Will Improvements In My Diet Lower My Cholesterol?

Dr. Grundy answers the question: 'Can Diet Improvements Lower Cholesterol?'

By
Scott Grundy, M.D., Ph.D., Distinguished Chair in Human Nutrition; Professor in Internal Medicine, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
December 24, 2008, 1:52 PM ET
1 min read

— -- Question: My total cholesterol is over 250 and my doctor recommended a cholesterol lowering medication. Will improvements in my diet lower my cholesterol?

Answer: If your cholesterol -- that's total cholesterol -- is over 250, the first thing you've got to find out is what the good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, the LDL and the HDL, are. So that's number one.

But if the LDL is high, then yes, you can lower your bad cholesterol through diet by reducing intake of animal fats, by reducing the cholesterol in the diet. And that usually comes from animal products and also by losing weight.

So those are ways you can help to lower your cholesterol, but that does not mean that you might not have to take a medication if your physician thinks it's necessary. But everyone can lower their cholesterol to some extent through diet, exercise, and weight control.

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