Cholesterol medication may be an appropriate option for how to lower LDL cholesterol in some cases. But lifestyle strategies like these are often recommended first—not just because they don’t pose the risks that drugs do, but because they really work:
Eating a healthy dietLosing weight if you are overweight or obeseGetting regular physical activityQuitting smoking (if applicable)
This article explains how to lower LDL cholesterol with these lifestyle changes. It also tells you what you need to know about alcohol consumption, LDL, and your overall heart health.
How Diet and Weight Loss Lower LDL
A natural way to lower your LDL cholesterol is by making changes to your diet, especially if those changes support a healthy weight.
Being overweight or having obesity puts you at risk for developing high LDL levels and also contributes to heart disease and other chronic medical conditions. Research has shown that losing even a small amount of weight (less than five pounds) may help lower your LDL levels.
Eating right can help your heart health, too. Foods high in soluble fiber, phytosterols, and healthy fats like olive oil have been found to help lower LDL cholesterol.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute notes that it’s possible to reduce your LDL by between 20% and 30% with a few simple changes:
Getting less than 7% of your daily calories from saturated fats can reduce LDL by between 8% and 10% Decreasing your daily cholesterol intake to less than 200 milligrams can lower LDL by between 5% and 8% Losing 10 pounds can reduce your LDL by between 5% and 8% Adding 5 grams to 10 grams of soluble fiber a day can decrease LDL by between 3% and 5% Adding 2 daily grams of plant sterols can reduce LDL by between 5% and 15%
Lowering LDL With Physical Activity
Exercise is not only helpful for losing weight, but moderate amounts of physical activity can be a way to lower your LDL cholesterol naturally. Aerobic exercises, such as running, cycling, jogging, and swimming, appear to stand the best chance of lowering LDL while also reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Other forms of exercise, such as yoga, walking, and weight-bearing exercises have been shown to modestly decrease LDL levels. However, these activities have not been studied to the same extent as aerobic exercise for lowering cholesterol.
The Impact of Quitting Smoking
Cigarette smoking is linked to higher cholesterol levels and the formation of a damaging form of LDL called oxidized LDL that contributes to atherosclerosis.
One of the quickest ways to lower your cholesterol is to quit smoking. Research has shown that cholesterol levels drop as soon as you stop smoking.
Each month after quitting, your LDL levels drop even more. After 90 days, the effects of smoking on cholesterol can be reversed quite a lot.
Summary
Many natural ways to lower your LDL cholesterol will work best if they become part of your lifestyle for the long term.
Eating well, managing your weight, exercising, quitting smoking, and limiting your alcohol intake can lower your LDL cholesterol levels and help keep them in a healthy range.
A Word From Verywell
You might be motivated to try to lower your LDL levels quickly, and that’s great. But it can take time for these lifestyle changes to pay off, so try not to get frustrated if you don’t see results right away.
Even if you end up needing a prescription medication to lower your LDL cholesterol, lifestyle changes will remain an important part of your management plan.
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