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If you’re like many of us, your cholesterol level could use a little adjustment. An estimated 65 million Americans have cholesterol levels high enough to require significant lifestyle changes, yet only 30–40 percent of people who should be taking cholesterol-lowering medication actually take it. In a recent report by University Health Publishing and Johns Hopkins Medicine, researchers pinpointed a series of healthy lifestyle keys guaranteed to lower your risk of cholesterol-related illness such as heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

Here are five ways you can reduce and maintain your cholesterol levels.

1. Know Your “Target” Cholesterol Level
   The best way to start on the path to clear arteries is to schedule an appointment with your physician to determine your lipoprotein profile, a test that uses blood from the arm to measure your LDL (bad cholesterol) and HDL (good cholesterol) levels. For more information about these figures, along with a downloadable chart you can print out and compare with your own lipoprotein profile, visit americanheart.org.
2. Focus on the Right Fats
   While modifying your fat intake can contribute to reducing your risk, choosing the right fats (mono- or polyunsaturated fats) and limiting the wrong fats (saturated and trans fats) can have a dramatic effect on your health. Include the following items in your diet to help lower your risk: olive and canola oils, almonds, avocados and omega-3-rich fish. Limit your intake of saturated fat, like those found in butter, cheese, whole milk, ice cream and fatty meats.
3. Choose Cholesterol-Busting Power Foods
   Soluble fiber sources such as oat bran and tree nuts including almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans and pistachios can actually help lower your LDL cholesterol. Look for nuts that are dry-roasted or raw, without added oils or salt.
4. Ask Your Doctor About Medication
   For people whose cholesterol levels are dangerously high, doctors may prescribe statins —  medication that lowers LDL and raises HDL levels in the blood. These drugs — including atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol) and rosuvastatin (Crestor), among others — block the body’s production of cholesterol, while helping reabsorb cholesterol that has accumulated (as plaque on your artery walls) and preventing further blockage in your blood vessels. As helpful as these drugs can be, it’s important to consider the effects of statins on other organs in your body, especially if you have health problems such as liver disease. Statins may also interact with other drugs or supplements you take. Talk to your doctor to find out if this option is right for you.
5. Make It a Lifestyle
   Finally, if you’d resolved to lose weight, get fit or kick bad habits, here’s another reason to stick to those promises: Lack of exercise, unhealthy eating, smoking and excessive drinking all have a negative effect on your HDL levels and overall health. They also put you at greater risk for cholesterol-related illness such as heart disease, heart attack and stroke.