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NCEP Cholesterol Guidelines

The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) was implemented by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to teach people how to reduce their risk of heart attack, stroke and other diseases related to high cholesterol. The NCEP provides a wide variety of literature to help patients lower cholesterol and improve their health.

  1. Diet

    • The NCEP has outlined a diet plan for high cholesterol patients called the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet. It recommends eating only enough calories to maintain a healthy weight with less than 7 percent of those calories coming from saturated fats. Patients can increase the soluble fibers in their diet to help lower cholesterol.

    Weight

    • Losing weight can help reduce your overall cholesterol levels. The NCEP recommends that weight loss is especially important for women with a waist measurement of more than 35 inches, or more than 40 inches for men.

    Exercise

    • Exercise is an important factor in managing cholesterol. The NCEP recommends 30 minutes of exercise every day to help manage high cholesterol. Exercise lowers LDL cholesterol while helping to raise HDL, the good kind of cholesterol. It also can help you lose the excess weight that contributes to dangerous cholesterol levels.

    Medication

    • The NCEP states that some people may need medication to help control their cholesterol if lifestyle changes aren't enough. Talk to your doctor about how to use cholesterol-lowering drugs in correlation with a healthy lifestyle in order to maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

    Other Information

    • Visit the NCEP website to download its cholesterol management guides, or talk to your doctor. The NCEP works with doctors across the country to educate patients on cholesterol-lowering guidelines.

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