lipid.siteYour guide
Food and exercise matter, for your whole heart. Here's an honest look at how far they usually move LDL.
Room 4 · The Kitchen(a full-tour room)
Can I fix this with diet and exercise?
About 3 minutes
Guess first
With a strong diet change, how much do most people lower their LDL?
The Kitchen
What's on your plate?
Starting from the sample visitor's LDL-C of 168. Switch on what you'd change.
Lines mark common goals: under 100, 70 or 55, depending on your overall risk.
Triglycerides: little change from these.
Weight loss and activity move triglycerides more than LDL. Under 150 is generally considered normal.
In PREDIMED, a Mediterranean diet cut heart attacks and strokes by about 30%. In Look AHEAD, an intensive weight-loss program for people with type 2 diabetes didn't. Activity is linked to about 14% less heart disease in observational studies.
Food and movement also help your blood pressure, blood sugar and weight, whether or not your LDL needs medicine too.
How much of the gap can food close?
From 168 to each common goal line. Which line applies to you depends on your overall risk.
Under 100needs about 40% lower
Food's share shows here once you pick a change.
Under 70needs about 58% lower
Food's share shows here once you pick a change.
Under 55needs about 67% lower
Food's share shows here once you pick a change.
Switch on a change in the kitchen to see how far food usually moves LDL.
See food and medicine together in the Risk Simulator →Where these numbers come from
Averages from studies; your own result can differ. Changes overlap, so they're combined rather than added. With familial hypercholesterolemia, lifestyle alone rarely brings LDL to goal. Triglyceride ranges: lipid.site's food and lifestyle guide.
- NCEP ATP III, Circulation 2002: LDL lowering from each diet change
- AHA/ACC lifestyle guideline, JACC 2014: activity lowers LDL-C 3 to 6 mg/dL
- Portfolio diet vs lovastatin, JAMA 2003 (controlled study)
- Portfolio diet at home, JAMA 2011: about 13% lower LDL-C at 6 months
- PREDIMED, NEJM 2018: Mediterranean diet, about 30% fewer major heart and stroke events
- Look AHEAD, NEJM 2013: intensive weight-loss program, no fewer heart events
- Sattelmair et al., Circulation 2011: activity and heart disease (observational)
Showing the sample visitor's numbers. Get a ticket to see yours. Your choices here are saved in this browser only, so the Risk Simulator and your take-home card can use them.
Make your guess to turn on the lights