One of the best things you can do for your health, including lowering
cholesterol, is to exercise regularly at least thirty minutes a day. This helps
to raise your HDL (good) cholesterol level and lowers your blood pressure.
If you’re smoking, stop now. While this can be difficult, the health rewards
are worth it. If you find you cannot do it on your own, don’t hesitate to ask
your physician for help. There are many stop smoking aids on the market, and if
one doesn’t work, you may want to try another. Your risk of heart disease is
lowered by 50% after the first year of quitting.
Lose a few pounds. Exercise, as mentioned above, will help with that.
However, you should maintain a healthy diet as well. Make sure you eat less
saturated and trans fats or none at all. Also, a diet of lean meats and healthy
fruits and vegetables. Try to avoid fast food whenever possible. A good way to
lose weight is to begin walking daily. Of course, you’ll want to consult your
physician before you begin any weight loss program.
Your physician will monitor your efforts at lowering your cholesterol. If he
finds that exercising and dieting are not lowering it enough, he may prescribe
a medication to help out.
Cholesterol-lowering medications
Cholesterol-lowering medications are called statins. These medications work
by inhibiting an enzyme called HMG CoA reductase, so that your cells will not
produce cholesterol as effectively. There are several statins on the market to
choose from. Your physician may prescribe one for a three month period to see
how it works. If it isn’t effective for you, he will try another one. Make sure
you don’t take statins if you have chronic liver disease or are a heavy
drinker. If you suffer any side effects while taking medication, contact your
physician immediately. Also, you may want to schedule periodic liver function
tests to make sure the medication is not having an adverse effect on your
liver.
Listed below are some of the more popular cholesterol-lowering statins: