Reducing your cholesterol levels

Millions of Americans reach a point in their lives when they need to focus on lowering their cholesterol levels. A person’s cholesterol level becomes more pressing with age, especially because high cholesterol is so closely linked with the onset of heart disease. Adults should be tested for high cholesterol at least once every five years. High cholesterol is a problem that doesn’t occur overnight, but the only way to know whether you have the problem is to get tested. Fortunately, getting tested is fast, cheap and easy.

Foods that lower cholesterol

Improving your diet is the easiest, cheapest and most effective method of lowering your cholesterol. There are several types of food that naturally reduce the amount of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) – the bad cholesterol – in the body. Some of these foods include:

• Oatmeal: Rich, hearty oats are rich in soluble fiber, which helps bad cholesterol pass through your body without being absorbed by your intestines. Plus, oatmeal comes in various flavors, meaning you’re bound to find at least one that you enjoy.

• Pomegranates: The juice from this large, red fruit increases the amount of cholesterol-fighting nitric oxide in your body. Plus, pomegranate juice actually breaks down cholesterol that has built up in your arteries. You can buy whole pomegranates or pick up a jug of pomegranate juice to keep in your kitchen at home.

• Fish: Numerous studies have shown that fish is great for reducing your risk of heart disease. Make sure to eat at least two servings a week, and use recipes that require baking or grilling your fish – this preserves the ultra-healthy Omega 3 fatty acids. Remember, fried fish doesn’t count.

• Avocados: This soft, southwestern favorite is packed with unsaturated fat that will increase your body’s production of beneficial HDL cholesterol. This protects not just against heart disease, but diabetes as well.

• Walnuts and Almonds: The polyunsaturated fatty acids found in these nuts will help keep your blood vessels healthy, which is important for people who have been living with high cholesterol.

The great thing about improving your diet is that you don’t need a note from your doctor to do so. Adding these healthy foods to your diet – while also cutting out fast food, processed foods and snacks high in saturated fat – will also result in numerous other health benefits. Many health experts recommend consulting with a dietician before making sweeping changes to your diet, but you don’t need anyone’s approval to cut out foods that are clearly doing you harm.

Cholesterol-lowering medications

Although proper dieting is regarded as the top method of lowering cholesterol, some people don’t respond to dieting alone. For these people, cholesterol-lowering medications may be prescribed to help them reduce their cholesterol levels. These medications include statins, bile-acid resins, niacin, cholesterol absorption inhibitors and fibric acid derivatives.

• Statins: These drugs cause the liver to produce less LDL while slightly increasing the production of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the healthy form of cholesterol. Brand name statins include Crestor, Lipitor and Mevacor.

• Bile-Acid Resins and inhibitors: These drugs stop bile from the liver from being absorbed by the intestines, causing the bile – and all the cholesterol within – to be passed through the body. Brand names of this drug include Colestid, WelChol and Questran.

• Niacin: These B vitamin compounds help to lower LDL levels while increasing HDL levels in the body. There are few side effects associated with this form of medication, which includes the brand names of Nicolar and Niaspan.