Lower Cholesterol

Lower Cholesterol questions and answers

Learn About Get Your Cholesterol Lower Today.

Q: Lower cholesterol?
I need some non-medical ways to lower cholesterol. I’m told my cholesterol is high but I don’t want to have to start taking medication for it. I need some ideas for live style changes.

A: My mother had very high cholesterol levels most of her life, so I have done a lot of research on things to help. (BTW - she is now 84 yr old and has never had any heart problems. Cholesterol is not the only factor is preventing strokes). Fats - eliminate trans-fats - all modified fats like margarine - these have been chemically altered, and release free radicals in your body causing damage to your arteries, which is where all the problems start. Add some fish oils or cod liver oil to your diet. Some other foods that lower cholesterol: Blueberries - lower the amount of cholesterol made by the liver Fruits & vegetables with fiber - fiber absorbs cholesterol in the intestines & keeps it from being absorbed. Chili peppers - contain capsaicin that reduce cholesterol & triglycerides Cucumber - skins contain sterols which lower cholesterol (Sterols prevent cholesterol from being absorbed in the intestines) Garlic - contains allicin - a blood thinner that protects the artery walls from free radical damage & helps the liver metabolize (get rid of) cholesterol Grapes and wine - contain resveratrol which lower cholesterol Green Tea - rich in catechines tha tlower cholesterol Apples, & the pulpy portion of grapefruit - contain pectin, a soluble fiber that lower cholesterol Wheat germ - contains Vit E (antioxidant) & lowers LDL cholesterol High fiber diets lower cholesterol because one of the main uses for cholesterol in the body is by the liver - it converts it to bile salts which binds with and eliminates fats in the body. Fiber binds to the bile salts and eliminates them - keeps them moving so the liver has to make more (and use up more cholesterol in the process). Some vitamins to consider: Vit A - needed for the conversion of cholesterol into sex hormones (progesterone which converts into testosterone & estrogen). Without Vit A, your body can't use the cholesterol to make these hormones. Vit B-complex - used in the metabolism of fats Vit C - builds healthy blood vessels - high cholesterol is often associated with low Vit C intake Avoid Vit D - it tends to raise cholesterol levels. (Maybe because we use cholesterol in our skin - under the influence of sunlight - to make Vit D) Vit E - is a good antioxidant to keep your blood vessels healthy so you don't have problems with cholesterol. Selenium works the same way Iodine (in kelp tablets) to improve your thyroid function. You need thyroid hormones to use and eliminate cholesterol, so if your thyroid is low, your cholesterol will be high. Hope this gives you something to think about. We only get a small amount of the cholesterol in our bodies from our diet. I watched my mom cut out most meat and cheese, eggs, from her diet for many, many years, with almost no improvement in her cholesterol level. I just don't think that's the way to do.

Q: lower cholesterol?
I don't exactly want a lengthy explenation, just a list of foods to avoid so i can lower my cholesterol (sp?) pleasssssse and thanks! what about cookies? and special k? are they bad?

A: Exercise and fiber are the best ways to lower your cholesterol naturally. I've heard if you eat oatmeal every morning for a year it will lower your cholesterol by 10 points because of the fiber in it. Here's a list of foods high in cholesterol, hope this helps. http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Foods-High-In-Cholesterol.html

Q: What are good foods to lower cholesterol?
I have slightly elevated cholesterol but the doctor only told me to lower my fat intake. I want to find other effective methods to lowering cholesterol.

A: Less than half of your calories each day in carbs (that means less potatoes, less pasta), less than 20 gms a day of saturated fats, and my doctor also recommended this: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/330656/cholestoff_reduces_high_cholesterol.html

Q: What is the best way to lower cholesterol?
My boyfriend has high cholesterol and i am afraid he is going to have a heart attack and we havent taught our dog to dial 9-1-1 yet... I am gone all the time at work and school (i graduate in spring 08).. so i need to find a way to help him help himself lower his cholesterol. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

A: To be straight it is simple to bring down your cholestrol, first of all stop worrying and taking hasty steps. 1) Physical. 2)Reduce fat in your diet. 3)MOST important is that stop taking too much of sweets. 4)Avoid red meat. 5)Physical the most important reducer of cholestrol. 6)Stress free,no smoking or alcohol. Hope answered your question, don't put him on any medication.Use Natural lemon juice, no synthetic/s.

Q: How many avocados per week to lower cholesterol?
I've read that eating guacamole or avocados lower your bad cholesterol levels up to 22% in a week and increase the good cholesterol by 11%. How much guacamole or avocados should I eat each week to stay healthy?

