Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsLowering It NaturallyAlcohol and CholesterolHow to Lower It QuicklyMedication to Lower It

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

Lowering It Naturally

Alcohol and Cholesterol

How to Lower It Quickly

Medication to Lower It

When you have high cholesterol, it’s crucial to understand how to lower your cholesterol to reduce your risk of stroke, heart attack, and other heart complications. High cholesterol occurs when too much low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (“bad” cholesterol) is in the blood, and the excess sticks to artery walls, narrowing or blocking them.

Healthcare providers recommend lifestyle and dietary changes to lower your cholesterol and improve heart health. However, people with very high cholesterol or a history of heart problems may require medications to manage their cholesterol.

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How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally

Natural methods formanaging high cholesterolinclude lifestyle habits and eating a diet pattern that supports heart health. Remember that in some cases, these strategies are insufficient, so medication is necessary.

Foods to Eat (and Avoid)

Changingyour dietcan play a central role in managing high cholesterol. A healthcare provider may recommend adopting a specific diet, such as theDASH(Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet or the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes:

It also recommends eating the following in moderation:

When following the Mediterranean diet, limit the following foods as much as possible:

Eating to Support Your Heart Health in a Food DesertA “food desert” is a neighborhood with little to no access to healthy or fresh food. Food deserts disproportionately affect marginalized populations with limited financial resources.If you live in a food desert, there are still ways to boost your diet, such as:Avoid purchasing foods that have added salt, artificial preservatives, or trans or saturated fats.Frozen and canned vegetables may be a reasonable alternative to fresh foods on occasion.Plan occasional trips to grocery stores with family or friends to stock up on dry goods (e.g., dried beans, rice) and frozen foods.Research farmers markets or community gardens, which may sell affordable produce; farmers markets may even accept supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits.

Eating to Support Your Heart Health in a Food Desert

A “food desert” is a neighborhood with little to no access to healthy or fresh food. Food deserts disproportionately affect marginalized populations with limited financial resources.If you live in a food desert, there are still ways to boost your diet, such as:Avoid purchasing foods that have added salt, artificial preservatives, or trans or saturated fats.Frozen and canned vegetables may be a reasonable alternative to fresh foods on occasion.Plan occasional trips to grocery stores with family or friends to stock up on dry goods (e.g., dried beans, rice) and frozen foods.Research farmers markets or community gardens, which may sell affordable produce; farmers markets may even accept supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits.

A “food desert” is a neighborhood with little to no access to healthy or fresh food. Food deserts disproportionately affect marginalized populations with limited financial resources.If you live in a food desert, there are still ways to boost your diet, such as:

Lifestyle Habits

Alongside diet, changing other lifestyle habits can help improve or control cholesterol levels. Common methods include:

Alcohol Intake and Lowering Cholesterol

Alcohol consumptionis one of the lifestyle factors to consider adjusting to lower your cholesterol; however, it’s not straightforward. One study found that people who participated in light to moderate drinking—two standard drinks a day for adults assigned male at birth and one drink for adults assigned female at birth—experienced slower declines in HDL cholesterol levels than people who never drank.This can, in turn, lower LDL cholesterol.

However, excess drinking has numerous negative health effects, including on cholesterol levels. Over the long term, having more than two drinks a day for females and three a day for males raises the risk of excess weight and cardiovascular problems.Limiting your drinking—or quitting—can help manage high cholesterol.

Does Anything Lower Cholesterol Fast?

There is noquick fixto elevated cholesterol. It takes some time for lifestyle and dietary changes to take effect, and while medications can shorten this time frame, they do not work immediately. Without prescription cholesterol medication, it can take three months to a year to see results.

Statins—the standard cholesterol-lowering medications—can expedite the process. When you’re prescribed these medications, healthcare providers expect results within about a month. Your provider will recheck your cholesterol levels after six weeks.

When to Consider Medication to Lower Cholesterol

Lifestyle changes and nonmedical approaches can significantly improve cholesterol levels, but in some cases, healthcare providers advise taking medications. Even if you choose this option, you’ll still need to keep to a healthy lifestyle.

Statins, a class of drugs that includes Lipitor (atorvastatin) and Mevacor (lovastatin), are the primary medical therapy for cholesterol. When taken along with lifestyle interventions, statins are veryeffective, lowering LDL cholesterol between 25 and 55%.

Healthcare providers consider medications for lowering cholesterol when people are at increased risk of cardiac problems, including in the following cases:

Potential side effects of statins include:

In general, side effects are relatively rare, and the medications do protect against heart problems. Alternative medications are emerging for people with high cholesterol who don’t yield results from statins. Talk to your healthcare provider about how best to manage your condition.

Summary

If your cholesterol levels are high, lowering your numbers is crucial for protecting your health. The goal is to reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides while boosting HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

A wide range of lifestyle and dietary interventions can help manage your cholesterol. Dietary plans focus on fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins, with other methods including boosting exercise and managing stress. While these methods can be very effective, healthcare providers consider medications in cases where levels are very high or there’s an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular issues.

