What lifestyle changes help in managing high cholesterol levels?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 45-year-old male. I came to know that I have high cholesterol levels after doing my laboratory investigations. Could you provide a clear overview of cholesterol? Kindly provide with the relationship between cholesterol levels and cardiovascular health. How do diet and lifestyle choices impact cholesterol levels? What is the significance of doing cholesterol testing, and how often should individuals interpret their cholesterol levels? In cases where lifestyle changes are not sufficient, what role do medications play in managing cholesterol levels?

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

I am glad you chose icliniq for your medical-related queries.

I can understand your concern.

Cholesterol levels (medically called a lipid profile) give you the values of total cholesterol in the body and also the amount of good and bad cholesterol. Good cholesterol is HDL (high-density lipoprotein and bad cholesterol include LDL (low-density lipoprotein), VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein), and triglycerides. Cholesterol is nothing but the deposition of fat in your arteries, which may result in blockage and heart attacks in layman's terms.

Depending on the values and age (which is a non-modifiable factor in cholesterol levels), we suggest whether or not you need medications alongside lifestyle modifications. Then there are other factors like body weight, your lifestyle, whether you smoke or not, and many other factors based on which we can decide. Kindly share your reports so that advice can be given accordingly.

You can always come back and reach me at icliniq.com.

Thank you for consulting me.