# My good cholesterol is low. Time for fries cooked in olive oil? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 8, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105 "2014-11-08T23:55:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/1 "2014-11-08T23:55:01Z")
Despite a complete lack of effort on my part\*, I continue to be too healthy for a 60-yr-old fat man. However, I just got some of the results from my recent blood work\*\*, and while everything else was normal, there was something out of whack. To quote, “Your total cholesterol is normal, but your good cholesterol is low.” To wit, it’s 44. While I will be discussing this with my doc in a couple weeks, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to kill me anytime soon, what can I do now to bring it up, short of loading up on fries cooked in olive oil?\*\*\* Not that I care, but I’m curious. - - I am not suicidal. I’m just indifferent. \*\* - I just wanted refills on my head meds, which can kill your liver, I guess. \*\*\* - Not nearly as good as you might think. Kinda oily and limp. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/2 "2014-11-09T00:21:39Z")
IMHO it’s mostly genetic factors to blame for cholesterol, then diet and exercise. My good cholesterol is always quite high, and few people consume more bacon than I do. My bad cholesterol was a little high and I stopped using bacon grease like butter. It’s better now. ---
**Author:** ![iljitsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/77aa72/32.png) [@iljitsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iljitsch)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/3 "2014-11-09T03:10:19Z")
Eat more fatty fish and move more? (Doesn’t have to be full blown exercise, yard work and walking count, too.) ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/4 "2014-11-09T03:28:05Z")
Not much probably. There is a new class of drugs coming out soon that increases HDL, but I don’t know if that translates into reduced risk of death or disability. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/5 "2014-11-09T04:25:51Z")
All the usual suspects: lose weight, get more active, quit smoking, choose healthier fats (olive oil doesn’t make good fries because the smoke point is too low, but olive oil is delicious on toasted bread with a clove of garlic rubbed on it). The most controversial recommendation is to drink alcohol moderately - some studies show that moderate drinkers have higher HDL cholesterol than teetotalers or heavy drinkers. But if you’re on meds that may make your liver unhappy, that’s definitely something to discuss with your doctor first. [http://www.webmd.com/heart/how-to-boost-your-good-cholesterol](http://www.webmd.com/heart/how-to-boost-your-good-cholesterol) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/848f3c/32.png) [@The\_Holdsworth\_Effect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Holdsworth_Effect)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/6 "2014-11-09T06:05:22Z")
Move more. Also, try not to fixate on it- if you are otherwise healthy, pursue happiness 🙂 and keep your head meds tuned. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/7 "2014-11-09T06:10:28Z")
Olive oil is fine for sauteing, but not for deep frying because its smoke point is too low. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Dord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@The\_Dord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Dord)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/8 "2014-11-09T06:18:38Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Olive oil is fine for sauteing, but not for deep frying because its smoke point is too low. Bonus: Sauté some fish with olive oil! That’s what I do. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/9 "2014-11-09T23:55:07Z")
A couple weeks ago we were near a place I used to work. I noted a restaurant that fried its fries in olive oil "that was still in business. Wife, a sometime food chemist, said words that echo through this thread: “They wouldn’t be good. The smoke point is too low.” ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/10 "2014-11-10T05:06:04Z")
Paint your Fries with olive oil, and put them on a baking sheet under the broiler. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/11 "2014-11-10T17:11:45Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > A couple weeks ago we were near a place I used to work. I noted a restaurant that fried its fries in olive oil "that was still in business. Wife, a sometime food chemist, said words that echo through this thread: “They wouldn’t be good. The smoke point is too low.” Plus, doesn’t the flavor in olive oil break down with heat (even below the smoke point)? Horse fat is where it’s really at for french fries, if The Man Who Ate Everything is to be believed. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/12 "2014-11-10T17:46:28Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Olive oil is fine for sauteing, but not for deep frying because its smoke point is too low. Not true at all. Italians have been frying with the stuff for a long, long time. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/13 "2014-11-10T17:57:33Z")
Cite that Italians know how to make decent French fries? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/14 "2014-11-10T18:02:15Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Cite that Italians know how to make decent French fries? 😃 Not sure. I was just addressing the myth that you can’t deep fry with extra virgin olive oil. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2014, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/15 "2014-11-10T23:50:34Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Horse fat is where it’s really at for french fries, if The Man Who Ate Everything is to be believed. In order to conclude this partial hijack (stern look), McDonald’s fries were much better when they were fried in tallow. Okay, we’ve covered french fries and healthy living aimed at lowering my normal, undeservedly-good bad cholesterol, but the question, “How do I raise my GOOD cholesterol?” remains unanswered. The counts, measured in hard mg/dl of blood, seem unrelated, so that reducing one will not raise the other. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/16 "2014-11-11T00:48:16Z")
I answered that, with a link, in post 5. You raise your good cholesterol with exactly the same interventions that lower total cholesterol (and therefore “bad” cholesterol.) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/17 "2014-11-11T01:15:09Z")
Yeah, I read that, but why? How are the two related? What is the mechanism where lowering one raises the other, seemingly unrelated, substance? I’m looking for more beyond the “just because” I usually get from medical people. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-good-cholesterol-is-low-time-for-fries-cooked-in-olive-oil/704105/18 "2014-11-11T01:44:40Z")
Aerobic exercise. Walking is a good place to start. Do about 2 miles a day. That’s only about 30-40 minutes.