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Causes (1)
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Definition (2)
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Lifestyle and home remedies (6)
- HDL cholesterol: How to boost your 'good' cholesterol
- Top 5 lifestyle changes to reduce cholesterol
- Cholesterol: Top 5 foods to lower your numbers
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Prevention (1)
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Tests and diagnosis (2)
- Cholesterol levels: What numbers should you aim for?
- Cholesterol test
continued:
Top 5 lifestyle changes to reduce cholesterol
4. Quit smoking
If you smoke, stop. Quitting can improve your HDL cholesterol level. And the benefits don't end there. Just 20 minutes after quitting, your blood pressure decreases. Within 24 hours, your risk of a heart attack decreases. Within one year, your risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker. Within 15 years, your risk of heart disease is similar to someone who never smoked.
5. Drink alcohol only in moderation
Moderate use of alcohol has been linked with higher levels of HDL cholesterol — but the benefits aren't strong enough to recommend alcohol for anyone who doesn't already drink. If you choose to drink, do so in moderation. This means no more than one drink a day for women, and one to two drinks a day for men. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to serious health problems, including high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke.
If lifestyle changes aren't enough ...
Sometimes healthy lifestyle changes aren't enough to lower cholesterol levels. Make sure the changes you choose to make are ones that you can continue, and don't be disappointed if you don't see results immediately. If your doctor recommends medication to help lower your cholesterol, take it as prescribed, but continue your lifestyle changes.
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- Santosa S, et al. Cholesterol metabolism and body composition in women: The effects of moderate weight loss. International Journal of Obesity. 2007;31:933.
- How do you maintain weight loss? American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3040451. Accessed April 1, 2010.
- Your guide to lowering blood pressure with DASH. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf. Accessed April 1, 2010.
- Lira FS, et al. Acute high-intensity exercise with low energy expenditure reduced LDL-c and total cholesterol in men. European Journal of Applied Physiology. 2009;107:203.
- Kodama S, et al. Effect of aerobic exercise training on serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2007;167:999.
- Lawlor DA, et al. The association of smoking and cardiovascular disease in a population with low cholesterol levels. Stroke. 2008;39:760.
- Alcohol, wine and cardiovascular disease. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4422. Accessed April 1, 2010.

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