Reducing Your Risk of Lipid Disorders

by Michael Jubinville, MPH

Some risk factors for lipid disorders, like family history or problems in your genes, cannot be changed. But, there are steps you can take to keep lipid levels in a normal range to lower your risk of problems. These include:

Eat a healthful diet. Choose a variety of different foods. Focus on fruits and vegetables, and whole grains and high fiber foods. Limit saturated and trans fats, and cholesterol.
Get regular exercise—Aim for 150 minutes a week of activity. Make exercise part of a daily routine by choosing things you like to do.
Keep your weight in a healthy range. Balance the calories you eat with those you burn off. Use food labels as a guide to make healthy choices.
Limit alcohol to 2 or less drinks a day for men and 1 or less drinks a day for women.
Talk to your doctor about the best ways to quit smoking. Quitting will also improve your overall health.

References:

Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et al. 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA guideline on the management of blood cholesterol. Circulation. 2018;Nov 10 [Epub ahead of print]. Available at: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000625.

Hypercholesterolemia. EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at: http://www.dynamed.... Updated April 16, 2019. Accessed May 29, 2019.

Hypertriglyceridemia. EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at: http://www.dynamed.... Updated November 28, 2018. Accessed May 29, 2019.

Preventing high cholesterol. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/prevention.htm. Updated October 31, 2017. Accessed May 29, 2019.

Prevention and treatment of high cholesterol (hyperlipidemia). American Heart Association website. Available at: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/prevention-and-treatment-of-high-cholesterol-hyperlipidemia. Accessed May 29, 2019.

Last reviewed March 2019 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Marcin Chwistek, MD
Last Updated: 5/29/2019

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