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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Having high levels of &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-a-total-cholesterol-level-698073&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;LDL&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;\u00A0cholesterol, also known as \u201Cbad\u201D cholesterol, can place you at risk for developing\u00A0heart disease if it is left untreated. The good news is that, unlike other risk factors, you may be able to prevent high LDL levels - or lower your LDL levels if they are already high.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Although most cholesterol medications currently on the market can lower LDL levels by varying degrees, your healthcare provider may want to use &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/lifestyle-changes-lower-cholesterol-698236&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;therapeutic lifestyle changes&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;\u00A0-\u00A0or TLC - to see how low your LDL can go before medication is needed. So, whether you want to lower your LDL or prevent your LDL from increasing, these tips can help you to keep your LDL cholesterol within a healthy range:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Weight Loss and Diet&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Being overweight or obese not only places you at risk for developing high LDL levels - it can also contribute to causing heart disease and other chronic medical conditions. Research hints that losing even a small amount of weight (5% to 10% of your body weight) may help lower your LDL levels.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Although studies have shown that losing weight helps lower LDL, they have also shown that eating the right types of &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/healthy-snacking-on-a-low-cholesterol-diet-697503&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;foods&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; can help your heart health. Foods that are high in &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/insoluble-or-soluble-fiber-which-lowers-cholesterol-697724&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;soluble fiber&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;\u00A0and phytosterols have been found to be helpful in lowering LDL cholesterol. A few\u00A0studies have shown that weight loss and diet can account for up to a 20% reduction in LDL levels.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;More long-term studies are needed in order to determine whether or not it is actual &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;WSEn3bgM25wAV1CoDVr0dA&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/where-to-get-weight-loss-help-3495539&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;weight loss&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; or the diet and exercise that go along with it that causes the reduction in LDL levels. Some studies have indicated that LDL cholesterol returns to original levels eventually \u2013- even when weight loss is maintained. Still, the prospect makes &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;BdGQGZqH4Zcwnx9UfZkB4Q&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/how-to-maintain-your-weight-loss-3495601&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;weight maintenance&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and good nutrition worthy goals to have.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Increasing Your Physical Activity&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/lowering-cholesterol-exercise-routines-697887&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Exercise&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; is not only good for losing weight, but moderate amounts of it may help lower your cholesterol levels \u2013- especially your LDL cholesterol. &amp;lt;a data-inlink=&amp;quot;zu09yJHX1d8FhmT7JMbW2g&amp;amp;#61;&amp;amp;#61;&amp;quot; href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/aerobic-activity-and-weight-loss-3496080&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;8&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Aerobic exercises&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, such as running, cycling, jogging, and swimming, appear to benefit cholesterol the most by lowering LDL by about 5% to 10%. Other &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/lowering-cholesterol-exercise-routines-697887&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;9&amp;quot;&amp;gt;forms of exercise&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, such as yoga, walking and weight-bearing exercises, have also been shown to modestly decrease LDL levels. However, these forms of exercise have not been as extensively studied as aerobic exercise.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Stop Smoking&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Smoking cessation not only has a large impact on levels of HDL, or \u201Cgood\u201D cholesterol, it can also slightly lower LDL levels. Cigarette smoking is linked to higher cholesterol levels as well as the formation of a damaging form of LDL called &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-is-oxidized-ldl-698079&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;10&amp;quot;&amp;gt;oxidized LDL&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. Oxidized LDL is a form of LDL that contributes to &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/what-happens-during-atherosclerosis-697500&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;11&amp;quot;&amp;gt;atherosclerosis&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. Some studies have shown that smoking cessation can lower LDL levels by up to 5%. Research has also shown that cholesterol levels, as well as oxidized forms of LDL, will decrease as soon as you stop smoking.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Alcohol and LDL Levels&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Although moderate consumption of &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/how-does-drinking-alcohol-affect-your-cholesterol-697732&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;12&amp;quot;&amp;gt;alcohol&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; can significantly raise HDL levels, it can also lower LDL by about 4% to 8%. Moderate consumption means one drink a day for women, and one to two drinks per day for men. A typical serving of alcohol includes 12 ounces of beer or 5 ounces of wine. However, drinking more alcohol doesn\u2019t necessarily equal better results in terms of improving your heart health. Studies have also indicated that drinking more than three alcoholic drinks a day could actually increase your chances of getting heart disease.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Sources:&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (PDF), July 2004, The National Institutes of Heath: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Kloner RA, Rezkalla SH. To drink or not to drink? That is the question. Circulation. 2007 Sep 11;116(11):1306-17. &amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Pilz H, Oguogho A, Chehne et al. Quitting Cigarette Smoking Results in a Fast Improvement of in vivo Oxidation Injury. Thrombosis Research. 99(3): 209-221.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Powers E, Saultz J, Hamilton A, et al. Clinical inquiries. Which lifestyle interventions effectively lower LDL cholesterol? J Fam Pract. 2007 Jun;56(6):483-5.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Slentz CA, Houmard JA, Johnson JL, et al. Inactivity, exercise training and detraining, and plasma lipoproteins. STRRIDE: a randomized, controlled study of exercise intensity and amount. J Appl Physiol. e-pub 2007 Mar 29.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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