8 Tips for Lowering Cholesterol

Your body has “good” (HDL) and “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. High LDL cholesterol increases your risk for heart disease, stroke, and other medical conditions because it collects in your blood vessels, narrowing them or forming dangerous blood clots.

Some factors that affect your LDL level are outside your control — your age, gender, and genetics, for example. But the good news is that other factors are within your control. You can focus on them to manage cholesterol and improve heart health.

Risk Factors for High Cholesterol

Six of the most critical high cholesterol risk factors are:

• Obesity: Being obese increases your risk of high cholesterol and other health issues.
• Poor diet: Too much saturated fat (from foods like fatty meats and full-fat dairy) or trans fats (often found in packaged foods) in your diet is bad for cholesterol levels. Having lots of salt in your diet is another risk factor for heart disease.
• Smoking: Smoking cigarettes may lower your good cholesterol level.
• Alcohol use: Drinking too much alcohol can raise your total cholesterol level.
• Sedentary lifestyle: Being inactive is bad for your cholesterol levels and your body in general.
• Unmanaged stress: Continually high levels of stress hormones can increase your cholesterol level.

Changing your diet and activity level isn’t easy. However, your commitment can lower your risk of serious illness and improve your overall health.

How To Manage Cholesterol

Take the steps below to improve your cholesterol levels — lowering LDL and increasing HDL.

1. Be Active

Getting 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week can raise your good cholesterol level and improve your physical and mental health in many other ways.

2. Manage Your Fat Intake

Read the Nutrition Facts label when selecting foods. Avoid foods high in saturated and trans fats or include the term “partially hydrogenated” in the ingredient list. Choose monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Limit your total fat intake to 20 to 35% of your daily calories.

3. Get Enough Sleep

Try to get 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to many medical problems, including high blood pressure, weight gain, and high cholesterol.

4. Lose Excess Weight and Quit Smoking

Weight loss has many benefits for your body, including helping prevent problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Lose enough weight, and your doctor might take you off your cholesterol prescriptions. Try limiting your fat intake, even if it is “good fat,” like olive oil, due to the calories. If you smoke, you should quit.

5. Include Soluble Fiber in Your Diet

Consume at least 5 to 10 grams of soluble fiber each day to lower cholesterol levels by up to 5%. Foods rich in soluble fiber include oatmeal, beans, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts.

6. Manage Your Stress

Did you know that stress can impact your cholesterol levels? When someone manages stress in an unhealthy way (i.e., self-blame or social isolation), HDL cholesterol decreases while LDL cholesterol increases. This happens when the body, reacting to stress, provides fuel to prepare for a “fight-or-flight” situation and signals the liver to secrete more LDL cholesterol. Getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep nightly and meditating for at least 15 minutes daily will help beat stress and stabilize cholesterol levels.

7. Avoid Refined Sugars

There are many different types of refined sugars, the most common being granulated and powdered sugars. Consuming too much sugar in any form decreases your HDL cholesterol, increasing the risk of a heart attack. Researchers found that when people monitored their sugar intake, HDL cholesterol was higher, and triglyceride levels were lower.

8. Consider Red Wine in Moderation

While drinking too much alcohol isn’t healthy, consuming a moderate amount can raise your HDL cholesterol by as much as 15%. Red wine is particularly beneficial because it contains polyphenol antioxidants, which may lower LDL levels. However, stick to one 5-ounce glass of wine daily for women and two for men.

Talk With Your Baptist Health Doctor About Managing Cholesterol

Your doctor is your best source of information on managing cholesterol. They can answer any questions you have about reaching and maintaining healthy levels of HDL and LDL.

Our online provider directory is helpful for finding a Baptist Health doctor near you.