Lower Cholesterol: An Introduction
It can take decades for
high cholesterol to have a negative effect on your health, although it still does damage even when you don't have any noticeable
cholesterol symptoms.
If you have high cholesterol, and nothing is done to lower it, you will be at greater risk for serious medical problems later on, such as a
heart attack or
stroke. Therefore, working to lower cholesterol is an important issue for anyone's general health. If you have high cholesterol, you will need to take steps to fight it every day, just like you would brush your teeth to fight gum disease.
The main goal of high cholesterol treatment is to lower your low density lipoprotein (
LDL)
cholesterol levels enough to reduce your risk of developing
heart disease or having a heart attack. The higher your risk, the lower your LDL goal will be.
Lifestyle changes are the first step to achieving a lower cholesterol level. If lifestyle changes alone do not lower cholesterol to a desirable level, cholesterol medication may be necessary.
For most people, living with high cholesterol is a lifelong journey.