Think Beyond Low Fat Diet to Improve Cholesterol!

Many Americans are affected by high cholesterol levels. This chronic health problem is responsible for heart disease, heart attacks and stroke. High cholesterol is defined as having total cholesterol levels greater than 200 mg/dl or LDL levels greater than 130 mg/dl. When cholesterol levels rise beyond these parameters, patients are often prescribed costly medications to improve lipid levels. For people with diabetes, aggressive cholesterol control is often promoted to reduce the risk of diabetic complications.

Cholesterol lowering medications are an important way to lower very high cholesterol levels. Unfortunately these medications can have serious side effects, such as muscle pains and liver damage. Other options for improving cholesterol include the use of dietary supplements, such as fish oil and vitamin B3 niacin. These supplements can work well but also have their own side effects. For example niacin flushing side effects can be very uncomfortable and often will cause people to stop this supplement.

Diet is the cornerstone of management of high cholesterol levels. In the past, when asked how to lower cholesterol naturally, doctors have advised the use of a low fat diet. However, in recent years studies have shown that there may be a more effective dietary method to lower cholesterol levels. This method is called the dietary portfolio.

The dietary portfolio is a concept that encourages the use of cholesterol lowering foods to drop LDL levels. Cholesterol lowering foods such as soy protein, plant sterols, nuts and soluble fiber can have a significant impact on bad cholesterol levels. According to recent studies, adding these foods from this cholesterol lowering foods list may decrease your LDL by 10%! In addition, studies have found that sticking to the dietary portfolio is more effective than a low fat diet alone and may even be as effective as taking a low dose of cholesterol medication!

More research is needed to determine how effective incorporating these types of foods are at decreasing cholesterol. However, the current studies are very encouraging and do not show any harm in starting these diets. It is not advisable to stop cholesterol medications and substitute with these dietary changes but it may be beneficial to discuss this option with your physician.