A: One avocado per day is enough. You can eat 5-6 avocados per week to be healthy. It is best to eat avocado late in the day cause it could be hard for digestion. Also, do not eat avocado with any other kind of fatty or high protein food like cheese, meat, cream, nuts seeds and similar .

Q: How to lower cholesterol most effectivley?
I just had bloodwork done for a physical. My overall cholesterol is 226. my LDL is 157 and HDL is 36. I know I need to raise the HDL and seriously lower the LDL. Are there any foods out there that can help this? And will excersice and dropping weight help? Im also pre-diabetic. No better motivation to work out regularly than that. Any suggestions would be great. I current'y work out sporadically but now I believe I will be doing at least 30 mins 5 days a week since Ive seen where I stand.

A: Cut down on red meat and other animal fat products, and try getting whole grains into your diet. One thing I like is lowfat yogurt with AllBran Buds (Buds not shreds or flakes) and yup get your exercise.

Q: What is the truth about drugs used to lower cholesterol and their side effects?
Why has the bad cholesterol count gone up through the AMA? Who allowed the cholesterol number to be raised? Was this mandated by our government and the big drug companies? I am highly concerned towards taking Lipitor to lower my cholesterol, because of known and unknown side-effects.

A: The best way to lower your cholesterol is to drink more water. Cholesterol is produced by the body as a preventive measure to protect the arteries from damage. When you don't drink enough water, the body may take the water it needs from your blood (blood is made up of around 90% water). When it does, it leaves salt behind (the body is composed of a 75% water/salt solution). This salt can become abrasive on the inside of the arteries, causing tiny holes and weakened arterial walls. Cholesterol (or plaque) is the body's way of applying a band-aid on the damaged areas. If dehydration continues, more plaque will build up until the artery becomes blocked. To take care of this, you need to drink more water. If you're not used to drinking a lot of water, doing so may wash out important vitamins and minerals, which may create a worse condition. To learn the proper way to do it, click on the link below. The information is free.

Q: How well does oatmeal lower cholesterol?
I've read that eating oatmeal every day can lower your cholesterol, but just how effective is it? Would you have to eat tons and tons of it for it to be effective? Or is it how regularly you eat it that lowers your cholesterol?

A: Oatmeal by itself won't lower your cholesterol drastically, but it does help. See, many people believe they can just eat one bowl of oatmeal in the morning and continue to eat all that bad-for-you stuff and it'll bring your cholesterol way down. Not true. Oatmeal is just one member of a group of foods that help -- that group being whole grain breads/cereals/pasta -- so if you REALLY want to get your cholesterol levels down you need to make major changes and eat more whole grains and more of the other foods that help, like eggs, nuts, fresh fruits/vegetables, and lean meats. You'd also have to cut back on fast food, junk food, processed flour/sugar, and saturated fat. So to answer your question: Eating a lot of oatmeal probably would bring your cholesterol levels way down, but eating it regularly and making other healthy diet choices will also lower your cholesterol.

Q: What is the most effective way to lower cholesterol and triglycerides and blood pressure without pills?
What is the best natural way to lower cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure?

A: Hypertension management is often a 3-step approach. Step 1 is changes in diet, weight and lifestyle. Steps 2 & 3 involve medication in addition to Step 1. Step 1 changes mean a low-sodium, low-cholesterol/fat, balanced and healthy diet. Plenty of water. Then there's the matter of excess weight. Lose it. Changing one's lifestyle means stress management, more exercise/activity, no smoking, no alcohol. This is all natural, no pills and effective.

Q: Cherrios claim to lower cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks. Are there other cereals that can do the same thing?
Cheerios are probably the biggest and do the most advertising, and also are the first to lay claim to that. General Mills can launch a campaign solely highlighting that, while other companies probably just push to be noticed. Are there lesser known cereals, ones that are probably better for you, that has the same ingredients that lower cholesterol?

A: It might just be the whole oats/grains in the product. Quaker Oats makes the same claim with their products (though I don't think instant oatmeal is too healthy, though I'll eat it in a pinch), as does Kellogg's Heart Smart cereal. (Although Heart Smart has several listings of sugar, including corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils and listings of preservatives that I don't consider healthy and will not buy a product if any of these are even listed once.) I shop at Trader Joe's, which is a chain of low cost health food stores. They have a Cheerios equivalent, Joe's O's that have the same comment about cholesterols on them. In my opinion, it just helps to eat a good, healthy diet. My mother-in-law told me last month that her doctor put her on a new pill for her high cholesterol. Now, this woman eats plenty of stuff I don't even consider food. That day, I noticed she put creamy, fatty dressing on he salad (to me, those types of dressings ruin the salad), and had a nice chunk of red meat for dinner. Typical of her. I had made the diet comment, too. On the other hand, I eat real, whole, good foods and my cholesterol (as of the test I took in late spring/early summer) is low. Other than the American Heart Association site, I'm sure there are sites that offer information on lowering and maintaining good cholesterol levels, but I just can't think of any good search phrases now.

