HIGH CHOLESTEROL TREATMENT IS MULTIFACTORIAL

What are the options for high cholesterol treatment?  Although people often think of drugs first of all, the reality is that effective high cholesterol treatment begins at home - while there are drugs available that can make a difference, they must be combined with real lifestyle changes in order to be effective.

The reality is that for most people, the causes of elevated cholesterol levels are most likely to be lifestyle related.  It therefore makes sense that any program of high cholesterol treatment would have to focus on the conditions that caused the problem in the first place.

Common factors in causing elevated cholesterol levels include:

• Too much saturated fat in the diet - this is the most common cause and has to be addressed
• Lack of physical exercise
• Being overweight or obese
• Diabetes
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Smoking

The number one way to deal with high cholesterol problems is through diet. The reason for this is simple - while cholesterol is a natural substance produced by the body and needed to make hormones and vitamin D, when we eat too much saturated fat we stimulate the body to produce too much cholesterol.

If this happens over an extended period of time, the body cannot cope with the excessive amounts of cholesterol being produced, and it begins to clog up the arteries.  This can lead to a condition known as arteriosclerosis - arteriosclerosis occurs when cholesterol deposited on the walls of the coronary arteries causes them to narrow and harden, and it can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

Reducing saturated fat is thus the first and most important step to take. Saturated fat is found in a number of foods, including: Cakes, Cookies, Candy, French Fries, Burgers, Pizza, Cheese and Fatty Red Meats

The number one culprit in the American diet is fast food. It is estimated that fast food makes up over 50% of the American diet, and unfortunately it is almost all loaded with saturated fat.

For example, a typical cheeseburger can easily contain up to 500% of the recommended daily allowance for saturated fat! This is not an isolated incident either - saturated fat is found in excessive quantities in French fries, pizza (especially if you choose meat toppings), chicken and fish sandwiches, even many fast food salads!

The National Cholesterol Education Program has created dietary guidelines for intake of fat. Their recommendations are as follows:

• Total fat - Less than 30% of calories
• Saturated fat - Less than 7% of calories
• Polyunsaturated fat - Less than or equal to 10% of calories
• Monounsaturated fat - Approximately 10-15% of calories
• Cholesterol - Less than 200 milligrams per day
• Carbohydrates - 50-60% of calories

If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol levels, talk with your doctor about changes you can make to your diet. They will not expect you to figure out what these figures mean for yourself, but can put you in touch with a dietician who can explain to you the changes you can make to improve your health.