Cholesterol Management

Posted on February 12th, 2024

If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol you could be looking at one of two things – a high triglyceride number or a high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) number. If your provider also ran a Lp(a) number, you will have an indication of whether cholesterol levels are driven by your genes, as high levels typically indicate an inherited risk for elevated cholesterol numbers.

So, what is important to address when triglyceride levels are high (>150g/dL)? First and foremost, focus on eating lean cuts of meat and eliminating as much saturated fat from the diet as possible. This means avoiding fried foods, favoring white meat over red, reducing or avoiding high fat dairy, solid fats (butter, coconut oil) and cheeses. High starch intake and especially refined carbohydrates (those found in snack foods and processed foods) will also drive this number up. It is also important to limit cholesterol to <200mg per day (the cholesterol content of various foods can be checked online). Alcohol reduction is also key in this situation and should be eliminated entirely if triglycerides are higher than 500g/dL. Incorporating soluble fiber of at least 10g is beneficial and increasing exercise to 200-300 minutes per week will help the body in reducing this number.

For elevated LDL (important for values over 100mg/dL and vital for values over 150mg/dL), saturated fat, as indicated above, should be reduced significantly. Especially important here is the reduction of trans fats to impact LDL – these fats lurk in fast foods and processed foods, so avoidance of these types of foods is beneficial. As with elevated triglycerides, soluble fiber of about 10g daily is vital, as is 200-300 minutes of exercise. If overweight, a weight loss of 5-10% can reduce LDL by about 3-5%. Finally, incorporating organic soy foods (tofu, tempeh, edamame and natto) of about 25g per day can move the needle on this biomarker.

A dietary pattern focusing on at least 2 servings of fruits and 3.5 cups of vegetables per day is beneficial. Incorporating dark leafy greens and orange/red vegetables can further support cholesterol lowering. For fiber, incorporating whole grains as well as legumes helps to shuttle out unused cholesterol.

To ensure that cholesterol is not being recycled, daily elimination is recommended. If you are not eliminating on a daily basis, then examining water intake, dairy intake, your thyroid, stress management, medications, and your movement patterns may be in order.

If you need help navigating your cholesterol numbers, please call our office today and schedule an appointment with our in-house nutritionist.