Q: Where can I find a printable diet to lower cholesterol?
My cholesterol is high and I need a diet to follow to help lower it have looked but can't seem to find what i;m looking for. Would like to print it as well as an exercise program . Any suggestions would be appreciated. TY in advance.

A: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 Reduce Cholestrol Save Heart REDUCE CHOLESTROL SAVE HEART (Dr.Saurabh Mehrotra) RISK OF HIGH LEVEL CHOLESTROL (S. Cholesterol normal range: 130-230mg %) CHOLESTROL LEVELS IN CHILDREN AND ALDOSCENTS FROMHIGH RISK FAMILIES* (*IF ONE PARENT’S LEVEL IS 240mg/dL OR HIGHER OR IF A PARENT OR GRAND PARENT HAD EVIDENCE CORONARY ARTERYDISEASE B4 AGE OF 55.) CATEGORY TOTAL CHOLESTROL (mg/dL) LDL CHOLESTROL (mg/dL) ACCEPTABLE LOWER THAN 170 LOWER THAN 110 BORDERLINE 170-199 110-129 HIGH HIGHER THAN/ HIGHER THAN/ =200 =130 IF TOTAL CHOL. =300mg/dL; RISK FOR DEV. CORONARY DISEASE IS DOUBLE IF TOTAL CHOL.WERE 150mg/dL. IF TOTAL CHOL. =300mg/dL; RISK OF DYING OF CORONARY DISEASE IS 4 TIMES IF TOTAL CHOL.WERE 190mg/dL. REDUCING CHOL. BY 10% REDUCES YOUR FUTURE CORONARY RISK BY 20%. INCREASING HDL 1mg/dL REDUCES CORONARY RISK BY 2-3%. Mr.Arvind Chopra (R) 46 M successfully reduced cholestrol level from 268.9 mg% (28 Jan 09) to 190 mg% (3 Jun 09) by having treatment from Dr. Saurabh Mehrotra (L). # Issued in public interest under REDUCE CHOLESTROL SAVE HEART PROGRAM by Dr. Saurabh Mehrotra. # For more details contact : Dr. Saurabh Mehrotra ; mob - +91-9936-42-3621 ; Email : doc.saurabhmehrotra9@yahoo.com

Q: What are some good foods to eat to lower cholesterol?
My mom got her blood results back, and she needs to cut down on the cholesterol ASAP, and also has various other factors that are increasing her chances of heart problems. What can she do to better her heart and eat better to lower her levels?

A: Purple grape juice or 1-2 glasses of red wine Oatmeal or, even better, oat bran Anything with fiber; fruits, vegetables, etc. Fish oil supplements are very effective as well, but if she is on a blood thinner she needs her docs permission first

Q: What is the effective diet to lower cholesterol?
Can fruits be considered as an effective diet to lower cholesterol?

A: Fruits and vegetables.

Q: How does the intake of Omega-3 fatty acids help lower cholesterol?
Yea, I am doing a paper on Flaxseeds and they have a high number of the essential fatty acid Omega-3. I am trying to find how the omega-3 actually helps lower cholesterol. I was not able to find anything, so can anyone help me? Thank you.

A: Omega 3 Complex helps in better functioning of a body and this fatty acid is found maximum in fish and the person who takes fish can help in lowering heart problem and in long run lowers the level of cholesterol. The marine fishes that are high in fatty acid content are sardines, mackerel and trout are the most vital source of Omega 3 Complex.

Q: Is there a proven diet to lower cholesterol? Or can you just use meds and skip the diet?
I was told my bad cholesterol was high, and to bring it down to under 100. My doc wants to start me on medication, but I am usually wary of meds and avoid them if possible. Is there an "easy way" to lower cholesterol by keeping my same diet and using the meds?

A: My non-expert medical opinion is this: The medication has side effects and it is only treating the symptom. I'd suggest at least trying this one small change to your diet: eat oatmeal. The fact that it has been clinically linked to lowering cholesterol is only one reason to eat it, too. It is the most perfect food you can eat to start your day. British and Scottish warriors defeated the Roman Empire, fueled by oatmeal. If you start every day with a bowl of oatmeal and skim milk, your entire body will begin to function more efficiently. Add some fresh ground flax seed (easy to do with a 10 dollar coffee grinder) to get Omega 3's for your heart and joints, and a little bit of cinnamon, which has been clinically linked to helping maintain blood sugar in diabetics. I've also heard that exercise can play a pretty important role in keeping cholesterol down.