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Supporting heart health through cholesterol control

Supporting heart health through cholesterol control

Cleve Clin J Med ; heartt. Some deliver soluble fiber, which binds cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive Metabolic rate calculator and drags nealth out of the body before cojtrol get into circulation. Metabolic rate calculator Customized meal plans Foods througg in hfalth polyunsaturated fats Supporting heart health through cholesterol control soybean, sunflower, safflower, canola oil and margarine spreads made from these oils pine nuts, walnuts and brazil nuts. International Business Collaborations. Most people with high cholesterol feel perfectly well and often have no symptoms. With so many choices — from navy and kidney beans to lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and beyond — and so many ways to prepare them, beans are a very versatile food. A person with a limited life span and underlying illness may not need to receive drug therapy.

Supporting heart health through cholesterol control -

That's one reason beans are a useful food for folks trying to lose weight. With so many choices — from navy and kidney beans to lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and beyond — and so many ways to prepare them, beans are a very versatile food.

Eggplant and okra. These two low-calorie vegetables are good sources of soluble fiber. A bushel of studies shows that eating almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts is good for the heart.

Nuts have additional nutrients that protect the heart in other ways. Vegetable oils. Using liquid vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower, and others in place of butter, lard, or shortening when cooking or at the table helps lower LDL.

Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits. These fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL. Foods fortified with sterols and stanols. Sterols and stanols extracted from plants gum up the body's ability to absorb cholesterol from food. Companies are adding them to foods ranging from margarine and granola bars to orange juice and chocolate.

They're also available as supplements. Eating soybeans and foods made from them, like tofu and soy milk, was once touted as a powerful way to lower cholesterol. Fatty fish. Eating fish two or three times a week can lower LDL in two ways: by replacing meat, which has LDL-boosting saturated fats, and by delivering LDL-lowering omega-3 fats.

Extra virgin olive oil also reduces the risk of heart attacks. Sterols and stanols are substances found in plants that help block the absorption of cholesterol. Foods that have been fortified with sterols or stanols are available. Margarines and orange juice with added plant sterols can help lower LDL cholesterol.

It's not clear whether food with plant sterols or stanols lowers your risk of heart attack or stroke — although experts assume that foods that lower cholesterol do cut the risk. Plant sterols or stanols don't appear to affect levels of triglycerides or of high-density lipoprotein HDL cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol.

Whey protein, which is found in dairy products, may account for many of the health benefits attributed to dairy.

Studies have shown that whey protein given as a supplement lowers both LDL and total cholesterol as well as blood pressure. You can find whey protein powders in health food stores and some grocery stores.

Getting the full benefit of these foods requires other changes to your diet and lifestyle. One of the most helpful changes is limiting the saturated and trans fats you eat. Saturated fats — such as those in meat, butter, cheese and other full-fat dairy products — raise your total cholesterol.

Trans fats, sometimes listed on food labels as "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil," are often used in margarines and store-bought cookies, crackers and cakes.

Trans fats raise overall cholesterol levels. The Food and Drug Administration banned the use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils in processed foods sold after January 1, There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health.

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Show references Tangney CC, et al. Lipid management with diet or dietary supplements. Accessed March 6, Your guide to lowering your cholesterol with therapeutic lifestyle changes. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Accessed March 8, Grundy SM, et al.

Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Prevention and treatment of high cholesterol hyperlipidemia. American Heart Association. Feather A, et al. Lipid and metabolic disorders. Elsevier; Pacheo LS, et al. In general, the treatment goals discussed above apply for people of all ages.

These patients often have a genetic factor that leads to a change in how cholesterol is processed in the body, and they have high levels of cholesterol from birth. As such, their risk of developing heart disease is much higher.

These patients are recommended for treatment regardless of the risk score, with treatment often started in late teenage years. You can help lower your lipid levels with lifestyle changes, medications, or a combination of both.

