How to naturally lower lipids (lipoproteins)?

From the Guidelines

To naturally lower lipids, focus on dietary changes, exercise, and lifestyle modifications, prioritizing a dietary pattern that emphasizes intake of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, as recommended by the 2013 AHA/ACC guideline 1. The most effective approach to lowering lipids involves a combination of strategies.

• Reduce saturated fat intake by limiting red meat, full-fat dairy, and processed foods while increasing consumption of omega-3 rich foods like fatty fish (salmon, mackerel), nuts, and seeds, as suggested by the AHA dietary guidelines 1.
• Add soluble fiber from oats, beans, fruits, and vegetables to your diet, aiming for 25-30 grams of total fiber daily, which can help reduce LDL cholesterol levels 1.
• Plant sterols found in vegetable oils, nuts, and fortified foods can help block cholesterol absorption.
• Maintain regular physical activity with at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly, such as brisk walking, swimming, or cycling, which can improve lipid profiles and reduce cardiovascular risk 1.
• Weight loss of even 5-10% can significantly improve lipid profiles if you're overweight.
• Limit alcohol consumption and completely avoid tobacco products.
• Consider natural supplements like red yeast rice (1200-2400 mg daily), which contains natural statins, or psyllium fiber (10-20g daily), which can help lower cholesterol levels. These approaches work by reducing cholesterol production in the liver, blocking absorption in the intestines, and improving metabolism through enhanced insulin sensitivity.
• For optimal results, combine multiple strategies rather than relying on a single approach, and adapt the recommended dietary pattern to personal and cultural food preferences, as well as nutrition therapy for other medical conditions, such as diabetes 1.

From the Research

Dietary Approaches to Lower Lipids

• A healthy diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole-grain, high-fiber foods, and fish, with minimal saturated and trans fats, can help reduce cholesterol levels 2
• Increasing dietary fiber intake is associated with lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease and lower LDL-cholesterol concentration, with a decrease of about 5-10% 2
• Specific food ingredients such as plant sterol/stanol, soy protein, and isoflavones may also help reduce cholesterol levels 2, 3

Beneficial Food Components

• Plant-based diets with healthful complex carbohydrates, such as Mediterranean and Nordic diet patterns, can reduce CVD risk 4, 5
• Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fatty marine fish, can help lower triglyceride levels and reduce CVD events 3, 4
• Nuts, such as tree nuts, can also have a beneficial effect on lipid levels, with a decrease of about 8% 2, 3
• Sterols and stanols, found in foods such as fortified yogurts, can help lower LDL-cholesterol levels, with a decrease of about 10% 2, 6

Lifestyle Interventions

• Regular aerobic exercise, performed for at least 120 minutes per week, can have beneficial effects on lipid levels 3
• Brief physician counseling can also have a positive impact on lifestyle changes, particularly for motivated patients 3
• A combination of dietary approaches, such as the Portfolio-Mediterranean Diet, can lead to significant reductions in LDL-cholesterol levels, with a decrease of about 25% 6