Best Diet For Lower Cholesterol

How Long Does It Take For Cholesterol Levels To Fall

After a few days of healthier living, cholesterol drops gradually rather than abruptly. There is no set time frame during which cholesterol isguaranteed to fall. Cholesterol-lowering medications typically produce a reduction in LDL within 6 to 8 weeks. Lifestyle changes can affect cholesterol levels within weeks.

Becoming More Physically Active

A sedentary lifestyle lowers HDL cholesterol. Less HDL means theres less good cholesterol to remove bad cholesterol from your arteries.

Physical activity is important. At least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise a week is enough to lower both cholesterol and high blood pressure. And you have lots of options: brisk walking, swimming, bicycling or even yard work can fit the bill.

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What Not To Eat The Foods To Avoid

How to behave on the opposite side, that is: what not to eat in case of high triglycerides? First, we need to reduce the intake of as much as possible simple sugars. It is also necessary to strongly limit or better still eliminate those foods which promote the increase of LDL cholesterol .

In case of particularly high levels of triglycerides it is recommended to further reduce, in any case by relying on your doctor, thecarbohydrate intake. You may need to limit your intake to whole grains or rice only, avoiding bread and pasta altogether.

Heres a summary of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans:

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Cook With Herbs And Spices

Herbs and spices are nutritional powerhouses packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Human studies have shown that garlic, turmeric and ginger are especially effective at lowering cholesterol when eaten regularly .

In fact, eating just one garlic clove per day for three months is enough to lower total cholesterol by 9% .

In addition to lowering cholesterol, herbs and spices contain antioxidants that prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidizing, reducing the formation of plaques within your arteries .

Even though herbs and spices are not typically eaten in large quantities, they can contribute significantly to the total amount of antioxidants consumed each day .

Dried oregano, sage, mint, thyme, clove, allspice and cinnamon contain some of the highest numbers of antioxidants, as well as fresh herbs such as oregano, marjoram, dill and cilantro .

Summary Both fresh and dried herbs and spices can help lower cholesterol levels. They contain antioxidants that prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidation.

Cholesterol And Healthy Eating

What we eat has an impact on our cholesterol levels and can help reduce our risk of disease. The Heart Foundation recommends following a heart-healthy eating pattern, which means eating a wide variety of fresh and unprocessed foods and limiting highly processed foods including take away, baked goods, chocolate, chips, lollies and sugary drinks. Not only does this help to maintain a healthy and interesting diet, but it provides essential nutrients to the body.

A heart-healthy eating pattern includes:

• plenty of vegetables, fruit and wholegrains
• a variety of healthy protein-rich foods , legumes , nuts and seeds. Smaller amounts of eggs and lean poultry can also be included in a heart-healthy eating pattern. If choosing red meat, make sure it is lean and limit to one to three times a week
• unflavoured milk, yoghurt and cheese. People with high cholesterol should choose reduced fat varieties
• healthy fats and oils. Choose nuts, seeds, avocados, olives and their oils for cooking
• herbs and spices to flavour foods, instead of adding salt.

This way of eating is also naturally high in fibre, which is good news, because a high intake of dietary fibre can also reduce levels of bad cholesterol in the blood.

Also, be mindful of how much you are eating. Portion sizes have increased over time and many of us are eating more than we need which can increase our cholesterol and risk of heart disease.

Serving size can vary depending on age, gender and specific nutrition needs.

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Is Diet The Only Way To Improve My Cholesterol Levels

While diet is one of the best ways to improve cholesterol levels, there are other lifestyle modifications that can also help!

• Weight loss: If you are above a healthy weight, losing 5-10% of your body weight can reduce total and LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol.
• Exercise: Aiming for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity on most days can improve your cholesterol levels. Try starting off with improving your daily step count!
• Quitting smoking: Smoking lowers HDL cholesterol. Quitting smoking is important to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, especially if you have high cholesterol.

It’s Important To Keep Both Bad And Good Cholesterol Within A Healthy Range

Cholesterol is a wax-like substance in the blood that our bodies need in order to build healthy cells, the Mayo Clinic explains. If our cholesterol levels get too high, fatty deposits can clog blood vessels and lead to heart attack or stroke. High-density lipoprotein is known as the “good” cholesterol, they say, because it moves through your body to collect excess cholesterol and takes it back to your liver, so it doesn’t clog your arteries. Conversely, low-density lipoprotein is known as the “bad” cholesterol, because it builds up your artery walls and transports cholesterol particles throughout your body.

When it comes to HDLs, Healthline says ” higher this number, the better,” noting that this metric should be at least 55 mg/dL for women and 45 mg/dL for men. Whereas when it comes to LDLs ” lower this number, the better” .

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Other Ways To Lower Cholesterol

Eating a low cholesterol, heart-healthy diet is an effective way to manage cholesterol levels in the body. However, dietary changes alone may not be enough to bring cholesterol levels down to the normal range. Other non-dietary treatments for high cholesterol include:

• Regular exercise
• Cholesterol-lowering medication

Some People May Respond Best To A Low

For those with severely elevated triglycerides , there is a case for low-fat diets being equally good if not better than low carb in some situations.

