Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like cholesgerol that Improving skin elasticity bodies need to build healthy cells. About Cholesterol. gov: Low Cholesterol Diet National Institutes of Health. Skip to main content. Find in topic Formulary Print Share.

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How you can lower your bad cholesterol level

Supporting healthy cholesterol levels -

If your LDL levels are higher than recommended, you might be at an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Higher levels of HDL are linked to a lower risk of heart attack.

In order to achieve or maintain desirable cholesterol levels, you first have to know where you stand. Your primary care physician can run simple blood tests that will tell you exactly what your levels are. Low-fat dairy and poultry are also important, and unsaturated vegetable oils such as safflower, canola or olive oil are good for you, too.

Omega-3 fatty acids , found in fish, flax, flaxseed oil and chia seeds, can also help lower triglyceride levels, another type of blood lipid associated with cardiovascular disease that often accompanies a low HDL.

Avocados high in unsaturated fat , red wine in moderation and high-fiber fruits and grains like apples, pears, prunes, oatmeal and barley, are also known to decrease LDL-cholesterol and can help increase HDL levels. Vegetarian dishes also offer a great way to get cholesterol-friendly protein and nutrients without all the meat.

Most importantly, limit or avoid foods that are high in saturated and trans fats like fatty cuts of meat, chips, butter, cakes, cookies, and stick or hydrogenated margarine or shortening.

These foods can contribute to artery-clogging cholesterol. Starting a regular exercise program can have many positive effects when it comes to controlling cholesterol.

Exercise can help raise HDL, lower LDL and triglycerides, improve blood flow throughout your body, send more oxygen to your muscles, and lower your blood pressure. Exercising can also help you lose weight and reduce your body mass index BMI. Your healthcare professional can suggest the best type of exercise and frequency to help you reach your goals.

And if you do smoke, now is a great time to quit. Even after changing your diet and exercise routine, smoking can prevent the improvement of your cholesterol levels, while quitting can result in positive changes in your cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

Exercising will be easier too, and your risk of heart attack and heart disease will decrease over time. Fish is low in saturated fats, and many kinds contain omega-3 fatty acids, which benefit your heart health and can boost your good HDL cholesterol levels.

Here are some examples of types of fish you can try to include in your diet:. All that said, steak and hamburger can be hard to resist.

You just need to eat them in moderation. You probably know fiber as something that can help you with your digestive health. But if you thought fiber was only for digestion, think again: It can also help build your cardiovascular health. A low-cholesterol food list is rich in soluble fiber fiber that can dissolve into water.

Soluble fiber grabs cholesterol in your gut — before it gets into your bloodstream — and helps lower bad LDL cholesterol levels. Try oatmeal and whole grain toast for breakfast, curried lentils for lunch, or turkey chili with kidney beans for dinner. Generally, the more processed a grain or bean, the less likely it is to have healthy benefits and nutritional value.

Whenever you can, try to stock up on fresh ingredients. But common snack foods like chips, microwavable popcorn, cookies, pastries or crackers are high in trans and saturated fats. On the other hand, snacking on fruits, vegetables and nuts not only helps you avoid bad fats, but also helps you get good fats and fiber.

Raw nuts are high in unsaturated fats — which are the best kind of fats. Nuts are great for a heart-healthy diet because they raise your good HDL cholesterol levels and lower your bad LDL cholesterol levels.

Other examples of foods that are high in unsaturated fat include avocados and olives. Nuts — along with many fruits and veggies — can also be a great source of soluble fiber. Adding as many of these foods as you can to your diet can be a double-dose of cholesterol-reducing impact.

As with meats and whole grains, remember that more processing means less benefit. When it comes to dairy, this is a big area where picking a healthier alternative can be an easy win.

For items like cheese, milk, cream and yogurt, use low-fat dairy products instead of the regular versions. Who knows? It could become your next craving. Making these changes is helpful because full-fat dairy products contain saturated fat as well as cholesterol.

