How To Lower Your Cholesterol Fast – In the years after World War II, doctors in the United States and Europe noticed a surprising phenomenon: heart attack and stroke rates dropped dramatically in many places. Autopsies during this period also revealed lower rates of atherosclerosis, a build-up of fatty artery plaque that causes cardiovascular disease.
At first, experts were confused. But as passed, many concluded that wartime food shortages and forced shifts in people’s diets — such as drastically reducing consumption of red meat and other animal products — contributed to improved heart health. Subsequent work, particularly the famous Framingham Heart Study, helped establish that blood cholesterol levels, driven in large part by a person’s diet, are closely related to cardiovascular disease.
How To Lower Your Cholesterol Fast
The idea that the foods a person eats can increase or decrease unhealthy cholesterol levels and risk for disease was radical and controversial at first. While there is ongoing debate about the link between red meat and poor health, the links between diet, cholesterol and cardiovascular disease are beyond doubt.
Cholesterol Lowering Foods: Garlic, Onion, And More
Cholesterol is a waxy compound that your body primarily uses to make hormones and strengthen cell walls. “Our bodies need cholesterol for everyday function, but the amount our bodies need is relatively small,” says Dr. Lawrence Spurlin, founder and director of the Heart Disease Prevention Center at Emory University in Atlanta.
Various parts of the body, including the brain and blood, contain cholesterol. It’s the excess supply of cholesterol in the blood that causes problems — especially low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as “bad cholesterol.” Too much LDL in the arteries “can form fatty streaks, a precursor to arterial plaque,” says Beth Israel Deaconess, MD, of Boston. So LDL is the basic building block of arterial plaque, explains Dr. Francine Welty, a cardiologist at the center.
The two main diseases associated with blocked arteries – coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease – are both among the top three causes of death worldwide. More than 1 in 4 deaths are caused by one of these conditions, and controlling or lowering your blood cholesterol levels is a proven way to prevent these diseases. According to Sperling, ideal or “target” cholesterol levels vary depending on a person’s age, sex and health status. But, optimally, you want to keep your LDL cholesterol below 70 mg/dL. While drugs can help people get there, and in some cases may be necessary, non-drug approaches are also important, he says. “Lifestyle and behavioral approaches are the foundation of cardiovascular prevention for all,” he says.
Here, experts describe the most powerful lifestyle changes you can make to lower your cholesterol. A proper diet, they all agree, tops the list.
Fast Home Remedies For Heavy Hangovers
One of the biggest trends in food and nutrition advice is to move away from talking about specific micronutrients and optimal daily servings of this or that food group. Instead, nutrition experts now talk a lot about broader patterns of healthy eating. This means restricting some foods and prioritizing others rather than trying to hit narrower targets.
“Something I tell many of my patients is that the Greek word for food is dieta, which means a way of life,” says Spurlin. “Dieting shouldn’t be torture or something you maintain for a month. It should be a meaningful and purposeful change that can last throughout your life.
In this spirit, he says one of the most important changes you can make is to pack your meals with fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains. Many cholesterol-lowering diet plans, such as the Mediterranean diet, prioritize these foods, he says.
Meanwhile, reducing your intake of animal products—especially red meat and processed dairy—is a step that research has repeatedly tied to improving cholesterol. “I ran the lipid prevention clinic at my hospital for 31 years, and the first thing we tell people is to reduce their saturated fat,” Welty says. She cites red meat, butter and dairy as foods people should aim to reduce—not necessarily eliminate—if they want to improve their cholesterol. Most Americans consume saturated fat with every meal, from eggs and dairy products to red meat. This kind of immensity is a problem. “The Japanese have the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease in the world, probably because they eat less red meat and saturated fat than we do in America,” Welty says.
Supplements For Lower Cholesterol: Natural Options
It’s worth noting that saturated fat is a controversial topic in nutrition research. Some experts have argued that saturated fat is to blame for the potential health problems caused by processed meats, refined carbohydrates (such as those found in sugary or packaged foods), and trans fats found in fast foods and some packaged snacks. Others have argued that if people eat more processed or refined carbohydrates, even if they avoid meat and dairy, it’s an unhealthy trade-off. On the other hand, experts generally agree that trading saturated fat for healthy foods like the aforementioned fruits, vegetables, and nuts is a very effective way to improve your cholesterol levels and heart health. “If you reduce saturated fat in your diet, that’s one of the best ways to lower LDL,” Welty says.
Protein-rich soy-based products, from tofu to soy milk and yogurt, can be good substitutes for meat, butter, milk and other traditional sources of saturated fat, she adds. “People in America are fixated on protein, but Americans don’t really want to eat soy products,” she says. This is unfortunate because decades of research have linked soy to improving heart health and lowering blood cholesterol levels. “If you want to replace saturated fats with other proteins, soy would be a good option,” she says.
Another good idea is to exchange hoofed food for food with feathers or flippers. “We often recommend using fish and chicken instead of red meat and pork,” says Welty. Fatty fish, especially salmon, mackerel, and herring, are a heart-friendly choice.
On the other hand, experts say that fish oil—a popular health supplement—isn’t a useful addition to your regimen. “Fish oil does not lower bad cholesterol,” says Dr. Leslie Cho, director of the Women’s Cardiovascular Center at the Cleveland Clinic. She says doctors recommend some prescription fish oil supplements because they help lower triglycerides. But commercial fish oil supplements have been linked to an increased risk of abnormal heart rhythms and should be avoided.
How To Lower Cholesterol Naturally
Last but not least, Cho says getting plenty of fiber in your diet — something many Americans fail to do — is extremely important. “Fiber can bind to dietary cholesterol and flush it out of the body,” she says. “We want you to aim for 25 grams of soluble fiber per day.” This is possible if you eat lots of whole vegetables, fruits and healthy whole grains like oatmeal or flax. But supplements can help you get there. Cho says ground psyllium seeds—sold under the brand name Metamucil, and in less expensive (but similar) generic products—are a useful source of soluble fiber that can lower your LDL levels.
While lowering your LDL score should be your primary focus, improving your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels — also known as “good” cholesterol — is also important. “HDL sucks cholesterol out of blood vessels like a vacuum,” Cho explains.
Exercise is one way to pump up your HDL levels. “It can raise your good cholesterol and lower triglycerides,” another type of blood fat linked to cardiovascular problems, Spurlin says.
However, when it comes to the best exercise for your cholesterol, the research is all over the place. One review of studies published in 2020 in the journal Systematic Review found that yoga has the strongest evidence for its cholesterol-improving benefits. While many other forms of exercise are undeniably good for your heart and vascular system, some like swimming and cycling have been found to lower cholesterol—more research is needed to determine which are best at changing cholesterol scores.
Juicing For High Cholesterol
Some of Sperling’s research has also examined the benefits of intermittent fasting on cholesterol levels. Intermittent fasting plans come in many forms, but one type (called -restricted diets) has generated the most promising research findings. Restricted eating involves a daily fast, usually anywhere from 12 to 16 hours, with the rest of the day open to normal eating. For example, you can eat lunch, dinner, and snacks between noon and 8 p.m. But for the rest of the day, avoid all high-calorie foods and drinks. -Restricted eating has been linked to significant weight loss – which often improves cholesterol scores – as well as lower LDL and total cholesterol.
There are other ways to improve your cholesterol naturally. But paying attention to what and how you eat, as well as your exercise habits, is what the experts say.
Health problems related to high cholesterol and clogged arteries often don’t show up until a person’s 50s or 60s, and the underlying plaque build-up often begins decades earlier.