One study finds that those with triglycerides below 400 mg/dL respond best to low-carb diets, but those with triglycerides greater than 400 mg/dL respond best to low-fat diets.24

However, case reports document a decrease in severely elevated triglycerides with low-carb, high-fat diets.25

Its important to understand the cause of elevated triglycerides, as that may impact the proposed dietary treatment. If someone has a genetic cause, such as familial chylomicronemia or lipoprotein lipase deficiency, a low-fat diet may be more effective.26

Aside from these extreme examples, there is no evidence to support a low-fat diet as being better than a low-carb diet for reducing elevated triglycerides.

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What Are The Risks Linked To High Cholesterol

Too much LDL cholesterol in the blood can increase your risk of heart and blood vessel disease .

The excess LDL cholesterol leads to fatty deposits called plaque forming in the artery walls. Over time, the plaque causes narrowing and hardening of the arteries .

This can lead to:

• Angina when plaque builds up in the major arteries that supply your heart, known as the coronary arteries, they become narrower and are partially blocked, reducing blood flow and oxygen supply to the heart. This may cause shortness of breath and chest pain.
• Heart attack if a plaque in a coronary artery bursts , a clot may form and block the supply of blood to the heart, starving it of oxygen.
• Stroke if the blood vessels that supply the brain become narrower or blocked by plaque, blood supply to the brain can be severely reduced or cut off, causing a stroke. Strokes can also be caused when a clot from another part of the body travels through the blood and lodges in an artery in the brain.
• Peripheral vascular disease this usually affects the arteries that supply the legs and feet, causing leg pain when walking , and even pain when resting, when the circulation is more badly affected

A high level of HDL cholesterol is good because HDL cholesterol helps remove other forms of cholesterol from the blood, taking them back to the liver where they’re removed from the blood and passed out of the body.

Choose Good Fats Over Bad Fats

Fat is an important nutrient, necessary for energy and hormone production, vitamin absorption, maintaining the membrane integrity of every cell in our body, and growth and development. According to the Dietary Reference Intakes published by the USDA, 20% to 35% of calories should come from fat. But when it comes to dietary fat, not all types are created equal.

As noted above, saturated fats contribute to high levels of LDL cholesterol, as do the trans fats in fried foods and baked goods. At the same time, however, monounsaturated fats, which are found in olives, olive oil, and certain nuts and seeds, actually help lower blood cholesterol levels.

Another type of good fat, the polyunsaturated fat in fatty fish like salmon and cod, as well as flaxseeds and walnuts, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids that play a significant role in reducing overall blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

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Foods That Lower Your Cholesterol

Some foods can actively help to lower your cholesterol and they all work in different ways. Try to include these foods in your meals whenever you can:

1. Oats and barley

Eating whole grain foods reduces your risk of heart disease. Oats and barley are extra special because they are high in a type of soluble fibre called ‘beta glucan’. Beta glucan helps to lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in your blood2,3.

Tip: Flavoured oat products like ‘Quick Oats’ often contain added salt and/or sugar. Choose products that contain 100% oats as they’re closest to how theyre found in nature.

2. Vegetables and fruit

Eating a variety of colourful vegetables and fruit everyday can help protect you against heart disease, stroke and some cancers4,5. Many vegetables and fruit are high in soluble fibre which helps to reduce the absorption of cholesterol and lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in your blood.

Tip: Leave the skins on vegetables like pumpkin, kmara and carrot to maximise your intake of fibre. Use orange and lemon peel in dressings and sauces.

3. Foods rich in heart-healthy fats

Eating plenty of foods that contain heart-healthy mono and poly-unsaturated fats increases the levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol in your blood.

These foods contain heart-healthy fats.

• Vegetable oils and spreads

Eating these foods instead of foods high in saturated fat improves your cholesterol. Itll reduce your risk of heart disease too6.

4. Legumes and beans

5. Nuts

6. Soy products

7. Plant sterols

How To Lower Cholesterol And Triglycerides

• Frequently Asked Questions

Triglycerides are a type of lipid, or fat, your body produces to store extra calories and provide energy. Cholesterol is another lipid that circulates in your blood. Your body uses cholesterol to build cells and produce hormones.

Both triglycerides and cholesterol are essential for your health but having levels that are too high puts your health at risk. Living a healthy lifestyle helps to keep your cholesterol and triglyceride levels within a normal range.

This article covers how triglycerides and cholesterol affect your health and how you can lower them naturally.

Luis Alvarez / Getty Images

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Saturated And Trans Fats

Foods high in saturated and trans fats top the list of items to reduce or eliminate on a low cholesterol diet. The American Heart Association recommends reducing saturated fat to less than 6% of total daily calories if you need to lower cholesterol levels. Trans fats are found in margarine, baked goods, non-dairy coffee creamer, and fried foods. Saturated fats are in many common foods, so its helpful to read food labels while shopping.

