Cholesterol is a molecule which is present throughout the body. It is used to make certain hormones and is also a part of the membrane which surrounds all cells. However, too much cholesterol can be bad for your cardiovascular health. Cholesterol is typically divided into LDL (bad cholesterol) and HDL (good cholesterol) forms. Too much LDL can increase your risk of having a stroke or heart attack, although having more HDL can help protect you from these risks. Some of the most common cholesterol lowering medications are called statins, but there are other options for lowering your cholesterol.
Step 1
Change your diet. Ideally, you should get less than 30 percent of all of your calories from fat, with less than 10 percent coming from saturated fat. Keep your cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams per day and your sodium intake to less than 2400 milligrams per day.
Step 2
Take cholesterol absorption inhibitors. These medications, which include ezetimibe, prevent your intestines from absorbing cholesterol, which then can help lower cholesterol levels in your body.
Step 3
Use bile-acid binding drugs. Examples of these include Cholestyramine and Colestipol. Bile acids, which have a high amount of cholesterol in them, are made to help your body digest fats and oils. These bile-acid binding medications bind to bile acids in the intestines and prevent them from being reabsorbed, which forces the body to make more of them, lowering cholesterol levels in the body.
Step 4
Take niacin. Niacin, which is also known as vitamin B12, can be prescribed in high doses to lower LDL and raise HDL levels.
