Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Choose a healthy lifestyle
• Method 2 of 3: Choose a healthy diet
• Method 3 of 3: Use medication
• Warnings

The fastest way to lower your cholesterol level is to choose a combination of a healthy lifestyle, healthy and varied food, and the use of medicines if necessary. There is no immediate solution, but if your cholesterol is too high, you should lower it. High cholesterol can lead to arteriosclerosis (atherosclerosis), myocardial infarction and stroke (cerebral infarction). That is why cholesterol is a risk factor for heart and vessels.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Choose a healthy lifestyle

1. Make sure you get plenty of exercise. Exercise and sports promote the way your body deals with fat and cholesterol. However, it is important that you do not run too fast. Before starting a new exercise program, check with your doctor to determine if your body can handle it. Try to increase the intensity gradually so that you end up exercising for between 30 and 60 minutes a day. Exercise includes activities such as:
   • To walk
   • Running
   • Swimming
   • Bicycles
   • Team sports such as basketball or volleyball
2. Improve your health immediately by quit smoking. Quitting smoking can improve your cholesterol levels, lower your blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer and lung disease. The following tips for quitting smoking may help:
   • Seek support from family, friends, local support groups, online forums, and helplines
   • Consult your doctor
   • Use nicotine replacement therapy
   • Enlist the help of a specialized coach
   • Consider getting treatment at rehab
3. Watch your weight. Controlling your weight will help keep your cholesterol levels in check. If you are overweight, a weight loss of 5% of your body weight can lower cholesterol. Your doctor will likely advise you to lose weight in the following cases:
   • If you are a woman with a waist circumference of 80 cm or more, or a man with a waist circumference of 94 cm or more.
   • If you have a BMI score between 25 and 30. You are then in the danger zone. Above 30 you run an increased risk.
4. Drink less alcohol. Alcohol is high in calories and low in nutrients. This means that too much alcohol can lead to obesity. The Nutrition Center recommends the following:
   • Do not drink alcohol or at least not more than one glass per day. This advice applies to men and women.
   • A beer, a glass of wine or a drink equals one glass. The size of the glass is adapted to the alcohol content.

Method 2 of 3: Choose a healthy diet

1. Reduce the amount of cholesterol you consume. Cholesterol is a fatty substance that occurs in small globules in our body. Your body makes a certain amount of cholesterol itself, so trying to cut back on your cholesterol will make a significant difference. Too much cholesterol increases the risk of arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. People with cardiovascular disease should not consume more than 200 mg of cholesterol per day. Even if you don't have cardiovascular disease, it's a good idea to limit your intake to 300 mg or less per day. You can do this in the following ways:
   • Avoid egg yolks. If you're cooking with eggs, try using egg substitutes instead of real eggs.
   • Do not eat organ meats and meat products, as such products are high in cholesterol.
   • Eat significantly less red meat.
   • Switch from full-fat dairy products to low-fat products. This includes dairy products, yogurt, cream and cheese.
2. Avoid trans fat and saturated fat. These fats increase the cholesterol level in your blood and thus the risk of cardiovascular disease. Fat is an important energy source and your body needs a small amount, which you can get from monounsaturated fatty acids. You can reduce the amount of unhealthy fats you consume in the following ways:
   • Cook with products that contain unsaturated fats, such as canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil instead of palm oil, lard, butter in a wrapper, or liquid shortening.
   • Eat lean meats, such as fatty fish or chicken.
   • Limit the amount of cream, full-fat cheese, sausage, and milk chocolate you eat.
   • Review the information on the labels of the products you want to buy. Even foods that claim to be free of trans fats often contain trans fats. See what ingredients the product contains and look for "vegetable fat, partially hydrogenated" or "hydrogenated fat". These are the trans fats. Foods that typically contain trans fats include: margarines and crackers, pastries and cookies. Baking and roasting products often also contain trans fats.
3. Satisfy your appetite with fruits and vegetables. Both vegetables and fruits are high in vitamins and fiber, but they contain little to no fat and cholesterol. Eat four to five servings of fruit and four to five servings of vegetables daily. You can add more fruits and vegetables in the following ways:
   • Reduce hunger by eating a salad before the main meal. Eating a salad will make you less hungry by the time you're ready for the often richer and fattier main meal. This also keeps your portion sizes under control. Add a variety of fruits and vegetables to your salads. Think of lettuce, cucumber, carrot, tomato, avocado, orange and apple.
   • Choose fruit for dessert instead of the fattier alternatives such as cakes, pies, pastries or sweets. If you're making a fruit salad, don't add sugar. Instead, enjoy the fruit's natural sweetness. Examples are: mangoes, oranges, apples, bananas and pears.
   • Bring fruits and vegetables to work or school to satisfy your hunger in between meals. You could prepare a bag of raw carrots, washed peppers, apples, and bananas the night before.
4. Lower your cholesterol by switching to a diet rich in fiber. Dietary fiber can help control your cholesterol levels. Fiber is also considered a "natural broom" and can significantly lower your cholesterol levels over time. They also make you feel full, so you are likely to eat fewer calories and cholesterol-rich foods. Switching to whole grain products is an easy way to increase your fiber intake. Some examples of suitable whole grain cereal products are:
   • Whole grain bread
   • Oat bran
   • Brown rice instead of white
   • Oatmeal
   • Whole-weat pasta
5. Discuss the use of supplements with your doctor. Be skeptical of any product that makes unrealistic promises about instantly lowering your cholesterol. Supplements are not regulated as tightly as drugs. This means that they are tested less often and the dosages can be inconsistent. However, it's important to know that despite being natural, they can cause unwanted interactions with medications, even over-the-counter medications. It is therefore important that you speak with a doctor before starting to take any supplements. Do this especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or treating a child. These are some examples of supplements you could take:
   • Artichoke
   • Oat bran
   • Barley
   • Garlic
   • Whey protein
   • Blond psyllium
   • Sitostanol
   • Beta sitosterol
6. Take a closer look at the content of the red yeast rice supplement. Sometimes these supplements contain lovastatin. This is the active ingredient in the medicine Mevacor. It is dangerous to take this drug as the dosages in supplements are not regulated and you are not provided with medical guidance.
   • Rather than taking red yeast rice supplements that contain lovastatin, it is safer to make an appointment with your doctor so he or she can prescribe highly regulated medications and provide you with appropriate medical guidance.