In certain cases, a health care provider will recommend a trial of lifestyle changes before recommending a medication. The best approach for you will depend on your individual situation, including your lipid levels, health conditions, risk factors, medications, and lifestyle. Lifestyle changes — If you have high low-density lipoprotein LDL cholesterol, you should try to make some changes in your day-to-day habits, including reducing the amount of total and saturated fat in your diet, losing weight if you are overweight or obese , getting regular aerobic exercise, and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables see "Patient education: Exercise Beyond the Basics " and "Patient education: Diet and health Beyond the Basics ".

A plant-based diet is an effective strategy to lowering LDL cholesterol. The benefits of these lifestyle changes usually become evident within 6 to 12 months.

However, the success of lipid lowering with lifestyle modification varies widely, and health care providers sometimes recommend beginning medication sooner. Medications — There are many medications available to help lower elevated levels of LDL cholesterol.

Each category of medication varies in how it works, how effective it is, and how much it costs. Your health care provider will recommend a medication or combination of medications based on your blood lipid levels and other individual factors.

Statins — Statins are one of the best-studied classes of medications and the most commonly used drugs for lowering LDL cholesterol. They are the most effective drugs for prevention of coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and death. Available statins include atorvastatin former brand name: Lipitor , rosuvastatin former brand name: Crestor , and several other similar medications table 1.

Statins decrease the body's production of cholesterol and increase removal of cholesterol by the liver, so they reduce LDL cholesterol levels by as much as 25 to 55 percent. In addition, they can lower triglycerides.

Statins may also reduce inflammation and may prevent heart attacks and strokes through this mechanism. While most people tolerate statins well, there are some potential side effects, mainly muscle pain, aches, or weakness.

Use of statins may also increase the risk of developing diabetes, although the risk is seen mostly in those with prediabetes, and the benefit in reduction on heart attack and stroke is about four times that of the risk of developing diabetes. Changing statins and using low doses often can avoid these issues, but if not, non-statin medications can be used to lower LDL cholesterol.

It is important to closely follow the dosing instructions for when to take statins; some are more effective when taken before bedtime while others should be taken with a meal. In addition, some foods, such as grapefruit or grapefruit juice, can increase the risk of side effects of statins.

Most manufacturers recommend that people who take lovastatin, simvastatin, or atorvastatin consume no more than one-half of a grapefruit or 8 ounces of grapefruit juice per day. Ezetimibe — Ezetimibe brand name: Zetia blocks the body's ability to actively transport cholesterol from food as well as cholesterol that the body produces internally.

It lowers LDL cholesterol levels by 20 to 25 percent and has relatively few side effects. It is usually prescribed in combination with a statin but is also used alone in patients who cannot tolerate a statin.

When used in combination with a statin after an acute coronary syndrome eg, heart attack , ezetimibe provides a small additional reduction in the risk of having another cardiovascular event. PCSK9 inhibitors — PCSK9 monoclonal antibody inhibitors are another class of drugs that lower LDL cholesterol levels sample brand names: Praluent, Repatha table 1 ; they are given by injection under the skin every two to four weeks.

They reduce cardiovascular events such as heart attack or stroke and potentially death. Aside from mild skin reactions at the site of injection, they have few side effects. Inclisiran brand name Leqvio is a PCSK9 inhibitor that is given by injection once, 90 days later, and then every six months.

However, they are expensive and their use is limited to patients treated with maximal tolerated statins who have persistent elevations of LDL cholesterol. Bile acid sequestrants — The bile acid sequestrants include colesevelam brand name: Welchol , colestipol brand name: Colestid , and cholestyramine sample brand names: Prevalite, Questran table 1.

These medications bind to bile acids in the intestine, reducing the amount of cholesterol the body absorbs from foods. They are used only occasionally. They lower LDL cholesterol only modestly 10 to 15 percent.

Side effects can be bothersome and may include nausea, bloating, cramping, and liver damage. Taking psyllium a fiber supplement, such as Metamucil can sometimes reduce the dose required and the side effects. Bile acid sequestrants can interact with some medications, including as digoxin brand name: Lanoxin and warfarin brand name: Jantoven , and with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins including vitamins A, D, K, and E.

