High cholesterol is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease including heart attack and stroke.<\/p>\n
But did you know that there are natural ways you may be able to lower your cholesterol, without turning to prescription medications such as statins?<\/p>\n
UConn Health\u2019s Bradley Biskup, PA,<\/a> has been guiding his Lifestyle Medicine Clinic<\/a> patients on how to naturally manage their cholesterol at the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI feel great,\u201d says Linda Nadeau of Farmington who was helped by Biskup. She just turned 70 and still works out at the gym 6 days a week running and weight training.<\/p>\n \u201cI am always exercising but I needed something else to help. After a simple blood test Brad worked with me to improve my daily diet and what supplements I could take to bring down my high cholesterol naturally,\u201d says Nadeau.<\/p>\n She added: \u201cEverything with Brad\u2019s care has been tremendous. Thanks to Brad my cholesterol went down a lot and by more than 100! I tell everyone about Brad\u2019s care and that they have nothing to lose by trying some natural ways to lower their cholesterol, only ways to gain.\u201d<\/p>\n Biskup says: \u201cWe gave Linda the natural options, and she ran with them. I am happy to report her LDL cholesterol level has naturally gone down from a height of 272 to 159 without medication.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Biskup, unhealthy cholesterol levels puts patients at risk for coronary artery disease and heart attack, especially bad LDL cholesterol, which it is important to get this number down.<\/p>\n \u201cA healthy diet, exercise, and over-the-counter supplements can help lower lipids in your blood,\u201d says Biskup who stresses the first important step for each individual is to be actually aware of their cholesterol numbers.<\/p>\n LDL (low-density lipoproteins) is known as \u201cbad\u201d cholesterol since these lipids or fats can buildup and clog your body\u2019s arteries. A normal LDL is less than 130 for men and women. Also, HDL (high-density lipoproteins) is the \u201cgood\u201d cholesterol that helps carry bad fats through your bloodstream. An elevated HDL above 50 for women and above 40 for men is important to lowering your risk of heart disease. Additionally, it is important to keep your triglyceride intake low as this additional type of fat that enters our bloodstream through food can elevate one\u2019s risk of heart disease.<\/p>\n According to Biskup, not everyone\u2019s body has a tolerance for cholesterol-lowering statin medications which can reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 15-20%, or some patients prefer to try avoiding taking a medication if they don\u2019t ultimately have to.<\/p>\n \u201cStatins may not be the only fix for managing cholesterol. There are natural options available to lower cholesterol in patients at moderate risk for cardiovascular disease,\u201d says Biskup.<\/p>\n To naturally improve your cholesterol levels Biskup suggests:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n