Is medication necessary or can diet only work? What's best medication and diet?

Hi Tunis,

Yes, you can lower your numbers through diet and lifestyle changes.  However, you need to speak with your MD to determine if medication is needed as well.  It's possible medication may be a short term intervention until you get on track with a healthy diet and more activity.

Here's the goal for your cholesterol numbers:

Total cholesterol - less than 200 mg/dL

LDL cholesterol - less than 130 mg/dL

Triglycerides - less than 200 mg/dL

HDL cholesterol - greater than 60 mg/dL

You can learn about a diet to lower cholesterol here.

You can learn about lowering triglycerides and here's an article on raising HDL - Long workouts best for raising good cholesterol.  The weekend activity sounds great, but adding activity throughout the week will make a big difference.  Alcohol has a significant impact on triglycerides.  I recommend no alcohol until you have your triglycerides under control.

As far as the cheese and BBQ, it depends on how often and how much.  There's room in a healthy balanced diet for everything, but if it's large portions everyday, you're contributing to your high numbers.

All the best,

Lisa Nelson, RD, LN

Tips to Lower Cholesterol