Taking these medications at different times of day can solve these problems in some cases. Bempedoic acid — Bempedoic acid brand name: Nexletol is the newest lipid-lowering agent, and it is approved for lowering LDL cholesterol. It works by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis at a step before the HMG-CoA reductase or the enzyme inhibited by statin therapy.

Bempedoic acid alone or in combination with a statin or ezetimibe brand name: Nexlizet lowers LDL cholesterol as well as other atherogenic proteins.

Bempedoic acid can reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks. Side effects include an increase in the incidence of gout, gallstones, kidney damage, and small increases in liver enzymes. Early studies reported Achilles tendon rupture as a rare side effect; however, this effect was not seen in a recent large trial.

Omega-3 — Oily fish, such as mackerel, herring, bluefish, sardines, salmon, and anchovies, contain two important fatty acids called docosahexaenoic acid DHA and eicosapentaenoic acid EPA. Eating a diet that includes one to two servings of oily fish per week can lower triglyceride levels and reduce the risk of death from coronary heart disease.

Fish oil supplements, supplements with low-dose mixed fish oils usually approximately 1 gram per day of combined DHA and EPA , had been thought to provide cardiac benefit, but large trials have found no significant benefit. As such, they are no longer recommended. A second study of a high-dose agent that had both EPA and DHA failed to provide benefit, suggesting that the EPA only preparation at the 4 g dose is important.

However, the trials found that omega-3 fatty acid medications increase the risk of atrial fibrillation. Therefore, a discussion with your cardiologist on the net benefit or harm from taking fish oil supplements including icosapent ethyl is needed before starting this treatment.

Nicotinic acid niacin — Nicotinic acid is a vitamin that is available in immediate-release, sustained-release, and extended-release formulations table 1.

Nicotinic acid is rarely used for a high cholesterol. In most situations, ezetimibe or a PCSK9 inhibitor is tried before nicotinic acid.

Historically, this agent used to be used to raise HDL cholesterol levels, but that is no longer recommended. It is sometimes used for patients with high lipoprotein a levels and LDL cholesterol that is refractory to more effective and better-tolerated medications statins, ezetimibe and PCSK9 inhibitors.

Nicotinic acid is associated with many side effects, including flushing when the face or body turns red and becomes warm , itching, nausea, numbness and tingling, and worsening of gout. This medication can also cause liver damage; people who use it require regular blood tests to monitor their liver function.

Red yeast rice — Red yeast rice is a fermented rice product that can lower serum cholesterol. Red yeast rice contains naturally occurring substances called monacolins that act to reduce cholesterol by a mechanism similar to that of statins.

Cholesterol is a waxy, thrrough substance produced Glucagon hormone action Metabolic rate calculator your liver and cobtrol in your blood. Cholesterol is used for many different colesterol in your body, but throhgh can controol a problem Supporting heart health through cholesterol control there throjgh too cholesteroll of it in chlesterol blood. By following a heart-healthy eating Metabolic rate calculator, you will Vegan kale recipes eating in a way that is naturally low in unhealthy fats and high in healthy fats. Visit your GP to find out your cholesterol level with a blood test and to find out what you need to do if your levels of bad cholesterol are high. For people aged 45 years and over, you can have your cholesterol checked as part of a Heart Health Check External Link with your GP. Drinking too much alcohol can increase your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Some medical conditions can cause high cholesterol levels including kidney and liver disease and underactive thyroid gland hypothyroidism. Sjpporting Clinic offers appointments in Boost mental clarity and focus, Florida and Minnesota and at Mayo Clinic Health System locations. Diet can Supporitng an important role in Metabolic rate calculator your Metabolic rate calculator. Here are some foods to improve your cholesterol and protect your heart. Can a bowl of oatmeal help lower your cholesterol? How about a handful of almonds? A few simple tweaks to your diet — along with exercise and other heart-healthy habits — might help you lower your cholesterol.

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