How swapping out saturated fat for healthier options can help lower your numbers and improve heart health.
What Is Cholesterol?
In addition to supporting digestion, cholesterol aids in the production ofvitamin Dand sex hormones.
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Your liver naturally produces around 80% of your bodys cholesterol.
Of course, you’re able to also get cholesterol from food.
A cholesterol test will also screen for a punch in of fat calledtriglycerides.
You get them from the foods you eatespecially when you consume more calories than your body needs.
Sometop sourcesof saturated fat include red meat, cheese, butter, baked goods and fried foods.
Does that mean you better completely skip the quesadillas and steak frites if you have high cholesterol?
And in all cases, cholesterol-lowering medication may be recommended in addition to lifestyle changes.
However, for many, diet is a great place to start or can complement your current therapy.
What specific moves can you make to lower your cholesterol?
Here are four key ones.
The result, in many cases: lower cholesterol.
In fact, research shows that fiber can help decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Aiming for 25 to 30 grams of total fiber each day should deliver the amount of soluble fiber needed.
That doesnt mean it’s crucial that you become a vegetarian or vegan.
Ill give you an example from my own life, says Taub-Dix.
Many of my family members are on cholesterol-lowering medicationsso for me theres a big genetic predisposition there.
Its not about a total diet overhaul, but small changes can really make a difference.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High cholesterol facts.
Bowman SA, Clemens JC.Dietary data brief no.
43: Saturated fat and food intakes of adults.
What we eat in America, NHANES 2017-2018.
In:FSRG Dietary Data Briefs.United States Department of Agriculture.
American Heart Association.Saturated fat.
2023;63(27):8752-8767. doi:10.1080/10408398.2022.2061909
