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If you’ve recently been identified as having high cholesterol, most. One-third of Americans have high cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 1 / 2 of them aren’t seeking treatment.
Our bodies need cholesterol C a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver along with other cells and located in certain foods C but too much can build up inside our arteries as fatty deposits called plaque. According to?the American Heart Association, if this plaque clogs an artery, it can result in heart attack or stroke.
Total cholesterol is made up of low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad” cholesterol), high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good” cholesterol) and triglycerides, that are another type of lipid found in blood.
Dr. Sheela Swamy, an interior medicine specialist who treats patients at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Ill., recommends these five tips to her patients to manage levels of cholesterol:
- Watch what you eat. Dieting needn’t be all about avoiding food you like. Concentrate on a low-saturated-fat, trans fat-free and low-cholesterol diet to reduce your numbers. Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fatty fish and low-fat dairy and less junk foods, steak and full-fat dairy. An eating plan full of these so-called “superfoods” can reduce Cholestrerol levels levels.
- Stay active. Physical exercise helps boost HDL cholesterol and lower LDL cholesterol. To obtain these benefits, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic activity C such as jogging, biking and swimming C 5 days a week. I suggest you talk to your physician before starting a workout program.
- Maintain a normal weight. Being overweight or obese may cause your HDL levels of cholesterol to go down as well as your LDL levels to go up. Slimming down can perform the alternative; just dropping Five or ten pounds can reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke by lowering your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Shoot for an appearance mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9; numbers vary based on age and gender.
- Stop smoking. When smokers break the addiction, their HDL levels of cholesterol tend to increase.
- Consider medication. Your physician might prescribe cholesterol-lowering medications, called statins, to reduce Cholestrerol levels. These medications have made a significant effect on reducing heart disease over the past 20 years.
“It’s never too late to consider small steps to reduce your cholesterol,” Dr. Swamy says. “Make heart health important as well as your body will thanks.”
For more information on heart health and to consider?Advocate’s heart risk assessment, visit iHeartAdvocate.com.
