Lower Your Cholesterol and Triglycerides:

• If you are overweight, reduce calories to reach a reasonable body weight. This includes all sources of calories, from fats, proteins, carbohydrates and alcohol.
• Reduce dietary saturated fat and cholesterol content.
• Reduce alcohol intake considerably. Even small amounts of alcohol can lead to large changes in plasma triglyceride levels- and alcohol is very high in calories.
• Start and stick to a regular exercise program.
• Saturated fat in foods, such as red meat and regular dietary products, can raise your blood cholesterol more than anything else. Lower your saturated fat and cholesterol intake by choosing nonfat dairy products, limiting yourself to no more than 6 ounces of meat, fish and poultry per day, and by limiting high-fat desserts and snacks.
• A very small group of people can't lower their blood cholesterol level even with dietary changes, but a controlled diet may prevent it from rising further. With the addition of medicine, cholesterol may then be lowered.
• Poly- or monounsaturated oils - and margarines and spreads made from these oils - should be used in limited amounts instead of fats with a high saturated fatty acid content, such as butter, lard or hydrogenated shortenings.
• Read the labels on all packaged foods.  Beware of "hidden" saturated fat content, excess sodium, cholesterol and calorie content, and percent of calories from fats.
• Fiber:  When eaten regularly as part of a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, soluble fiber has been shown to help lower blood cholesterol. Foods high in soluble fiber include oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, strawberries and apple pulp.  To help prevent heart disease, you should consume approximately 7 grams of soluble fiber per day.  Insoluble fiber does not appear to help lower blood cholesterol, although it is still an important aid in normal bowel function. Foods high in insoluble fiber include whole-wheat breads, wheat cereals, wheat bran, cabbage, beets, carrots, brussels sprouts, turnips, cauliflower and apple skin.  Beware that many oat bran and wheat bran products (e.g. muffins, chips, waffles) actually contain very little bran. They may also be high in sodium, total fat, and saturated fatty acids.
• Soy: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved the claim that soy may lower LDL and total cholesterol, and thus reduce the risk of heart disease.  The recommended daily amount is 25 grams.  Soy is also a great protein alternative to high cholesterol foods, such as red meat and dairy products, and an excellent source of soluble fiber.
• Orange Juice: New research indicates three glasses of orange juice a day can raise HDL and may also reduce the level of homocysteine, another independent risk factor for heart disease.

Click here for related information.

Created: 10/17/2000  -  Donnica Moore, M.D.