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by Clarissa Petrova
Having raised levels of blood cholesterol is known to be a major risk factor in developing heart disease and suffering premature death. Accordingly, the smart thing to do is to lower your cholesterol to safe levels and there are two methods that will reliably achieve this. These are 1) making a number of lifestyle changes and 2) using cholesterol lowering medication.
Hypercholesterolemia (as high cholesterol is technically called) is a fairly common complaint in Western society but has in fact only come about relatively recently, due in large part to features of the typical modern lifestyle. For most people whose cholesterol levels are abnormally raised, quite modest changes to their diet and exercise patterns are all that is required to bring their levels back within acceptable limits.
Some people’s cholesterol levels are either the result of an inherited genetic condition called familial hypercholesterolemia or have already reached a point where modifications to their lifestyle would yield only limited results. They will usually be prescribed one of a class of cholesterol lowering drugs called statins according to severity and are likely to take these for the rest of their lives.
Before we take a closer look at these two options (lifestyle and medication) it’s helpful to realise that when a doctor, for example, considers your cholesterol level they are in fact weighing up two distinct types of cholesterol, called LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and HDL (“good cholesterol”).
LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) is composed in the main of lipids (body fats) and is produced by your liver as part of the overall digestion of what you eat. From the liver it is sent through the entire blood stream to supply energy to every tissue in your body. So LDL is crucial in fuelling your body, but unfortunately unused energy (excess LDL) tends to build up as fatty deposits in veins and arteries, storing up problems for the future.
HDL (High Density Lipoprotein i.e. more protein than lipid) soaks up as much as excess LDL as it can and returns it to the liver for recycling or waste. Your body however contains a much greater proportion of LDL than HDL so it’s an unequal struggle, but it has been found that increasing exercise results in an increase of HDL concentrations in the blood.
The lifestyle modifications that are recommended to lower cholesterol derive from accumulated medical evidence that being overweight, drinking too much, smoking, eating specific types of food and not taking enough exercise all contribute to high levels of LDL cholesterol and that conversely, not indulging in these practices will have the opposite effect and decrease cholesterol levels.
So what types of foods are best avoided? The simple answer is anything that contains saturated fat; so hard cheese, butter, red meat, pastries, cakes and biscuits. Conversely you should aim to increase your intake of fruit, vegetables, oat and beans as these foods actively help to lower cholesterol. Switching from butter to a plant sterol based spread (commonly marketed as “cholesterol lowering” spreads) gets the best of both worlds.
If changing your lifestyle still doesn’t reduce your cholesterol to medically recommended limits then you really ought to see a doctor, who will almost certainly suggest that you start taking one of a class of drugs generically termed statins. These are not however a way of getting out of switching to a healthier lifestyle; they are simply the next step on top of that.
The most commonly prescribed statins are (in ascending order of strength and using both clinical and brand names):
The vast majority of people tolerate statins easily and suffer no side-effects at all, but it should be noted that they can damage both muscles and the liver, especially when taken in high doses and for this reason you may find that reasonably regular blood tests become a feature of your life due to the need to both monitor the effect of statins on your cholesterol levels and to watch for symptoms of internal damage.
So there you have it. Two effective and medically proven ways to lower cholesterol. The difference between the two is simply a matter of degree – taking prescribed drugs is an additional measure on top of addressing your lifestyle, which in most cases lies at the root of the problem.
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Proven Ways To Lower Your Cholesterol Levels
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Having raised levels of blood cholesterol is known to be a major risk factor in developing heart disease and suffering premature death. Accordingly, the smart thing to do is to lower your cholesterol to safe levels and there are two methods that will reliably achieve this. These are 1) making a number of lifestyle changes and 2) using cholesterol lowering medication.
Hypercholesterolemia (as high cholesterol is technically called) is a fairly common complaint in Western society but has in fact only come about relatively recently, due in large part to features of the typical modern lifestyle. For most people whose cholesterol levels are abnormally raised, quite modest changes to their diet and exercise patterns are all that is required to bring their levels back within acceptable limits.
Some people’s cholesterol levels are either the result of an inherited genetic condition called familial hypercholesterolemia or have already reached a point where modifications to their lifestyle would yield only limited results. They will usually be prescribed one of a class of cholesterol lowering drugs called statins according to severity and are likely to take these for the rest of their lives.
Before we take a closer look at these two options (lifestyle and medication) it’s helpful to realise that when a doctor, for example, considers your cholesterol level they are in fact weighing up two distinct types of cholesterol, called LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and HDL (“good cholesterol”).
LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) is composed in the main of lipids (body fats) and is produced by your liver as part of the overall digestion of what you eat. From the liver it is sent through the entire blood stream to supply energy to every tissue in your body. So LDL is crucial in fuelling your body, but unfortunately unused energy (excess LDL) tends to build up as fatty deposits in veins and arteries, storing up problems for the future.
HDL (High Density Lipoprotein i.e. more protein than lipid) soaks up as much as excess LDL as it can and returns it to the liver for recycling or waste. Your body however contains a much greater proportion of LDL than HDL so it’s an unequal struggle, but it has been found that increasing exercise results in an increase of HDL concentrations in the blood.
The lifestyle modifications that are recommended to lower cholesterol derive from accumulated medical evidence that being overweight, drinking too much, smoking, eating specific types of food and not taking enough exercise all contribute to high levels of LDL cholesterol and that conversely, not indulging in these practices will have the opposite effect and decrease cholesterol levels.
So what types of foods are best avoided? The simple answer is anything that contains saturated fat; so hard cheese, butter, red meat, pastries, cakes and biscuits. Conversely you should aim to increase your intake of fruit, vegetables, oat and beans as these foods actively help to lower cholesterol. Switching from butter to a plant sterol based spread (commonly marketed as “cholesterol lowering” spreads) gets the best of both worlds.
If changing your lifestyle still doesn’t reduce your cholesterol to medically recommended limits then you really ought to see a doctor, who will almost certainly suggest that you start taking one of a class of drugs generically termed statins. These are not however a way of getting out of switching to a healthier lifestyle; they are simply the next step on top of that.
The most commonly prescribed statins are (in ascending order of strength and using both clinical and brand names):
pravastatin (Lipostat); simvastatin (Zocor); atorvastatin (Lipitor); rosuvastatin (Crestor).
The vast majority of people tolerate statins easily and suffer no side-effects at all, but it should be noted that they can damage both muscles and the liver, especially when taken in high doses and for this reason you may find that reasonably regular blood tests become a feature of your life due to the need to both monitor the effect of statins on your cholesterol levels and to watch for symptoms of internal damage.
So there you have it. Two effective and medically proven ways to lower cholesterol. The difference between the two is simply a matter of degree – taking prescribed drugs is an additional measure on top of addressing your lifestyle, which in most cases lies at the root of the problem.