How to reduce cholesterol in 7 days
- what is a low cholesterol diet
- what is a low cholesterol diet look like
- what is a low cholesterol diet consist of
- what is a low cholesterol diet used for
15 foods that lower cholesterol...
Focus on fiber-rich foods and avoid saturated fats.
If your cholesterol level has crept up over the years, you may wonder whether changing your diet can help.
Low cholesterol foods
Ideally, your total cholesterol value should be 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or lower. But it's the harmful LDL cholesterol value that experts worry about the most. Excess LDL builds up on artery walls and triggers a release of inflammatory substances that boost heart attack risk.
"To prevent heart disease, your LDL should be 100 mg/dL or lower," says Dr.
Jorge Plutzky, director of preventive cardiology at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. But many Americans have LDL values that are less than optimal (100 to 129 mg/dL) or borderline high (130 to 159 mg/dL).
If you fall into either of those categories, you may be able to nudge down your LDL to a healthier level by changing what you eat, particularly if your current diet could use some improvement.
However, most people with higher LDL values likely will also need to take a cholesterol-lowering drug, such as a statin, says Dr. Plutzky.