What is the treatment for high cholesterol?
Once the goal LDL is identified, treatment for high cholesterol includes diet, exercise, and/or medication therapy. A physician can recommend therapeutic lifestyle changes and/or medication based on the blood lipid profile. The therapeutic lifestyle changes include implementing a diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol, increasing the consumption of soluble fiber and plant stanols/sterols to enhance LDL lowering, reducing weight, and increasing physical activity. The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet. This diet involves an intake of saturated fat less than 7% of total calories, 25-35% of calories from total fat, and less than 200mg of cholesterol daily.4 Some may need medications in addition to the TLC diet and others may need medication if they do not respond to the TLC diet.
