do with hormonal differences between the sexes and genetic difference between races. Furthermore, the method of research -- questionnaires -- means the results might not be entirely accurate.

If you're a woman, this is even more motivation to step it up, because it's evidence that even a small change can make a big difference. But regardless of your race or gender, regular exercise is vital to your heart health and overall well-being -- so get moving!

Need more motivation? Find out how Michelle Obama sculpts those smokin' arms.

When I was cleaning up my diet more than a year ago, I bid a fond farewell to cheese. It wasn't exactly my favorite food or anything, but I was no stranger to it either. I ate it on pizza, tacos and crackers, and I liked it. It was an easy cut from my diet, though, and I'm pretty sure I lost a few pounds when I nixed it.

Cheese has slowly crept back into my diet in small amounts, which is a good thing. Well, Reader's Digest says it's good, anyway, and reports that eating cheese can be heart healthy. Women in one study who ate a serving a day (think the size of about four dice) had higher good HDL cholesterol and lower bad LDL cholesterol than those who ate less. Men didn't enjoy the same benefits -- sorry, guys -- because they tend to pick cheeses higher in salt and saturated fat.

If you're a fan of cheese, by all means, have some. Just have it like this:

• Pick part-skim. Less saturated fat but just as much taste. Still bunches of calcium and essential fatty acids too.
• Skip fat-free. Too much sodium to cover for lost flavor, and the texture can be rubbery.
• Get gourmet. High in fat but rich in taste so you won't eat too much.

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Apparently, millions of Americans -- including those at a low-risk of heart attack -- should be on the cholesterol-reducing drugs. In my opinion, this is scary. Don't get me wrong -- statins are a wonderful thing and have helped many, many people. But we are a very medicated society and the fact that the medical community feels the need to medicate the low-risk population is frightening. Especially when healthy living could solve many of the same problems.

People with high cholesterol aren't the only ones who should be paying attention to their numbers. Even if your cholesterol falls in healthy ranges, you should still be taking proactive measures to manage it:

• Exercise regularly. Aerobic exercise increases your HDL cholesterol. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the "good" cholesterol because it helps carry the bad cholesterol out of your blood stream. Your HDL levels should be greater than 40 mg/dl.

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Butter contains saturated fat, which can raise bad (LDL) cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease. Margarine, specifically the stuff that comes in a stick, contains trans fats, which increase LDL cholesterol and lower healthy (HDL) cholesterol. So what's better -- butter or margarine?

It's best to abandon both options in their pure forms. Choose a soft-tub of vegetable spread instead. Look for trans-fat-free labels, which usually indicate that the product is low in saturated fat too. And if you're looking to cut calories, opt for a tub advertised as reduced fat or light.

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September is National Cholesterol Awareness Month, so take some time this month to educate yourself on cholesterol -- the good, the bad, and what you can do about it.

• Get tested. If you don't know your cholesterol levels, visit your doctor. Ask your doctor to explain the results and give you some recommendations if your cholesterol levels needs improvement. Chris recently posted a good overview of the different types of cholesterol and some general guidelines for healthy ranges.
  
• Eat heart-healthy foods. Choose plenty of whole grains, healthful fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), lots of fruits and vegetables, and lean protein. Also, remember to minimize your sodium intake.

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According to a report by the Society for Women's Research, seventy-four percent of women ages 18 to 44 don't have even a clue as to what their cholesterol numbers are. Clearly this is a problem, as high cholesterol is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, the number one killer of women.

So, what should your numbers be? I'd suggest that you talk to your doctor to find out the answer to this question. In the meantime, here's a pretty good guide:

Total Cholesterol (HDL + LDL + Triglycerides): You should aim to keep it less than 200 mg/dL.

Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL): Try to keep this bad cholesterol at a level of less than 100 mg/dL.

High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL): Keeping this good cholesterol at around 50 mg/dL or higher is a good idea.

Triglycerides: Keep these energy-storing fatty acids at a level of less than 150 mg/dL.

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There's good (HDL) cholesterol and there's bad (LDL) cholesterol, yet when people say the word cholesterol, most people's minds immediately jump to the negative. However, just as it's important to keep your LDL low, you also want to make sure your HDL is as high as it should be.

Fortunately, many foods that help lower "bad" cholesterol can also help boost your "good" cholesterol. An example can be found in mixed berries. In a recent study, people with high blood pressure (a condition that can sometimes be attributed to cholesterol levels) who ate berries daily saw a seven point drop in their systolic blood pressure after only eight weeks. What's more, not only did their blood pressure go down, but their HDL went up, too.

Regular exercise can also dramatically improve both good and bad cholesterol levels. Doctors recommend getting at least 20 to 30 minutes of exercise three times a week for best results.

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Maintaining high cholesterol boosts Alzheimer's risk, according to past studies. One way to keep this risk level at bay -- apart from lowering LDL cholesterol, of course -- is to drink coffee or other caffeinated drinks.

A study published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation reveals that caffeine may "block some of the disruptive effects of cholesterol that make the blood-brain barrier leaky," says a lead researcher in a recent Men's Health article.

Since caffeine obviously does not require a prescription, drinking a daily cup of coffee is an easy way for someone with high cholesterol to safely begin their therapy against this neurological disorder.

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When you really get down to it, one of the main objectives of life is to stay alive for as long as we can. On average, we occupy a place on this planet for about 75 years. Some of us hang around for a little longer, while others take an earlier ferry. Still, barring any unfortunate accident or contraction of a terminal illness at a younger age, 75 seems to be the norm.

