Alternative medicine (2)
- Cholesterol-lowering supplements: Lower your numbers without prescription medication
- Red yeast rice (Monascus purpureus)
Definition (2)
- Cholesterol levels: What numbers should you aim for?
- Triglycerides: Why do they matter?
Lifestyle and home remedies (6)
- Cholesterol: The top 5 foods to lower your numbers
- Top 5 lifestyle changes to reduce cholesterol
- HDL cholesterol: How to boost your 'good' cholesterol
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Prevention (1)
- Menus for heart-healthy eating: Cut the fat and salt
Tests and diagnosis (2)
- Cholesterol levels: What numbers should you aim for?
- Cholesterol test
Treatments and drugs (4)
- Niacin to boost your HDL, 'good,' cholesterol
- Statins: Are these cholesterol-lowering drugs right for you?
- Cholesterol medications: Consider the options
- see all in Treatments and drugs
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Cholesterol levels: What numbers should you aim for?
Lifestyle changes
If your LDL cholesterol is too high, the first thing your doctor will probably suggest is lifestyle changes. Eating more soluble fiber, found in oatmeal, beans, fruits and vegetables, and less saturated fat and cholesterol can improve your cholesterol levels.
Being overweight and inactive tends to increase your LDL cholesterol and lower your HDL cholesterol, exactly the opposite of what you want. Exercise and weight loss can help reverse this trend. This is especially important for people who have large waist measurements — more than 40 inches (101.6 centimeters) for men and more than 35 inches (88.9 centimeters) for women — because people with this body shape are more likely to develop heart disease.
Medications may be needed
When lifestyle changes aren't enough to reach your cholesterol targets, your doctor may prescribe medications to help lower your cholesterol levels. These drugs, such as statins, aren't a replacement for lifestyle changes. You'll still need to eat properly and exercise.
A hidden risk factor
High cholesterol has no symptoms, but your genetic makeup — reflected in family history of high cholesterol or heart disease — might make you more prone to the condition, even if you eat right and exercise. That's why it's so important to have a baseline cholesterol test at age 20 and have follow-up tests at least once every five years. Finding the problem early allows you to take action before it's too late. Your doctor may recommend more frequent cholesterol tests if your total cholesterol level or LDL cholesterol level is high.
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