Controlling Cholesterol

By Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper

Controlling your cholesterol is absolutely essential to lowering your risk of atherosclerosis (heart disease), stroke and heart attacks. Though medication may be required, a nutrition and exercise plan is a very effective weapon for putting cholesterol in proper balance.

Here are several of my basic recommendations concerning cholesterol that I believe you should follow:

Walk, jog, cycle or do some other form of moderate exercise at least three or four days a week, 20 to 30 minutes per session. There is solid evidence that for many people, the "good" (HDL) cholesterol levels can be raised 10 percent or more through regular moderate to vigorous endurance exercise.
Take off excess weight. Carrying even a few extra pounds can significantly increase your total cholesterol, including your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol.
Reduce your intake of saturated fats. No more than 10 percent of the calories in your daily diet should come from saturated fats such as those found in meats, butter or whole milk and cheese. Saturated fats trigger the body's production of excess cholesterol.
Limit your intake of cholesterol to no more than 300 milligrams per day. Keep the amount below 200 milligrams per day if you have a cholesterol problem or a family or personal history of heart disease.
Increase your intake of monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil or canola oil.
Increase your intake of foods containing soluble fiber, such as oatmeal, beans, apples and citrus fruits. Several studies have shown that soluble-fiber foods can lower cholesterol levels.
Increase your intake of deepwater fish, such as salmon, cod, tuna (white), herring, mackerel and trout. These fish contain significant amounts of certain oils (the omega-3 fatty acids), which include the all-important EPA acid. An abundance of these in the diet has been linked to lower levels of blood lipids, including triglycerides.
If you cannot bring your cholesterol into a healthy balance with these lifestyle changes, you may have to try a cholesterol-lowering medication. Products manufactured by several pharmaceutical companies have proved effective, with relatively few side effects for most people. See your personal physician for more information.