Just as you can change what you buy in the grocery store, you can also choose healthier ways to make your food that help lower your cholesterol naturally.

For example:. When you do need to add fat for cooking, baking or pan frying, use healthy oils instead of solid fats, like butter, margarine, shortening and lard. Read more about saturated fat-rich foods here. Trans fats or, trans fatty acids are found in store-bought baked goods, snack foods and deep-fried foods.

There is strong evidence that trans fats increase levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood, while decreasing levels of HDL good cholesterol. Foods that contain cholesterol include liver, pate, kidneys, prawns and egg yolks. Foods that contain saturated fats have a greater effect on blood cholesterol levels than foods that contain dietary cholesterol.

Replacing foods that contain mainly saturated fats with foods that contain unsaturated fats — such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats — will help reduce your cholesterol level.

Soluble fibre can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your blood and it slows down digestion, making you feel fuller for longer. Foods that are high in soluble fibre include:. Plant sterols are compounds that can lower LDL cholesterol.

They occur naturally in plants, fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains and are added to some packaged foods, such as table spreads, cereals, low-fat yoghurt and low-fat milk. Plant sterols that occur naturally in foods are only present in small amounts, compared with plant sterols that are added to foods.

Adding plant sterol-enriched foods to your diet is the most effective dietary change you can make to reduce your LDL cholesterol. Vigorous aerobic exercise is best. Moderate-intensity exercise is a level that increases your heart rate and breathing but allows you to keep talking.

Vigorous intensity exercise makes your heart rate higher and makes you breathe more heavily. Resistance training using weights, resistance bands or your own body weight and muscle-toning exercises can increase HDL cholesterol. Aim to do this twice a week.

If you are obese or overweight, losing weight can help reduce your levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, while increasing your levels of HDL cholesterol. Alcohol can increase your levels of triglycerides.

Along with LDL cholesterol, high levels of triglycerides raise your risk of heart disease. Excess alcohol consumption also increases blood pressure and can lead to obesity due to the kilojoules in alcohol — both additional risk factors for heart disease.

To reduce the risk of heart disease and other risks from alcohol, limit your intake to no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 drinks per day. Smoking reduces HDL cholesterol and speeds up the rate at which fatty plaques form in the walls of your arteries. It also makes your blood more likely to clot.

These factors increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. Stopping smoking is one of the best ways to improve your heart and blood vessel health. Your doctor can help you quit smoking. You can also call the Quitline on 13 to talk to a counsellor, or use its online chat service.

Aboriginal Quitline can also support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who smoke. As well as making lifestyle changes, some people will need to take cholesterol-lowering medicines to reduce their risk of heart and blood vessel disease, known as cardiovascular disease.

The medicines most commonly used are called statins. Your doctor will consider all your risk factors for cardiovascular disease before suggesting medication — not just your cholesterol and lipid results.

Statins work by slowing the amount of cholesterol made in your liver. In response, your liver uses the cholesterol already in your blood to make up for the deficit.

This lowers the level of LDL cholesterol in your blood. Contact your doctor if your medicines are causing any side effects. An accredited practising dietitian can design a personalised eating plan for you to lower your cholesterol. Find one at Dietitians Australia.

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content. Understanding what blood cholesterol is and how to control it can help you reduce your risk of heart disease and other serious conditions. Read more on Heart Foundation website. Abnormally high cholesterol levels may not give you any symptoms, so a blood test is the best way to check whether you have high cholesterol.

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Official websites use. ldvels Supporting healthy cholesterol levels. gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Levele more Monitoring blood pressure levels respiratory viruses and vaccination for Uealthy, flu and RSV. High Automated insulin delivery cholestsrol is one of the Citrus fruit varieties risk factors for heart and vascular disease, and it affects millions of people. In fact, in the United States alone, The good news is, there are many things a person can do to lower the bad and raise the good. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that comes from two places — your own body, and the food you eat.