Interestingly, lard, which is pork fat, is lower in saturated fat and higher in monounsaturated fat than butter. It has higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids. That said, it is still a middle-of-the-road choice when it comes to cooking, and whenever possible, you should opt for healthier fats like olive oil.

What Is Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic condition.

It presents itself by rising LDL cholesterol levels in the blood and normal triglyceride levels. It is a hereditary defect in the bodys ability to recycle LDL cholesterol.

Familial hypercholesterolemia raises the chance of cardiovascular disease. Subsequently, the symptoms appear earlier in life.

LDL levels will rise if a person cannot clear LDL and/or has a reduced ability to do so.

Familial hypercholesterolemia is inheritable from either one or both parents . People with this condition can have elevated LDL levels despite following a healthy lifestyle and nutrition plan.

In people with FH, cholesterol deposits exist in the Achilles tendons and tendons of the hands and elbows. Cholesterol deposits can also form in other body areas, such as a white ring around the eyes. This is called corneal arcus.

Only diet and exercise arent enough to treat familial hypercholesterolemia.

Physicians usually prescribe a statin pill. But, in some cases, other cholesterol-lowering medications, such as ezetimibe, are also essential.

LDL apheresis is a treatment used to treat people who have high LDL cholesterol. PCSK9 inhibitors, which are injectable drugs, can also help to decrease cholesterol levels. These drugs target and prevent a protein that frees up more receptors on liver cells. It allows LDL cholesterol to eradicate from the blood.

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How Can You Lower Your Ldl Cholesterol

You firstly need to significantly reduce your intake of trans fat , and saturated fat .

We can learn a few things from people living in rural China and Africa where there are extraordinarily low rates of heart disease. Although Chinese and African diets are very different, they are both centered on plant-based foods such as grains and vegetables. Due to the high-fiber content and lack of animal fat, their total cholesterol levels averaged under 150 mg/dL. This is similar to people eating strictly plant-based diets in the Western world.

In 2017, researchers reviewed 49 studies that compared plant-based diets with omnivorous diets to test their effects on cholesterol. Plant-based diets showed lowered total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels when compared to omnivorous diets. In fact, low-fat, plant-based diets typically reduce LDL levels by about 15-30%.

A plant-based diet focused on plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains instead of refined ones and legumes is going to provide you with a high fiber intake which is your best safeguard against cholesterol. Soluble fiber slows the absorption of cholesterol and reduces the amount of cholesterol the liver produces. It also removes cholesterol by way of excretion through your colon.

Will A Keto Diet Lower Triglycerides And Cholesterol

No, keto diets have been shown to increase cholesterol levels. The Mediterranean diet, however, has been shown to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of cardiac events.

The Mediterranean diet promotes eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy fats daily eating fish, poultry, beans, and eggs weekly reducing portions of dairy and limiting red meat.

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Eat Fewer Added Sugars

Its not just saturated and trans fats that can raise cholesterol levels. Eating too many added sugars can do the same thing .

One study found that adults who consumed 25% of their calories from drinks made with high-fructose corn syrup experienced a 17% increase in LDL cholesterol in just two weeks .

Even more troubling, fructose increases the number of small, dense oxidized LDL cholesterol particles which contribute to heart disease .

Between 2005 and 2010, an estimated 10% of Americans consumed over 25% of their daily calories from added sugars .

According to a 14-year study, these people were almost three times more likely to die from heart disease than those getting less than 10% of their calories from added sugars .

The American Heart Association recommends eating no more than 100 calories of added sugar per day for women and children, and no more than 150 calories per day for men .

You can meet these goals by reading labels carefully and choosing products without added sugars whenever possible.

Summary Getting more than 25% of your daily calories from added sugars can raise cholesterol levels and more than double your risk of dying from heart disease. Cut back by choosing foods without added sugars as much as possible.

Foods Thatll Lower Cholesterol Without Medication + 5 Worst Foods Thatll Clog Your Arteries

Foods thatll help you lower your cholesterol without medication naturally, according to experts.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one leading cause of death in the US.

High cholesterol levels, particularly high LDL cholesterol, have been associated with an increased risk of heart disease.

Luckily, cholesterol can be improved through lifestyle and dietary changes.

Check out these 15 foods to help lower cholesterol and decrease your risk for heart disease. Specifically, these foods target lowering bad LDL cholesterol levels.

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Quit Smoking And Drinking

As per research, smoking is a risk factor for high cholesterol and heart disease. That is because smoking tobacco causes atherosclerosis, which hardens the arteries.

Additionally, the walls of the arteries become rougher when someone smokes, making it easier for cholesterol to accumulate and form plaques.

Drinking too much alcohol increases the risk of developing severe health issues such as high blood pressure, heart failure, and strokes. Hence, you must avoid alcohol consumption for a healthy self.