How many of you have low HDL cholesterol levels? It's not as uncommon as you think. Your HDL, also known as your "good" cholesterol, can actually help protect you against heart disease. Despite its value on our heart health, there aren't any drugs on the market that can specifically raise HDL levels. According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, this may change in the future.

Scientists at Northwestern University have recently developed a synthetic HDL that may help those of us who have low levels of HDL in our bodies. Designed from gold nanoparticles, this synthetic form of HDL has the same shape and size as the HDL typically found in our bodies. Additionally, these particles are able to bind to cholesterol.

However, you won't see this out on the market anytime soon. More biological studies will need to be conducted in order to see how this form of HDL behaves in animals and humans.

In the meantime, there are some ways you can boost your HDL levels, including:

• Plenty of exercise
• Moderate alcohol consumption
• Smoking cessation

Have you made your New Year's resolution yet? When making out your list, make sure that you add a healthy heart onto it. With visions of weight loss and making money at the beginning of the new year, some people forget the importance of good health - including the heart.

One way you can begin your heart-healthy resolution is by keeping your cholesterol levels within their normal ranges. It requires just making a few changes in your lifestyle. An added bonus is that, while you are keeping your heart healthy, it will also help you to lose weight and improve your emotional health. If you're having trouble figuring out which foods you can and cannot eat, there are also many diet regimens out there that can keep you on track. You can start your journey to healthy eating by checking out these common, heart-healthy diets.

High cholesterol levels may be an important risk factor in determining heart disease. A blood cholesterol test is important in detecting high cholesterol levels as well as your risk for heart disease. Have you gotten your cholesterol checked lately? If not, you should know that getting your cholesterol checked is very easy and quick. Additionally, it is also very easy to prepare for. This brief article will give you some tips before taking a cholesterol test.

Abbott announced recently that they have received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to sell TriLipix, a new cholesterol lowering drug that can be combined with statins.

Trilipix, or fenobric acid, belongs to the class of cholesterol lowering drugs known as the fibrates. Fibrates have the ability to impact all aspects of your lipid profile - HDL, LDL, and triglycerides - but their claim to fame is their ability to lower triglyceride levels.

While it is uncommon to see fibrates and statins combined together, they are sometimes used in combination for cases of high cholesterol that won't budge with just one cholesterol-lowering drug. This combination can be potentially dangerous and needs to be closely monitored by your healthcare provider. An increase in liver enzymes, muscle pain, and rhabdomyolysis are rare, but can occur when these products are used together.

TriLipix is the first fibrate that is officially approved to be used in combination with a statin. There isn't a lot of information about TriLipix out there yet in terms of its ability to reduce your risk of heart disease, like there is with other fibrates and the statins, but it looks promising. If you want to find out more about this, Abbott has posted its press release about the FDA approval, as well as some information about this new drug.