Managing your cholesterol can reduce your risk of heart disease. The primary goal in cholesterol management is to get your bad cholesterol (LDL) to a healthy level and keep it there. However, lowering bad cholesterol may not mean your other cholesterol numbers are out of the danger zone.
High triglyceride levels and low good cholesterol (HDL) may contribute to your risk for heart disease and may require additional management.
To see the greatest benefit from your cholesterol-lowering plan, you may need to take action to help manage these numbers, as well.
Generally, the first line of treatment in managing all three cholesterol numbers is to eat a heart-healthy diet and get regular exercise. If diet and exercise are not enough, your doctor may recommend adding medication to your cholesterol management plan.
The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) issued a set of guidelines for managing cholesterol.
- The guidelines include specific recommendations for drug therapy and lifestyle change that take into account all your cholesterol numbers and all your risk factors for heart disease, such as diabetes, weight and family history of heart disease.
- The guidelines recommend an aggressive approach to cholesterol-lowering management, including aggressive management of high triglycerides (trī-glis-er-īdes).
- The NCEP also provides tools for determining the severity of your risk for heart disease based on your individual health.
Working together, you and your doctor can use these guidelines to set your personal goals for getting your cholesterol and triglycerides to healthier levels.