It’s an established medical fact that high levels of cholesterol are likely to lead to heart disease and an early grave, so whatever you can do to keep your cholesterol levels within acceptable limits is unquestionably a good idea. Where lowering cholesterol is concerned then, there are 2 courses of action that are proven to work: alter the way you live and take cholesterol lowering drugs.
The high incidence of hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) seen particularly in the Western world has come about fairly recently and is almost certainly due to our modern lifestyle. For the vast majority whose cholesterol is too high, simple small modifications to their diet and exercise patterns will restore normal cholesterol levels.
Some individuals are either beyond what can be achieved with lifestyle changes or have an inherited genetic disorder (familial hypercholesterolemia) that limits the efficacy of diet and exercise; these people will normally be put on a lifetime programme of drugs (usually statins) whose potency can be altered to suit the individual.
Before we examine in greater detail these two strategies for lowering cholesterol, it is important to understand that when people (in the medical profession especially) discuss “cholesterol” they are using it as a blanket term. For the purpose of evaluating human health, there are 2 main types of cholesterol called LDL (characterized as “bad” cholesterol) and HDL (which is conversely “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, which stands for High Density Lipoprotein, has the capacity to mop up excess LDL which it returns to the liver for reuse or excretion. However, since your body has a great deal more LDL than HDL, HDL alone is limited in how much excess LDL cholesterol it can deal with, though research has revealed that HDL levels increase as a consequence of taking more exercise.
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 which kinds of foodstuffs should you aim to reduce or eliminate from your diet? In short, those containing saturated fats, so for example butter, cheese and red meat as well as biscuits, cakes and pastries. In addition to cutting these out you should also introduce in their place more fruit, vegetables, beans and oats, all of which actively assist with naturally lowering LDL cholesterol. Sometimes it’s even possible to do a straight swap, for example using plant sterol based spreads that lower cholesterol instead of butter (which raises it).
If lifestyle modifications alone aren’t able to lower your cholesterol below medically approved limits then you should seek the advice of your doctor who will most likely prescribe one of a group of drugs called statins. These pills are not in any way an alternative to adopting a healthier lifestyle; they are a supplement.
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).
Most people who take statins tolerate the drugs extremely well and manifest no side effects, but you should nevertheless be aware that statins, particularly in high doses, have the capacity to cause serious damage to the liver and to muscle tissue. Accordingly, it is likely that if statins become a routine part of your life then so too will occasional blood tests to not only keep an eye on your cholesterol levels (and adjust doses if required) but also to ensure that there are no detrimental side effects that you may not be immediately aware of.
In summary then there are 2 effective and medically proven measures for reducing cholesterol levels with the differences between the 2 being merely a matter of degree since taking statins enhances rather than replaces the main mechanism for lowering cholesterol, namely adopting a healthier lifestyle.
Clarissa Petrova recommends fhese additional links at the helpful Cholesterol Test Kit Guide if you want to know more about how to lower your cholesterol.
