High cholesterol can contribute to atherosclerotic build-up in the blood vessels, which can lead to a heart attack or a stroke. The first line of defense against high cholesterol in most cases is lifestyle change.
Even a moderate amount of intentional exercise has cholesterol-lowering potential (This recent study highlights the effects in women, specifically). Diet interventions have also been effective cholesterol-lowering therapies. Increasing soluble fiber, decreasing saturated and trans fats, and including plant stanols or sterols in your diet can all help lower cholesterol.
Soluble fiber lowers cholesterol by binding bile acids, which contain cholesterol from your body. Beans, grains such as oats, and whole fruits and vegetables are sources of soluble fiber.
Saturated fats are found in animal products and palm and coconut oils. To decrease your saturated fat intake, eat mostly plant foods, choose low-fat dairy foods, remove the skin from poultry, and choose leaner cuts of beef when you do eat it (those marked “lean” or “extra lean”).
Trans fatty acids are in hydrogenated oils used in some margarines and processed foods. Check food labels at the grocery store before buying these products.
Plant sterols and stanols are naturally occurring in plant-based foods, but in quantities that are too small to effect cholesterol levels. Some foods (look for margarines, spreads, and fruit drinks) are fortified with therapeutic doses of sterols and stanols that have been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol up to 10%.
With all of these options at our disposal, some people are still unable to achieve a desirable cholesterol level with lifestyle change alone. If you have maintained these changes in your life for 3 months and your cholesterol remains over 200 mg/dL, you should discuss potentially adding a cholesterol lowering medication with your doctor.
Photo by Andrew Currie
Jennifer Teems
Jennifer Teems, MS, RD, CDN, is a Clinical Dietitian at the Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens (MSHQ), where she provides preventive and therapeutic education to individuals with nutrition-related diseases and conditions. Her education includes a BS in Dietetics in 2006 from the ...
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Stephen Guy-Clarke says:
Certain drugs can elevate cholesterol levels. These include steroids, oral contraceptives, furosemide (Lasix) and other diuretics, and levodopa (L-dopa, sold under the brand names Dopar, Larodopar, and Sinemet), which is used to treat Parkinson’s disease. Beta-blockers, often prescribed to control high blood pressure, can cause unfavourable changes in the ratio of LDL to HDL in the blood. Cigarette smoke contains large quantities of free radicals, many known to oxidise LDL cholesterol, making them more likely to be deposited on the walls of the blood vessels. The effect of cigarette smoke may be due to the direct oxidation of lipids and proteins, and it may also have indirect effects, such as the depletion of various antioxidant defences, which then allow other cellular processes (inflammation, for example) to modify LDL. In addition, smoking increases levels of LDL, lowers levels of HDL and increases the blood’s tendency to form clots. Underactive Thyroid and stress also result in an overproduction of natural cholesterol, and obesity causes unfavourable changes in serum lipoprotein levels.
r4i says:
Well i also personally believe in good nutrition and good health. What ever we take as food indirectly comes to our physic and we need to suffer a lot to overcome many problems. It better to take good nutrition and remain healthy.