New York Cardiologist, David Southren, MD, with Advanced Cardiovascular Care in Valley Cottage, NY, a member of Highland Medical, P.C., and Director of Cardiology, Montefiore Nyack Hospital.

It is common knowledge that elevated blood cholesterol levels are not healthy—it is one of the main factors (along with high blood pressure, diabetes, and smoking, leading to a lifetime risk of heart disease and stroke.

Cholesterol circulates in the bloodstream, carried on particles that can deposit in arteries. It comes not only from diets high in fats, but also is produced in the body. Some individuals are genetically predisposed to higher cholesterol levels. Abnormal cholesterol levels can easily be detected by a simple blood test and can alert an individual that something needs to be done.

The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that adults aged 20 years or older have their cholesterol checked every 5 years. While high cholesterol levels are a strong contributing factor for heart and vascular disease, not everyone with high cholesterol ends up with heart disease events, and some people with low cholesterol levels develop severe heart disease. Your doctor will evaluate your cholesterol levels in relation to your family history of heart disease, and whether you have other risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.   

In general, people with high cholesterol levels can lower them through dietary changes to some extent. Eating a heart-healthy diet can also lower the risk of other heart disease risk factors, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Avoid saturated fat, which is found in fatty cuts of meat, poultry with the skin, whole-milk dairy products, and some vegetable oils such as coconut and palm oil. Instead, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk products, poultry without the skin and lean meats, and fish such as salmon, trout, albacore tuna, and sardines.

Regular exercise also has a modest benefit in lowering cholesterol. As with a heart-healthy diet, exercise can reduce the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.

Unfortunately, most individual’s high cholesterol levels are genetically driven, so while heart-healthy eating and exercise is important, it’s difficult for most people to control high cholesterol levels without medication. If you have high cholesterol levels that you haven’t been able to lower through diet and exercise, your doctor may recommend cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins.

Making needed changes to your cholesterol levels today will help you keep your heart healthy for years to come.