How to Improve LDL Cholesterol

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are a waxy substance carried in the blood. Too much of it builds up and blocks arteries. This blockage can result in insufficient oxygen getting to the heart, which increases risk for a heart attack. For these reasons, LDL levels should be below 100 if you are healthy and below 70 if you have heart disease. Changes to diet and medications will help improve LDL cholesterol.

Instructions

• 1

  Limit fat intake. Aim for less than 7 percent of your daily caloric from saturated fats. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats should be 10 to 20 percent or less of your caloric intake. If you can't avoid trans fats altogether, keep them to less than 1 percent of your daily caloric intake, recommends the Cleveland Clinic.

• 2

  Limit foods with high cholesterol, such as eggs, cheese and red meat.

• 3

  Include oatmeal, fish, nuts and olive oil in your diet, since they are associated with lowering LDL levels.

• 4

  Eat fortified foods that include plant sterols and stanols, or phytosterols, which provide a more healthful alternative to high-saturated fat, high-cholesterol products, according to the International Food Information Council Foundation. Some breads, low-fat milk, margarine, cereals and yogurt are fortified with stanols and sterols.

• 5

  Ask your doctor about statin medications. The Centers for Disease Control indicate that statin drugs slow the body's production of cholesterol by increasing the liver's ability to remove the LDL--cholesterol already in the blood. Because of how they operate, statins are the most effective and safe way to lower LDL levels, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

• 6

  Try other techniques, such as cholesterol absorption inhibitors; niacin, a B vitamin that improves all lipoproteins; and bile acid sequestrants.

• 7

  Exercise---it increases good levels of cholesterol as well as lowers LDL. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate exercise five to seven days a week.