How long to improve cholesterol level better?

Cholesterol is a fat that is used in every cell in your body. Cholesterol is useful when it is found in the right place. Some of the important jobs that cholesterol does include:

Building cell membranes
Producing vitamin D
Making bile for digestion

Acting as a building block for all steroid hormones (such as estrogen and testosterone)

Cholesterol comes from animal products in the diet. The liver also makes cholesterol. Cholesterol is transported throughout the body by special proteins in the blood called lipoproteins. Lipoprotein levels are what are measured when you have a cholesterol test.

These lipoproteins include:

High-density lipoprotein (HDL): This is called “good cholesterol” because it takes cholesterol from your blood back to the liver. The liver then removes it from your body.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL): This is called “bad cholesterol” because it can build up in your arteries, leading to heart disease and stroke. These buildups, called plaques, can block proper blood flow to your organs and tissues.
Very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL): This can also be found in plaques in your arteries. It attaches to triglycerides in your blood.

How long does it take to improve cholesterol?

It can take weeks to months to see a significant improvement in your cholesterol. But the timeline will be different for everyone. The time it takes for you to lower your cholesterol depends on many factors, such as:

Genetics: People with certain genetic conditions like familial hypercholesterolemia (which causes high cholesterol) may take longer to lower their cholesterol.
Treatment: Diet changes alone may take longer to lower cholesterol than diet plus exercise. Medications usually work fastest, but it may take several months to find the best medication and dosage for you.
Consistency: If you are inconsistent with your diet, exercise, or cholesterol medications, lowering your cholesterol may take longer.
Severity: Very high cholesterol may require a dosage adjustment or change in medications, and it may take longer.

How can I lower my cholesterol?

Lowering cholesterol is usually done with a comprehensive approach. Diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes are usually the first step. Medications are then added to this effort if needed.

1. Diet

Some dietary changes can be effective in lowering cholesterol in as little as 4 weeks. Adopting a plant-based diet high in fiber can help lower cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure.

Two diets that can lower total cholesterol are the TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets.

Both diets limit:

Fatty meats
Whole dairy
Processed foods
Added sugars

Instead, these diets recommend eating:

Whole grains
Fruits
Vegetables
Lean meats
Fish

On average, you can expect about a 5% reduction in cholesterol after following a low-fat diet. One downside to using diet alone to lower cholesterol is that your good HDL cholesterol may also decrease.

2. Get Physical Activity

Regular physical activity can help increase your good HDL cholesterol. Being more active can also lower your total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides. In one small study, changes in cholesterol were seen in just 15 weeks of moderate exercise. You should do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise throughout the week.

Aerobic exercise can include:

Walking
Swimming
Cycling
Jump rope
Dancing

You may also see cholesterol benefits by adding resistance exercise to your exercise routine. Resistance exercise is beneficial on its own, but when combined with aerobic exercise, it can help lower cholesterol even more. You should do resistance exercise twice a week to see health benefits.

3. Lifestyle changes

Your lifestyle choices can affect your cholesterol levels. Research shows that changing one or more factors in your life can help you lower your cholesterol to some extent.

Key changes may include: