If you're one of the 98 million Americans who have high cholesterol, you've probably made a decision to starting making changes in your diet and lifestyle. Although you can take medications to lower your LDL and raise your HDL cholesterol, virtually all medications have side effects. Before taking prescription medications, there are a number of steps you can take, including exercise and natural remedies, to lower your cholesterol.
Advice from Your Doctor
Before you begin embarking on any action designed to lower your blood cholesterol levels, it's a good idea to get a complete physical examination from your doctor. In addition to completing a health history questionnaire, speak to him about your lifestyle. Ask him to order a complete blood lipid analysis of your blood. The typical blood lipid analysis includes total cholesterol, low density lipoproteins (LDL), high density lipoproteins (HDL) and triglycerides. LDL can contribute to heart disease and can be controlled through diet, exercise and supplements. After discussing the results of your test, file them away where you can compare the results six months from now, after you've started making healthy changes.
Reduce Dietary Cholesterol
According to the American Heart Association, adults should limit their total cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg a day. While the body needs some cholesterol to build and maintain cells, regulate fluid movement in the body and make hormones, it typically generates all that it needs on its own. Cholesterol supplied through your diet should be reduced. Most dietary cholesterol comes from animal products, such as marbled beef, sausages and cold cuts. One chicken egg contains approximately 210 mg of cholesterol. If you eat a two or three egg omelet for breakfast, you've exhausted your entire daily cholesterol allotment before you've finished breakfast. Other high cholesterol foods include cheeses and other high fat dairy products. Switching from beef to chicken and fish can help you control your cholesterol. Both are healthy sources of protein and low in fat and cholesterol.
Exercise
Another approach to lowering your cholesterol concerns the energy you expend. Exercise has been shown to have modest effects on both your HDL and LDL cholesterol. By including 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise a day, you can boost your HDL cholesterol. At the same time, you can reduce your LDL as much as 19 percent. Exercises that use large muscle groups and can be sustained over time are good choices, including walking, running, hiking, swimming and cycling. Begin by exercising 10 to 15 minutes per session and increase your duration 10 percent per week until you can exercise for 30 to 60 minutes.
Flax Seed
Flax seed is available in supplement form at many supermarkets and health food stores. It contains alpha linolenic acid similar to the omega-3 fatty acid that's found in certain varieties of cold water fish, like salmon. Flax seed supplements have been found to lower LDL cholesterol. Ground flax seed also contains lignan, a beneficial form of fiber that can help reduce your risk for certain types of colon cancer.
Green Tea
Green tea has used for a variety of health applications for over 5000 years. One of three types of tea (green, black and oolong), green tea is made from unfermented leaves and contains polyphenols that block the absorption of cholesterol in the small intestine, where it is excreted before it can accumulate inside the walls of the coronary arteries and cause atherosclerosis. Green tea is also purported to have some of the highest concentrations of antioxidants that scavenge free radicals, compounds that cause premature cell death.
Evening Primrose Oil
Evening Primrose Oil contains gamma linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid. In a study published by the Review of Natural Products, 79 people took four grams of a brand name GLA once a day for three months. At the end of the study, subjects' cholesterol levels had dropped by as much as 31 percent.
Garlic
Researchers at the New York Medical College have discovered through five independent studies that eating as little as one-half to one garlic clove can lower cholesterol by nearly 9 percent. While it may not work as effectively as statin class drugs, individuals may experience relief without annoying side effects. Garlic is also available in supplement form.
