Know your numbers. Causes of high cholesterol. How to treat high cholesterol. The impact of diet. Prevention tips. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Graham Rogers, M. Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M. Symptoms of High Cholesterol. Medically reviewed by Carissa Stephens, R. Medically reviewed by Natalie Butler, R. Medically reviewed by Peggy Pletcher, M. Medically reviewed by Natalie Olsen, R. The Best 12 Healthy Eating Books of the Year For expert advice on how to eat healthier and get the nutrients you need, check out these top healthy eating books.
What to Know About Familial Hypertriglyceridemia. Obesity, a large waist circumference, a sedentary lifestyle, or a diet rich in red meat, full-fat dairy, saturated fat, trans fats, and processed foods can lead to high LDL cholesterol. Lifestyle and diet changes are the main ways to prevent or lower high LDL. A trial of eating a low-fat diet, regular aerobic activity, maintaining a healthy weight, and smaller waist circumference is an appropriate first step.
It is best to set a timeline to achieve your goals with your doctor. In some cases, if those lifestyle changes are not enough, your physician may suggest a cholesterol lowering medication, such as a statin. If you are considering over-the-counter herbal or ayurvedic medications for cholesterol, please discuss those with your physician first as well.
Rarely, very high LDL is genetic and passed down in families. This condition can lead to very high LDL levels, and heart attack or stroke at a young age in multiple generations. Those individuals may require special medical treatment for prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Remember, knowledge is the first step. That will give you and your physician a starting point for lifestyle changes and medications if needed.
In the meantime, adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle , and do it with friends and family no matter their ages. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. I had no idea there are so many non-medical experts until reading the above comments!
We can certainly save a lot of money by not going to a medical doctor and, instead, consult with so many experts. Thank you for your expertise! I bet if anyone follows your advice and has any problems; you can be sued and prosecuted for practicing medicine without a license.
By the way, all stains are off patent! The last one to lose patent protection was Crestor and there are 5 generic makers on the market. So they are not the most expenses drugs on the planet! Excess cholesterol in the bloodstream is a key contributor to artery-clogging plaque, which can accumulate and set the stage for a heart attack.
However, the role of cholesterol in your body is not all negative. To fully explain cholesterol, you need to realize that it's also vital to your health and well-being.
Although we measure cholesterol production in the blood, it's found in every cell in the body. The Harvard Special Health Report Managing Your Cholesterol explains cholesterol as a waxy, whitish-yellow fat and a crucial building block in cell membranes. Cholesterol also is needed to make vitamin D, hormones including testosterone and estrogen , and fat-dissolving bile acids. See illustration.
If you eat only to milligrams mg of cholesterol a day one egg yolk has about mg , your liver will produce an additional milligrams per day from raw materials such as fat, sugars, and proteins. Since cholesterol is a fat, it can't travel alone in the bloodstream.
It would end up as useless globs imagine bacon fat floating in a pot of water. To get around this problem, the body packages cholesterol and other lipids into minuscule protein-covered particles that mix easily with blood.
This is linked to higher risk for heart attack and stroke. A cholesterol screening is an overall look at the fats in your blood. Screenings help identify your risk for heart disease. It is important to have what is called a full lipid profile to show the actual levels of each type of fat in your blood: LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and others.
Talk with your healthcare provider about when to have this test. People age 40 to 75 who are living with diabetes and whose LDL is at 70 or above may need medication.
Addressing risk factors.
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