How to Lower LDL

Most people are now aware of several different kinds of cholesterol, including: low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL). These have become generally known as "bad" cholesterol (LDL) and "good" cholesterol.

Many people are also catching on to the idea that the key to cholesterol health is to lower LDL and raise HDL.

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).

HDL, on the other hand, sweeps the bad LDL out of your bloodstream and helps keep your arteries open and operating at maximum efficiency.

So, when you lower your LDL and raise your HDL, you're much less likely to have one of those "events" mentioned above.

Ways to lower LDL 

In this article we'll focus on several ways to lower LDL. Tips for raising HDL are covered in other articles: How to Increase HDL and Cooking to Increase HDL.

There are three main ways to lower LDL: an LDL-friendly diet, exercise, and cholesterol lowering medications.

Diet You can lower LDL by avoiding 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 trans fats and saturated fats. But any time you can substitute healthy fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts, you'll lower your LDL.

Exercise Any exercise that gets your heart rate up is good. As your heart circulates more blood through your system, the HDL in your bloodstream lowers LDL by flushing it out. Exercise 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 score.

Medications Medications are the least preferable of the three options 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.

Conclusion

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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