The human body requires cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances required for digestion. But it’s important to keep the cholesterol levels in check as high cholesterol can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. High blood cholesterol can be prevented or treated with medications and healthy lifestyle and dietary choices.

Medication to control cholesterol
Doctors often prescribe medications when the cholesterol levels are alarmingly high and the affected individual needs immediate medical attention. The best treatment option for cholesterol at this time is statins. Along with bad cholesterol, statins also lower the levels of triglycerides—a type of blood fat—and mildly increase the good cholesterol levels.

While medicines can improve an individual’s condition, they may have some side effects including intestinal problems, liver damage, and muscle inflammation.

To avoid these side effects and lower cholesterol in a natural way, one must switch to a healthy diet and lifestyle.

Lifestyle and dietary changes to lower cholesterol levels
Poor diet, obesity, lack of exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, and diabetes are some common causes of high cholesterol. It is essential to keep a check on these factors and take some steps to control the condition.

• Limit smoking and alcohol: To treat cholesterol, one must cut down or limit smoking and alcohol consumption as far as possible.

• Consume a healthy diet: Switching to a healthy diet is considered to be one of the best treatment options for cholesterol. Eating a low-salt diet and consuming more fruits and whole grains lower cholesterol levels and improve overall health. Simultaneously, it is also important to limit animal fats and eat good fats, but in moderation. Monounsaturated fats help reduce bad cholesterol levels, and they are found in olives, olive oil, canola oil, almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, and avocados. In addition to this, including omega-3 fatty acids and soluble fiber in the diet can help treat cholesterol. Omega-3 fatty acids are often found in fatty fish like herring, deep sea tuna, salmon, and mackerel.  Beans, peas, fruits, lentils, oats, and whole grains contain soluble fiber.

• Cut down on trans-fat: While it’s important to include healthy foods in a diet, it is equally important to exclude unhealthy foods that contain trans-fat. Trans fat is found in packaged food like spreads, chips, and cookies. They are also in some desserts like cakes and pastries.

• Exercise regularly: Exercising every day while following a healthy diet can lead to long-lasting results. If someone is obese or overweight, then their focus should be on losing extra pounds as excess body weight is a leading cause of high cholesterol.

• Destress: As stress can add to the complications related to cholesterol levels, one must prioritize their mental health and try to reduce stress and treat cholesterol through activities like meditation and yoga.