11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rosenson RP, Cannon CP.High cholesterol and lipid treatment options (beyond the basics). Freeman MW, Swenson S, eds. In:UpToDate. UpToDate; 2023.MedlinePlus.Cholesterol medicines.American Heart Association.What is the Mediterranean diet?Karpyn AE, Riser D, Tracy T, Wang R, Shen YE.The changing landscape of food deserts.UNSCN Nutr. 2019;44:46-53MedlinePlus.How to lower cholesterol.MedlinePlus. Metabolic syndrome.Assadi SN.What are the effects of psychological stress and physical work on blood lipid profiles?.Medicine (Baltimore). 2017;96(18):e6816. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000006816Huang S, Li J, Shearer GC, et al.Longitudinal study of alcohol consumption and HDL concentrations: a community-based study.Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105(4):905-912. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.144832Minzer S, Losno RA, Casas R.The effect of alcohol on cardiovascular risk factors: Is there new information?.Nutrients. 2020;12(4):912. doi:10.3390/nu12040912Janse Van Rensburg WJ.Lifestyle change alone sufficient to lower cholesterol in male patient with moderately elevated cholesterol: a case report.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2018;13(2):148-155. doi:10.1177/1559827618806841Pinal-Fernandez I, Casal-Dominguez M, Mammen AL.Statins: pros and cons.Med Clin (Barc). 2018;150(10):398-402. doi:10.1016/j.medcli.2017.11.030

11 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rosenson RP, Cannon CP.High cholesterol and lipid treatment options (beyond the basics). Freeman MW, Swenson S, eds. In:UpToDate. UpToDate; 2023.MedlinePlus.Cholesterol medicines.American Heart Association.What is the Mediterranean diet?Karpyn AE, Riser D, Tracy T, Wang R, Shen YE.The changing landscape of food deserts.UNSCN Nutr. 2019;44:46-53MedlinePlus.How to lower cholesterol.MedlinePlus. Metabolic syndrome.Assadi SN.What are the effects of psychological stress and physical work on blood lipid profiles?.Medicine (Baltimore). 2017;96(18):e6816. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000006816Huang S, Li J, Shearer GC, et al.Longitudinal study of alcohol consumption and HDL concentrations: a community-based study.Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105(4):905-912. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.144832Minzer S, Losno RA, Casas R.The effect of alcohol on cardiovascular risk factors: Is there new information?.Nutrients. 2020;12(4):912. doi:10.3390/nu12040912Janse Van Rensburg WJ.Lifestyle change alone sufficient to lower cholesterol in male patient with moderately elevated cholesterol: a case report.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2018;13(2):148-155. doi:10.1177/1559827618806841Pinal-Fernandez I, Casal-Dominguez M, Mammen AL.Statins: pros and cons.Med Clin (Barc). 2018;150(10):398-402. doi:10.1016/j.medcli.2017.11.030

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Rosenson RP, Cannon CP.High cholesterol and lipid treatment options (beyond the basics). Freeman MW, Swenson S, eds. In:UpToDate. UpToDate; 2023.MedlinePlus.Cholesterol medicines.American Heart Association.What is the Mediterranean diet?Karpyn AE, Riser D, Tracy T, Wang R, Shen YE.The changing landscape of food deserts.UNSCN Nutr. 2019;44:46-53MedlinePlus.How to lower cholesterol.MedlinePlus. Metabolic syndrome.Assadi SN.What are the effects of psychological stress and physical work on blood lipid profiles?.Medicine (Baltimore). 2017;96(18):e6816. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000006816Huang S, Li J, Shearer GC, et al.Longitudinal study of alcohol consumption and HDL concentrations: a community-based study.Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105(4):905-912. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.144832Minzer S, Losno RA, Casas R.The effect of alcohol on cardiovascular risk factors: Is there new information?.Nutrients. 2020;12(4):912. doi:10.3390/nu12040912Janse Van Rensburg WJ.Lifestyle change alone sufficient to lower cholesterol in male patient with moderately elevated cholesterol: a case report.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2018;13(2):148-155. doi:10.1177/1559827618806841Pinal-Fernandez I, Casal-Dominguez M, Mammen AL.Statins: pros and cons.Med Clin (Barc). 2018;150(10):398-402. doi:10.1016/j.medcli.2017.11.030

Rosenson RP, Cannon CP.High cholesterol and lipid treatment options (beyond the basics). Freeman MW, Swenson S, eds. In:UpToDate. UpToDate; 2023.

MedlinePlus.Cholesterol medicines.

American Heart Association.What is the Mediterranean diet?

Karpyn AE, Riser D, Tracy T, Wang R, Shen YE.The changing landscape of food deserts.UNSCN Nutr. 2019;44:46-53

MedlinePlus.How to lower cholesterol.

MedlinePlus. Metabolic syndrome.

Assadi SN.What are the effects of psychological stress and physical work on blood lipid profiles?.Medicine (Baltimore). 2017;96(18):e6816. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000006816

Huang S, Li J, Shearer GC, et al.Longitudinal study of alcohol consumption and HDL concentrations: a community-based study.Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105(4):905-912. doi:10.3945/ajcn.116.144832

Minzer S, Losno RA, Casas R.The effect of alcohol on cardiovascular risk factors: Is there new information?.Nutrients. 2020;12(4):912. doi:10.3390/nu12040912

Janse Van Rensburg WJ.Lifestyle change alone sufficient to lower cholesterol in male patient with moderately elevated cholesterol: a case report.Am J Lifestyle Med. 2018;13(2):148-155. doi:10.1177/1559827618806841

Pinal-Fernandez I, Casal-Dominguez M, Mammen AL.Statins: pros and cons.Med Clin (Barc). 2018;150(10):398-402. doi:10.1016/j.medcli.2017.11.030

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