How To Lower Your LDL

Ways to Lower LDL Cholesterol

The focus of this article is offering ways to lower LDL cholesterol. LDL has become popularly known in recent years as "bad" cholesterol and many people have realized that the key to cholesterol health is figuring out how to lower LDL levels.

The reason, which is covered in detail elsewhere on this website, is that LDL is a type of fat that sticks to your blood vessel walls and puts you at higher risk for a "cardiovascular event (which is medical terminology for a heart attack or stroke).

So, when you come up with ways to lower LDL, you're much less likely to have one of those "events" mentioned above.

How to lower your LDL In this article we'll focus on several ways to lower LDL. Tips for raising HDL, which is the so called "good cholesterol", are covered in other articles: How to Increase HDL and Cooking to Increase HDL.

There are three main ways to lower LDL: by avoiding high LDL foods, getting some exercise, and cholesterol lowering medications.

Let's talk about a low LDL diet first.

Following an LDL cholesterol lowering diet One of the smartest ways to lower LDL levels (but not always the easiest) is by avoiding high LDL foods. These are foods that have a lot of trans fats and saturated fats.

Trans fats include most pre-packaged, processed foods, baked goods, fast foods (especially fried fast foods), Ramen noodles, soup cups, and spreads (like margarine). As a general rule, any food that is artificially manufactured probably has trans fats.

Saturated fats mainly come from animals (beef, pork, chicken). It's also found in certain oils, nuts, seeds, and avocados (this is why educating yourself and reading food labels is important: not all nuts and vegetables are low in saturated fats). Whole dairy products also have saturated fats.

In this day and age, it's almost impossible to completely avoid high ldl foods that contain trans fats and saturated fats. But any time you can substitute healthy fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts, you'll lower your LDL. See our article on adopting an LDL diet for additional tips.

LDL Exercise Exercise is another one of the best ways to lower LDL cholesterol levels. Any exercise that gets your heart rate up is good. As your heart circulates more blood through your system, LDL is flushed out. Exercise will not only help you decrease LDL cholesterol levels, but it also helps you lose weight and lower your high blood pressure - both of which can add years to your life.

Slimming down also makes you look better and feel better about yourself - a nice bonus to add to a lower LDL readings.

LDL Medication Medications are the least preferable of the three ways to lower your LDL, but more and more doctors are prescribing them. Research has shown that taking medications as soon as your cholesterol levels start to move upward can have long term benefits.

There are a number of medications that lower LDL, but the most prevalent group today is the type known as statins.

Statins prevent the formation of cholesterol in the liver. The most popular brands include Simvasatatin, Pravastatin, Atorvastatin, Cerivastatin, Fluvastatin, and Lovastatin.

For more detailed information on how to lower LDL with medications, click on Cholesterol Medications. Also see our article on Lowering Cholesterol Without Medications.

Concluding thoughts on how to lower your LDL cholesterol The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) recommends that everyone after age of 20 should have their cholesterol levels checked every five years. Test readings will tell you how your cholesterol levels are doing, and whether you need to start taking steps to lower LDL. 

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