Healthcare providers recommend lifestyle and dietary changes to lower your cholesterol and improve heart health.
Remember that in some cases, these strategies are insufficient, so medication is necessary.
Foods to Eat (and Avoid)
Changingyour dietcan play a central role in managing high cholesterol.
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However, excess drinking has numerous negative health effects, including on cholesterol levels.
Does Anything Lower Cholesterol Fast?
There is noquick fixto elevated cholesterol.
Without prescription cholesterol medication, it can take three months to a year to see results.
But there are individual differences.
Statinsthe standard cholesterol-lowering medicationscan expedite the process.
When youre prescribed these medications, healthcare providers expect results within about a month.
Your provider will recheck your cholesterol levels after six weeks.
Even if you choose this option, youll still need to keep to a healthy lifestyle.
When taken along with lifestyle interventions, statins are veryeffective, lowering LDL cholesterol between 25 and 55%.
Alternative medications are emerging for people with high cholesterol who don’t yield results from statins.
Talk to your healthcare provider about how best to manage your condition.
Summary
If your cholesterol levels are high, lowering your numbers is crucial for protecting your health.
A wide range of lifestyle and dietary interventions can help manage your cholesterol.
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