Every five years, all adults ages 20 and older should have their fasting lipoprotein profile done, according to the American Heart Association.
This is a blood test taken after a fasting period without any food, liquids or pills for a period of nine to twelve hours.
The result of this test will give you four numbers, your total cholesterol level, your LDL (bad) cholesterol, your HDL (good) cholesterol and triglycerides.
If you're diagnosed with high cholesterol, you should learn how to lower cholesterol naturally.
The ideal results are a total cholesterol level less than 200 mg/dl, an LDL level of less than 100 mg/dl, HDL level greater than 60 mg/dl and a triglyceride level less than 150 mg/dl.
Having a fasting lipoprotein result that is not within these values puts you at greater risk for suffering from heart disease, stroke and a heart attack.
So what are your options for lowering cholesterol? One is to take cholesterol-lowering medications and the other is to go about it naturally with exercises, diet, weight loss and possibly taking supplements.
Many people don't like taking medications as these typically have side effects.
So if you're one of these people, you should go for the second option, which is the natural way of lowering cholesterol.
Exercise Exercise is a great way to lower your cholesterol naturally.
As exercise is able to burn fat, it also helps decrease your bad cholesterol.
If you're just starting, try to do a bit of physical activity every day and increase it to about 30 minutes a day.
Even simple things can go a long way to keeping you healthier such as walking or biking to work instead of taking a car (if your workplace is not that far away, that is), taking the stairs instead of riding the elevator, or even doing some household chores.
You could also get an exercise buddy to keep you motivated in doing it every day.
Diet To lower your cholesterol by diet, you need to know what are the foods that are high in bad cholesterol as well as those that are able to lower your bad cholesterol level.
Meat, dairy products, eggs and butter...
these are foods that contain saturated fat, which increases your bad cholesterol, so it is best to minimize your intake of these.
Oatmeal, legumes, fruits and vegetables contain soluble fiber, which helps eliminate bad cholesterol from your bloodstream.
Nuts and fishes are high in "good" fats so they are better alternatives to completing your recommended fat intake daily.
Weight Loss Having excess weight keeps your total and bad cholesterol up while keeping your good cholesterol down.
So if you're not at your ideal weight, you should take steps in losing that excess pounds now.
Supplements Some supplements can be helpful in lowering your cholesterol level.
Higher doses of Vitamin B3 or Niacin, for example, has been linked to the reduction of blood cholesterol.
Also, if you're not getting enough fish or fiber, you may be able to get your omega 3 fatty acids and soluble fiber through supplements.
Make sure to ask your health care practitioner first about these supplements to make sure that it will not interact with any medications you are taking and will not be harmful to your health.
With some discipline and commitment, you can certainly learn how to lower cholesterol naturally and be on the road to a healthier heart.