High cholesterol, also called hyperlipidemia, is common among Americans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 86 million people ages 20 and older have either borderline high cholesterol or high cholesterol.
Having high cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease, heart attacks and stroke. If your cholesterol is high, you can make lifestyle changes to lower it into a healthy range and protect your overall health.
Making Sense of Cholesterol
How much do you know about cholesterol? Since high cholesterol is considered dangerous, it might seem like all cholesterol is bad. However, cholesterol is essential for your body.
Cholesterol is a waxy substance produced by the liver that’s responsible for building cells and making vitamins and hormones. In addition to being produced by the liver, cholesterol is also found in foods from animals, including meat, poultry and dairy products.
You need a certain amount of cholesterol to keep the body functioning at its best. It’s when you have too much cholesterol that it’s a problem. When there’s too much cholesterol in the blood, it combines with other substances to form sticky plaque that can clog arteries in the body.
Striking the Right Cholesterol Balance
The type of cholesterol matters, too. Cholesterol is categorized into two major types—low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is known as “bad” cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which is known as “good” cholesterol.
That’s where managing your cholesterol gets a little tricky. You want your LDL cholesterol level to be low, but you want your HDL cholesterol to be high. Striking the balance can help you maintain a total cholesterol number that’s in a healthy range.
Why is it important to have a high HDL level? HDL cholesterol carries other cholesterol back to your liver, which then removes it from the body. Taking steps to increase your HDL cholesterol can help your body more easily maintain normal cholesterol levels.
The Cholesterol Numbers to Know
Knowing your health numbers, such as cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar, is an essential part of staying healthy. What’s the target when it comes to cholesterol levels? Aim for these numbers:
- Total cholesterol between 125 and 200 mg/dL
- LDL cholesterol less than 100 mg/dL or if you have other high-risk factors, your goal may be even lower
- HDL cholesterol of 40 mg/dL or higher for men and 50 mg/dL or higher for women
What about triglycerides? If you’ve ever had a lipid panel (cholesterol test) done, you’ve probably seen triglycerides in the results. While they aren’t a type of cholesterol, knowing your number is important.
Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood. Because this type of fat is used for energy, you need some of it, but like with cholesterol, you don’t want too much. Having high triglycerides in combination with low HDL or high LDL cholesterol increases your risk for heart health issues. Aim for a triglyceride level of 150 mg/dL or, ideally, below 100mg/dL if you have heart disease.
What You Can Do to Manage Your Cholesterol
What causes high cholesterol? The most common causes are lifestyle-related. In most cases, that means you can take action to change your cholesterol levels.
While high cholesterol can sometimes be inherited or caused by medications or medical conditions, it most often relates to eating an unhealthy diet, not getting enough exercise and smoking. Take these steps to get to—and maintain—healthy cholesterol levels:
- Know your numbers. Managing your cholesterol starts with having your cholesterol levels checked. Your primary care provider can run a lipid panel as part of your annual checkup. Talk with your provider about factors that may increase your risk of unhealthy cholesterol, such as a family history of high cholesterol.
- Don’t smoke. If you smoke, talk with a medical provider about a plan for quitting. The nicotine found in tobacco lowers your HDL cholesterol while increasing your LDL cholesterol. Quitting is the best plan for your health.
- Move your body more often. Health experts, including the CDC, recommend most adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. That’s just a little more than 20 minutes a day of an activity like brisk walking, jogging or swimming. Include a blend of aerobic activity (cardio), strength training and balance exercises for best results. If you’d like to take your exercise routine up a notch, aim for 75 minutes of strenuous activity each week, such as running or tennis. Improving your physical fitness has significant health benefits regardless of weight loss.
- Fuel your body in a heart-healthy way. Fill your plate with fruits, vegetables and whole grains—many of these foods contain soluble fiber, which can reduce the amount of cholesterol absorbed into the blood. Supplement these healthy foods with lean protein, such as chicken, turkey or plant proteins. Limit your intake of unhealthy saturated and trans fats, which can increase LDL cholesterol. Replace them with unsaturated fats, such as those found in avocados, fatty fish, olives, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and some types of vegetable oil.
- Get to a healthy weight. A medical provider can help you determine a weight that’s healthy for you. If you need to lose weight, moving your body more and eating healthy foods will help you reach your goals. Losing even a small amount of weight can positively impact your cholesterol levels.
- Find healthy ways to manage stress. Stress is a normal part of life, but too much of it can affect your cholesterol by lowering your HDL cholesterol and increasing your LDL cholesterol. Look for ways to cope with stress, such as exercise, meditation, prayer, time with friends or a hobby.
Making those habits part of your everyday routine can help you stay healthy. If you have other chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure, these heart-healthy steps are also good for managing those conditions.
In certain cases, adjusting your lifestyle habits may not be enough to lower your LDL and total cholesterol into a healthy range. Medications, including statins, may be recommended when lifestyle changes alone aren’t successful.
More to Read
- Filling Your Plate with Foods that Lower Cholesterol
- Are Cholesterol-Lowering Statin Medications Right for You?
- 7 Common Cholesterol Myths Busted
- The Best Changes You Can Make to Lower Your Cholesterol
Medically reviewed by Kelsey Schwartz Chmielewski, DO | UM Upper Chesapeake Health (umms.org)
