Discovery Health
It's no secret that out of control cholesterol levels are a severe health risk and a major cause for heart attack and stroke, but cardiologist Deborah Barbour has developed an eight-step plan to help you lower your cholesterol and maintain healthy levels going forward.
To understand the importance of lowering your cholesterol, you should know exactly what cholesterol is and how you can get too much of it.
Cholesterol is a normally occurring waxy, fat-like substance that the body produces to support healthy cell function and hormone production. Like oil and water, however, cholesterol in the blood does not mix or dissolve. To make its way around the body, cholesterol requires two kinds of special lipoprotein carriers — low-density (LDL), or "bad," cholesterol and high-density (HDL), or "good," cholesterol.
Too much LDL in the body can build up in the arteries and cause plaque. As this plaque accumulates arteries become smaller and less blood can squeeze through to the heart and other major organs.
Triglycerides are another component of your cholesterol profile that needs to be monitored. Triglycerides form in the body from the fatty foods we eat and are the most sensitive to diet. If you've had ice cream and pizza the night before your cholesterol is tested, your triglycerides level will give you away. The reverse is also true — a low-fat diet will quickly lower your triglycerides.
Studies show that diet alone can reduce LDL levels by 35 percent in just two weeks. So if you've discovered that your cholesterol is out of control, or if you've been working to get your LDL and HDL in balance, Dr. Barbour's eight-step plan can help you. It may even help you get off of cholesterol-lowering drugs if you are currently taking them, or it may help you avoid them all together. But even with drugs, Dr. Barbour recommends her plan as an important part of healthy cholesterol maintenance.
Before you begin it's a good idea to see your doctor — and to have your cholesterol checked. Dr. Barbour's program is for informational purposes only and should not be substituted for a doctor's medical care. |
Step 1: Know your risk, know your numbers
Do you have high blood pressure? Do you have a family history of coronary artery disease before the age of 65? Are you a smoker? Overweight? Do you have coronary artery disease or problems with the arteries in your neck, legs or the aorta? Presence of one or more of these risks makes it even more imperative to monitor cholesterol levels. Even if you are not in the high-risk category it's still important to know your numbers and what they mean.
Step 2: Talk to your doctor.
You may not experience any symptoms if you have high cholesterol and most people don't know they have it. That's why it is important to have your blood checked periodically. A blood test called a lipoprotein profile measures the cholesterol levels in your blood and is the recommended test. Find out what your numbers are and talk with your doctor about what they mean. The American Heart Association recommendations for cholesterol levels are:
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