Keeping your stay on this wonderful world of ours from being cut short sometimes requires a good amount of work (regular exercise, adequate amounts of sleep, stressing less, etc.). However, there are also some easy ways to prevent early departure, many of which involve nothing more than a revised grocery shopping list. For the next eight days, we'll offer one death-defying food choice each day to help keep you healthy and happy for many more years to come.

Death-Defying Food #5: Almonds

Packed with good fats, vitamin E, and calcium, almonds can help protect against a myriad of physical maladies. A recent study, conducted at the University of Toronto, led to the discovery that eating about an ounce of almonds per day can decrease LDL cholesterol by as much as 20 percent over time. Incredibly, this decrease in LDL is comparable to the reduction caused by some medications.

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You know that eating foods like greasy burgers and fries can give your cholesterol level an unwanted boost. But there are foods you can eat that will lower your cholesterol.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition has determined that when it comes to cholesterol screening in kids, more is better.

Previous recommendations called for kids who were at known risk for high cholesterol or whose familial medical histories were unknown to be tested for high cholesterol. The updated guidelines have added some additional criteria. Any child who has a risk factor for heart disease -- obesity, family history, diabetes, high blood pressure, and so forth -- should be tested. Cholesterol testing can begin as young as two-years-old, and should take place before the child's 10th birthday at latest.

The optimal LDL ("bad" cholesterol) level for most kids is 110 or lower.

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A recent article in Men's Health, focusing on our national sugar addiction, truly gave me pause. It wasn't as though learning that we, as a nation, consume more calories today than we did 30 years ago that was all that shocking; rather, it was more the fact that the demonizing of fat is very much to blame.

Fat is not the enemy. It's very important to remember that. I know I've said it before, but I still feel that if fat had a different name, people would not have such an aversion to consuming foods that are high in it. While it is true that trans fat is not in any way good for you, there are several types of fat that are -- monounsaturated fat being one of them. Olive oil, flaxseed oil, almonds, avocados -- these foods are not bad for you, despite the fact that they are full of fat. Quite the contrary, actually; these foods are great energy sources, in addition to helping to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Now back to the Men's Health article.

In the piece, as well as a corresponding diagram, a precipitous climb in the weight of an average American is shown to have occurred from 1971 to 2001. During this time, fat was unfairly deemed a no-no, leading to a decrease in its consumption and -- far worse -- the substitution of sugar and refined grains in its place. In doing so, we now take in an average of 168 more calories a day than we did before the no- and low-fat campaign began. This is not to say that an Atkins approach is the best way to lose weight, because recent history has demonstrated that this is not the case, either. Instead, many experts now say that a diet rich in healthy fats, lean protein sources, vegetables and fruits, and other complex carbohydrates is the key to keeping our waistlines small and our overall health in check.

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After the "fat-free" frenzy of years past, it's no wonder that some people are scared off of eating any fats. But look around... did the fat-free trend solve the obesity problem? Nope... not at all. That's because food manufacturers raced to label their foods as "fat-free" in big, bold letters on the front of the packages, but they failed to mention other unhealthy ingredients such as high sugar or high sodium or unpronounceable chemicals that really have no place in our diet whatsoever.

The truth is we need fat in our diets. (Not as much as most people consume, of course, but we do need it.) Our bodies can generate a certain amount, but the rest must be consumed. The trick is eating foods prepared with the good fats. That's right... I said good fats. A recent survey revealed that more than half of Americans have no idea that there are some fats you should be including in your diet. To help people better differentiate between good and not-so-good fats, the American Heart Association has launched Face the Fats.

There are four types of fats: saturated fats, trans-fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats. While all four varieties have the same number of calories (9 calories per gram of fat), they have different effects on health. Saturated and trans-fats are the culprits to avoid -- they can raise your "bad" cholesterol (LDL). But monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are beneficial for health when consumed in small amounts; they help reduce cholesterol levels and provide essential fatty acids (omega 3 and omega 6) that your body needs but can't generate on its own.

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Having just recently written a piece on some alternative uses for olive oil (relieving constipation, cleaning household furniture, etc.), I figured it would be fitting to spend a little time talking about its more commonly known health benefits. In the process, I thought I'd also point out how many other oils measure up.

Flaxseed Oil: Good for salad dressing. Great source of ALA, a form of heart-healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: How something can be EXTRA virgin is beyond me. Nevertheless, EVOO requires minimal processing and contains high levels of the antioxidants known as polyphenols. Very, very good for your heart.

Olive Oil: The more promiscuous cousin of EVOO is perfect for grilling, sauteing, and using in a pasta sauce. It's high in monounsaturated fats (good fats) and antioxidants, so it helps prevent the build-up of LDL (bad) cholesterol.

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We frequently hear about making sure that our cholesterol is low, but rarely are we questioned about whether it is high enough. As you may already know, there are two types of cholesterol, LDL (which is considered "bad" cholesterol) and HDL (which is considered "good" cholesterol). Essentially, you want your LDL to be low, but you want to make sure that your HDL is high.

Fortunately, many foods that help lower "bad" cholesterol can also help boost your "good" cholesterol. RealAge.com highly suggests eating mixed berries to do just this. In a recent study, people with high blood pressure (a condition that can sometimes be attributed to cholesterol levels) who ate berries daily saw a seven point drop in their systolic blood pressure after only eight weeks. What's more, not only did their blood pressure go down, but their HDL went up, too.

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