How to Rapidly Lower Cholesterol Levels

Start exercising. Exercise enhances the body’s ability to process fats and cholesterol. Begin slowly and avoid overexertion. Consult your doctor before starting a new exercise regimen to ensure it’s suitable for your fitness level. Gradually increase the intensity to 30 minutes to 1 hour daily. For example, try activities like:

• Walking
• Brisk walking
• Swimming
• Cycling
• Joining a community sports group, such as basketball, volleyball, or table tennis

Quit smoking to improve immediate health. Quitting smoking enhances cholesterol levels, lowers blood pressure, and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, and lung conditions. You can seek support through:

• Asking for help from family, friends, support groups, forums, or quit-smoking hotlines.
• Consulting a doctor.
• Using nicotine replacement therapy.
• Visiting a counselor. Some counselors specialize in smoking cessation.
• Considering inpatient treatment.

Manage your weight. Weight control helps lower cholesterol levels. If overweight, losing just 5% of your body weight can reduce cholesterol. A doctor may recommend weight loss if:

• You are a woman with a waist size over 90 cm or a man with a waist size over 100 cm.
• Your BMI is greater than 29.

Limit alcohol consumption. Alcohol is high in calories and low in nutrients. Excessive drinking increases obesity risk. The Mayo Clinic (USA) recommends:

• One alcoholic drink per day for women and two for men.
• One drink equals a can of beer, a glass of wine, or 45 ml of spirits.

Reduce cholesterol intake. Cholesterol is found in blood fats. The body produces a limited amount, so limiting dietary cholesterol helps lower overall levels. High cholesterol increases the risk of arterial blockages and heart disease. Individuals with heart disease should not consume more than 200 mg of cholesterol daily. Even without heart disease, it’s best to limit intake to under 300 mg daily by:

• Avoiding egg yolks. Use egg substitutes when cooking.
• Avoiding organ meats, which are high in cholesterol.
• Cutting back on red meat.
• Choosing low-fat or fat-free dairy products like milk, yogurt, cream, and cheese instead of full-fat versions.

Avoid trans fats and saturated fats. These fats increase cholesterol levels. You can obtain the necessary fats from monounsaturated fats. Additionally, reduce unhealthy fats by:

• Cooking with monounsaturated fats like canola oil, peanut oil, and olive oil instead of palm oil, lard, butter, or shortening.
• Eating lean meats such as poultry and fish.
• Limiting cream, cheese, sausages, and milk chocolate.
• Checking ingredient labels on processed foods. Even products advertised as trans fat-free often contain these fats. Look for partially hydrogenated oils, which are trans fats. Common sources include margarine, cookies, and cakes.

Control hunger with fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and fiber, low in fat and cholesterol. Aim for 4-5 servings (2-2.5 cups) daily. Increase intake by:

• Starting meals with a salad to reduce hunger before consuming fatty dishes. This also helps control portion sizes. Include a variety of vegetables like greens, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, avocados, oranges, and apples.
• Choosing fruit for dessert instead of high-fat options like cakes or candies. Avoid adding sugar to fruit salads and enjoy their natural sweetness. Examples include mangoes, oranges, apples, bananas, and pears.
• Packing fruits and vegetables for school or work to manage hunger between meals. Prepare carrot sticks, bell peppers, apples, and bananas the night before.

Increase fiber-rich foods to lower cholesterol. Fiber helps manage cholesterol and is a natural way to significantly reduce levels. It also keeps you full longer, reducing the intake of high-calorie, high-cholesterol foods. Whole grains are an easy way to boost fiber intake. Examples include:

• Whole wheat bread
• Rice bran
• Brown rice (instead of white rice)
• Oats
• Whole wheat pasta

Consult your doctor about dietary supplements. Supplements are less regulated than medications, meaning they undergo fewer tests and have inconsistent dosages. Be cautious of products making unrealistic claims, such as instant cholesterol reduction. Also, understand that even natural supplements can interact with medications, including over-the-counter drugs. Always consult a doctor before using supplements, especially if pregnant, breastfeeding, or giving them to children. Consider options like:

• Artichoke
• Oat bran
• Barley
• Garlic
• Whey protein
• Blond psyllium (found in psyllium husk)
• Sitostanol
• Beta-sitosterol

Check the ingredients of red yeast rice supplements. Some red yeast rice supplements contain lovastatin, the active ingredient in Mevacor. Taking lovastatin as a supplement is risky due to uncontrolled dosages and lack of supervision.

• Instead of using red yeast rice with lovastatin, consult a doctor for a prescription of regulated medication with supervised usage.

Discuss Statins with your doctor. These medications are widely used to lower cholesterol. They prevent the liver from producing cholesterol, forcing it to remove cholesterol from the blood. Statins also help reduce plaque buildup in arteries. Once started, you may need to take them for life, as cholesterol levels can rise if discontinued. Side effects include headaches, muscle pain, and digestive issues. Commonly prescribed Statins include:

• Atorvastatin (Lipitor)
• Fluvastatin (Lescol)
• Lovastatin (Mevacor, Altoprev)
• Pitavastatin (Livalo)
• Pravastatin (Pravachol)
• Rosuvastatin (Crestor)
• Simvastatin (Zocor)

Ask your doctor about bile acid sequestrants. These drugs bind to bile acids, prompting the liver to remove cholesterol from the blood to produce more bile. Commonly used bile acid sequestrants include:

• Cholestyramine (Prevalite)
• Colesevelam (Welchol)
• Colestipol (Colestid)

Use medications to block cholesterol absorption. These drugs prevent the small intestine from absorbing cholesterol during digestion.

• Ezetimibe (Zetia) can be used alongside Statins. It typically has no side effects when used alone.
• Ezetimibe-simvastatin (Vytorin) is a combination drug that reduces cholesterol absorption and production. Side effects include digestive issues and muscle pain.

Consult your doctor about newer medications if others are ineffective. The FDA has approved injectable drugs for home use, administered 1-2 times monthly. These medications increase the liver's absorption of cholesterol and are often prescribed for patients with a history of heart attacks or strokes at high risk of recurrence. Examples include:

• Alirocumab (Praluent)
• Evolocumab (Repatha)

• Inform your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or starting a new medication.
• Provide your doctor with a complete list of all medications you are taking, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, supplements, and herbal remedies. This helps your doctor advise on potential interactions with cholesterol-lowering medications.