Easy Ways to Lower Cholesterol

Janet O'Mahony, M.D., is an Internal Medicine Doctor and a member of Mercy Personal Physicians Downtown in Baltimore, Maryland. She responded to questions from SHEfinds.com, a women's wellness site, regarding Easy Ways to Lower Cholesterol.

Lowering cholesterol itself is not really a health goal. What we want to do is lower the risk of heart attack and stroke and lowering your cholesterol is one factor. Cholesterol is mostly controlled by genetics so there is only so much you can do with lifestyle. There are however several ways to lower both your cholesterol AND cardiovascular risk.

1) First is weight loss. Your cholesterol numbers will drop if you lose 10, 20 or 30 pounds. More importantly, getting your BMI (Body Mass Index) down below 25 can decrease your risk of heart attack and stroke.

2) Exercise increases your HDL or "good" cholesterol levels and independently lowers cardiovascular risk even if you do not lose any weight. Exercises like walking, swimming or riding a stationary bike to get your heart rate up for 20 to 30 minutes a day is called "cardio" for a reason. This type of exercise has been proven to lower risk and extend life (and ANY type of exercise helps some.)

3) Diet is also important in lowering your risks. The diet that has been shown to decrease cardiovascular risk the most is the Mediterranean diet. It contains lots of fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains, olive oil, fish and other seafood, and less red meat. Avoiding junk foods is also part of a healthy diet.

4) Quit smoking. Smoking is a terrible risk factor for heart attack and stroke (and so many other illnesses like lung disease and cancer) but it also has bad effects on cholesterol - lowering the HDL or good cholesterol levels.

5) Medications. If you are at high risk and have some heart issues or problems, you need to take medication. Cholesterol medications have been shown to reduce heart attack and stroke by up to 30 percent. You can't ignore the lifestyle changes if you want to stay healthy but sometimes that is not enough.

Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Dr. Janet O'Mahony received her medical degree from University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. She completed her Internship at Baltimore VA Medical Center and Residency at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland.