One of the main ways blood cholesterol can reach undesirable
levels is through a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol.
Fatty cholesterol deposits can collect in blood vessels, raising
the risk of heart disease.
Drugs, exercise, and other therapies may be prescribed. But
in many cases, cholesterol levels can be lowered by revising
dietary habits and limiting the kinds of foods known to boost
cholesterol, such as those high in saturated fat. This doesn't
mean totally eliminating all your favorite foods, such as
desserts, says the National Cholesterol Education Program
(NCEP). It means taking a more prudent approach to the kinds
and amounts of foods you eat.
When elevated cholesterol is first discovered in a person
without heart disease, doctors often start patients on the
Step I diet recommended by the American Heart Association
and NCEP. On this program, patients should eat: 8 to 10 percent
of the day's total calories from saturated fat, 30 percent
or less of total calories from fat, less than 300 milligrams
of dietary cholesterol a day, and just enough calories to
achieve and maintain a healthy weight. A doctor or a registered
dietitian can suggest a reasonable calorie level. Food labels
also are very helpful in determining how much saturated fat,
cholesterol, and calories are in various foods. If the Step
I diet doesn't result in desirable cholesterol levels, doctors
may try the Step II diet, which changes the daily saturated
fat limits to below 7 percent of daily calories and dietary
cholesterol to below 200 milligrams. Step II also is the diet
for people with heart disease.
In many patients, blood cholesterol levels should begin to
drop a few weeks after starting on a cholesterol-lowering
diet. Just how much of a drop depends on factors such as how
high the cholesterol level is and how each person's body responds
to changes made. With time, cholesterol levels may be reduced
10 to 50 milligrams per deciliter or more, a clinically significant
amount.
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