This Week’s Top Stories from Harvard Health

11 foods that can help lower your cholesterol

If your cholesterol level has crept up over the years, you may wonder whether changing your diet can help. Ideally, your total cholesterol value should be 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or lower. But it's the harmful LDL cholesterol value that experts worry about the most. Excess LDL builds up on artery walls and triggers a release of inflammatory substances that boost heart attack risk.

Get your copy of Managing Your Cholesterol

Managing Your Cholesterol offers up-to-date information to help you or a loved one keep cholesterol in check. The report spells out what are healthy and unhealthy cholesterol levels, and offers specific ways to keep cholesterol in line. It covers cholesterol tests and the genetics of cholesterol. The report also focuses on treatments based on the latest scientific evidence, including the pros and cons of statins and other medications, and provides the lowdown on other substances advertised to lower cholesterol. Managing Your Cholesterol can also help you work with your doctor to individualize your treatment.

Additional News from Harvard Health Publishing

Grain of the month: Barley

Healthy habits may lower harmful inflammation

Just a half-tablespoon of olive oil a day may help the heart

Managing Your Cholesterol

Featured content:

•	Cholesterol: Good, bad, and indifferent
•	Cholesterol and heart disease
•	Understanding your cardiovascular risk
•	Why treat cholesterol?
•	Your cholesterol test
•	... and more!