Elevated cholesterol increases the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. It’s currently recommended that total blood cholesterol (your “bad” cholesterol, LDL, plus your “good” cholesterol, HDL) be less than 200 mg/dl. In addition, your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol should be less than 130 mg/dl and your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol should be greater than 40 mg/dl in men and 50 mg/dl in women.

Lowering Cholesterol Naturally

Lowering total cholesterol, as well as LDL, is associated with reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. In high-risk patients, statins are usually prescribed and can produce decreases in total mortality, cardiovascular events and hospitalizations. However, the debate remains whether statin therapy represents the optimal treatment approach to primary prevention of coronary artery disease in patients whose only risk factor is elevated LDL.

There are several natural approaches that have been found to be highly effective for reducing cholesterol. Let’s look at six of them.

1. Low-cholesterol diet

While the liver is the major source of blood cholesterol, dietary cholesterol can be an important contributor. The best way to reduce cholesterol in your diet is to minimize saturated fat — no more than 10-15 grams per day. Saturated fat is found primarily in animal products, like meat and dairy products. Restrict dietary cholesterol to 300 mg per day. Familiarize yourself with foods that add cholesterol and unhealthy fat to your diet, and find healthier substitutes for these foods.

Article Source: mindbodygreen