Method 3 of 3: Use medication

1. Discuss the option of using statins (cholesterol synthesis inhibitors) with your doctor. These are commonly used drugs for lowering cholesterol. They prevent the liver from making cholesterol, forcing your liver to remove cholesterol from your blood. These drugs may also reduce the chance that excess cholesterol can build up in artery walls. Once you start taking these medications, you should take them for the rest of your life. If you stop taking it, your cholesterol levels will increase. Possible side effects include headaches, muscle pain and digestive problems. Commonly used statins are:
   • Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
   • Fluvastatin (Lescol)
   • Lovastatin (Mevacor, Altoprev)
   • Pitavastatin (Livalo)
   • Pravastatin (Pravachol)
   • Rosuvastatin (Crestor)
   • Simvastatin (Zocor)
2. Ask your doctor about bile acid sequestrant resins. These drugs bind the bile acid, causing your liver to remove more cholesterol from the blood in the process of making more bile acids. Examples of commonly used bile acid binding resins are:
   • Cholestyramine (Prevalite)
   • Colesevelam (Welchol)
   • Colestipol (Colestid)
3. Prevent your body from absorbing cholesterol with drugs. These drugs prevent your small intestine from absorbing cholesterol from food during digestion.
   • Ezetimib (Ezetrol) may also be used in addition to statins. When used alone, this drug often has no side effects.
   • Ezetimib / Simvastatin (Vytorin) is a combination medication that decreases cholesterol absorption as well as your body's ability to make cholesterol. Side effects include digestive problems and muscle pain.
4. Check with your doctor about the possibility of newer medications if the usual variants don't seem to work. There are medicines that the patient can inject at home twice a month. These drugs increase the amount of cholesterol that the liver absorbs. They are often prescribed to people who have had a heart attack or stroke and are at risk of recurrence. Examples of these drugs are:
   • Alirocumab (Praluent)
   • Evolocumab (Repatha)

Warnings

• Tell your doctor that you are pregnant or suspect you are pregnant before you start taking any new medications.
• Provide your doctor with a complete list of all medications you are taking, including prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, supplements and herbal remedies. The doctor can tell you if there is a chance of unwanted interactions between the different medicines.