Table of Contents
The main aim of lowering cholesterol is to reduce the risk of heart disease and other problems hypercholesterolemia might provoke. The type of treatment depends on the overall risk of heart disease, but there are two ways to treat high cholesterol. The first is with simple lifestyle changes, including a diet change. You should also consider managing weight and increasing exercise. The second is to combine lifestyle changes with cholesterol-lowering medicines the doctor should prescribe.
Dieting and healthy eating can reduce cholesterol, so make sure that your diet is low in saturated fats in particular, and low in fat overall. Biscuits, cakes, pastries, red meat, hard cheese, butter and foods containing coconut or palm oil all tend to be high in saturated fats, so try to avoid them. Large amounts of cholesterol are contained in a few food types, including eggs and offal such as liver and kidneys. Although dietary cholesterol does not usually contribute much to blood cholesterol, still it is advisable to limit these foods to three servings a week if you have hypercholesterolemia. It is also important to eat plenty of fiber, especially soluble, which is able to lower cholesterol. You can get it from fruits and vegetables, beans and oats. You should aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day.
Medicines for cholesterol lowering should be prescribed to people who already have CHD. The doctor could also prescribe medicines for people who are at high risk of getting it because they have other risk factors. The main medicines for lowering cholesterol are statins, such as Zocor and Lipitor.