Nandipa wishes to maintain her heart health, strictly follows a plant-based diet, and has successfully maintained her blood level of LDL, ''bad'' cholesterol at well within the range considered optimal for heart health. But she is worried that her blood of HDL, ''good'' cholesterol, is lower than is often considered optimal for heart health, and has thus considered consuming foods such as chicken or fish that would increase her blood level of this beneficial substance.

Which of the following, if true, should be most significant for Nandipa in determining whether to add such foods to her diet?

A. HDL can help to protect against the accumulation of plagues (fatty deposits) in the arteries
B. The benefit of HDL is stricly due to its effect on LDL levels
C. The body produces all of the LDL it needs; so it is unnecessary to consume food containing this form of cholesterol
D. Plant-based diets reduce the sum of both ''good'' and ''bad'' cholesterol
E. There are other good besides chicken or fish that can increase the level of good cholesterol