Important note: If your total cholesterol TC level is above 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or your LDL level is above 100 mg/dL (see table below), you should be on a cholesterol-reduction treatment under medical doctor supervision and you should not take any dietary supplements or drugs without his or her approval. Do not substitute a cholesterol-reducing prescription drug with a natural dietary supplement without your doctor’s approval or permission. Also, unless you are specifically instructed to do so by a medical doctor, never take any cholesterol-reducing prescription drug in conjunction with any dietary supplement claiming the promotion of healthy levels of cholesterol. Taking a combination of a prescription drug with a dietary supplement could be very harmful to your long-term health since both might be acting on your liver.
General Suggestions
1. Check your cholesterol levels frequently; it will help you manage your risk. Ideally, check your total cholesterol (TC) levels every three or four months using a self-test kit—ask your pharmacist for the best-quality test kit available. At least once a year, ask your doctor to order a comprehensive blood lipid profile test from a reputable laboratory. Doctors request this lab test during routine yearly exams, and the test results should always include the levels of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL, bad cholesterol), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL, good cholesterol), and triglyceride; your cardio risk ratio (CRR = TC/HDL); and the levels of other blood lipids as requested by your doctor. Always follow your doctor’s recommendations on how to improve your lipid profile.
To help prevent Cardiovascular Disease, try to maintain a total cholesterol (TC) level under 200 mg/dL, an LDL (bad cholesterol) level under 100 mg/dL, and a triglyceride level under 150 mg/dL. It is also recommended to maintain a cardiac risk factor (the ratio of TC to HDL) of less than 3.5. (See “What Do the Levels Mean?” below.)
2. Watch what you eat. Avoid fried foods. Eat more fruits, vegetables, and fiber-based foods such as oats and whole-grain breads. Whenever possible, use olive oil in the preparation of your foods. Limit the consumption of eggs to six a week, and limit the intake of other high-cholesterol foods (link to a table). Eat more grilled or broiled fish and skinless chicken. Cut down on the amount of red meat you eat; when you do, choose lean cuts. Eat only low-fat dairy products (2% fat content or less). To find out more about how to eat for a healthy life, we encourage you to read “Functional Foods—Take Them to Heart,” an excellent article by Barbara Levine, Ph.D., and Maureen Mulhern. You can read this article by following the Functional Foods link shown at the top and bottom of this page.
3. Exercise. Aerobic exercises (walking, running, swimming, climbing, etc.) and anaerobic exercises (e.g., weight lifting) are both important for your cardiovascular health. Exercise regularly at least three days a week.
4. Make sure you are taking in an adequate amount of basic nutrients on a daily basis. Choose to consume foods containing the following antioxidants: vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium. It is also important to make sure you are consuming these important minerals: potassium, magnesium, chromium, and calcium. If your diet is low in fish, consider taking an omega-3 oil supplement. Do not take multivitamin or multimineral dietary supplements since they might contain nutrient levels that could overdose your body of specific nutrients and be harmful to your health. It is recommended that you consult with a licensed nutritionist, who—after reviewing your blood chemistry lab test results—can recommend alternatives of specific basic nutrients and dietary supplements tailored to your particular needs. Again, keep in mind that some basic nutrient levels will be within normal ranges in your body and that by choosing to take a multivitamin or multimineral, without consulting a nutritionist, you may overdose in some of those basic nutrients, which can be very harmful to your long-term health.
If you decide to take a dietary supplement, a reputable brand is suggested to guarantee that the recommended daily/dietary allowance (RDA) of ingredients is present in the product and to guarantee that the product does not contain any toxins that could affect your health. Some companies manufacturing dietary supplements do not follow good manufacturing practices (GMP) including quality controls. To read the Time article “Herbal Remedies’ Potential Dangers” by Sanjay Gupta M.D. click here. In addition, for more information on this subject, click here to read a United States government report on the safety of dietary supplements.
5. Consider going on a cholesterol-reducing regimen or treatment. If a healthy-diet and exercise are not enough to maintain your cholesterol levels within normal range, you should give serious consideration to a regimen or treatment to bring down those levels. This regimen or treatment must be supervised by a doctor in internal medicine and it might be required because, contrary to common belief, a large portion of cholesterol is produced internally in your body by the liver and is not the result of food intake. In other words, an internal balance must be established within your body.
If your comprehensive blood lipid profile shows that you are not at high risk of developing Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), you might want to start researching the types of dietary supplements available by visiting the “Dietary Supplements” section of this Web site. There are hundreds of dietary supplements in the market claiming to promote healthy levels of cholesterol, but very few are safe or clinically proven to be effective. Make sure you research thoroughly the different types of dietary supplements available before you start taking one and commit to any specific regimen. Ask a doctor of internal medicine whom you trust to supervise your regimen.
Finally, if your comprehensive blood lipid profile shows that you are at high risk of developing CVD, you should research your options of prescription drug treatments available and discuss with your doctor which treatment is best for you. If your decision is to submit yourself to a prescription drug treatment based on any of the popular “statin” drugs, you must discuss with your doctor if you should also supplement your diet with Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). An overview of prescription drug treatments and their side effects is included below for your reference.
What Do the Levels Mean?
TC
TOTAL CHOLESTEROL |
Less than 200 mg/dL (5.2 millimoles per liter [mmol/L]) — Desirable (see suggestions)
From 200 to 239 mg/dL (5.2 to 6.2 mmol/L) — Moderate risk (consult with a medical doctor)
Above 240 mg/dL (6.2 mmol/L) and above — High risk (must be under treatment) |
LDL
BAD CHOLESTEROL |
Less than 100 mg/dL — Optimal (see suggestions)
From 100 to 129 mg/dL — Less than optimal (consult with a medical doctor)
From 130 to 159 mg/dL — Moderately high (consult with a medical doctor)
From 160 to 189 mg/dL — High (consult with a medical doctor)
Above 190 mg/dL — Very high (must be under treatment) |
HDL
GOOD CHOLESTEROL |
Less than 40 mg/dL — Low (consult with a medical doctor)
Above 60 mg/dL — High (good, the higher the better) |
| TRIGLYCERIDE |
Less than 150 mg/dL (1.69 mmol/L) — Normal, low risk (see suggestions)
From 150 to 199 mg/dL (1.70 to 2.25 mmol/L) — Moderately high (consult with a medical doctor)
From 200 to 498 mg/dL (2.25 to 5.63 mmol/L) — High (consult with a medical doctor)
Above 500 mg/dL (5.65 mmol/L) — Very high (must be under treatment) |
CRR
CARDIAC RISK RATIO
(CRR = TC/HDL) |
Less than 5 — Desirable
Less than 3.5 — Ideal
|
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To return to the LDLHDL.INFO Home Page, click here.
To learn important information about "statins" prescription drugs and their potentially serious side effects, click here.
To find out which Dietary Supplements are clinically proven to promote healthy levels of cholesterol, click here.
For an explanation of Basic Concepts on how blood lipids can increase your chances of developing Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), click here.
To learn which Nutrients help in the promotion of cardiovascular health, click here.
To read the “Functional Foods” article with insights on advances in nutrition, click here.
For Frequently Asked Questions, click here.
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