Cholesterol (cont.)
How can LDL cholesterol levels be lowered?
Therapeutic lifestyle changes to lower cholesterol
Lowering LDL cholesterol involves losing excess weight, exercising
regularly, and following a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
For more, please read the TLC,
Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes article.
Medications to lower cholesterol
Medications are prescribed when lifestyle changes cannot reduce the LDL
cholesterol to desired levels. The most effective and widely used medications to
lower LDL cholesterol are called statins. Most of the large controlled trials
that demonstrated the heart attack and stroke prevention
benefits of lowering
LDL cholesterol used one of the statins. Other medications used in lowering LDL
cholesterol and in altering cholesterol profiles include nicotinic acid
(niacin), fibrates such as gemfibrozil (Lopid), resins such as cholestyramine
(Questran), and ezetimibe, Zetia. (An in-depth discussion of these drugs is
presented in this article starting at the heading: What are the statin drugs?)
What are "normal" cholesterol blood levels?
There are no established "normal"
blood levels for total and LDL cholesterol. In most other blood tests in
medicine, normal ranges can be set by taking measurements from large number of
healthy subjects. For example, normal fasting blood sugar levels can be
established by performing blood tests among healthy subjects without diabetes
mellitus. If a patient's fasting blood glucose falls within this normal range,
he/she most likely does not have diabetes mellitus,
whereas if the patient's fasting blood sugar tests higher than the normal range,
he/she probably has diabetes mellitus and further tests can be performed to confirm the diagnosis.
Medications, such as insulin or oral diabetes medications can be prescribed to
lower abnormally high blood sugar levels.
Unfortunately, the normal range of LDL
cholesterol among "healthy" adults (adults with no known coronary heart disease)
in the United States may be too high. The atherosclerosis process may be quietly
progressing in many healthy adults with average LDL cholesterol blood levels,
putting them at risk of developing coronary heart diseases in the future.
Next: What are the 2004 NCEP cholesterol treatment guidelines? »
- simvastatin, Zocor - Read about the medication simvastatin (Zocor) a cholesterol- lowering drug used to inhibit the production of cholesterol by the liver. Article includes descriptions, uses, drug interactions, and side effects.
- Homocysteine - Read about the test for homocysteine levels in the blood. High levesl of homocysteine include increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, and Alzheimer's disease.
- Hypothyroidism - Learn about Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) including causes, symptoms (such as weight gain, fatigue, and depression), diagnosis, and treatment.
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