The updated NCEP Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines suggest focusing on diet, exercise, and weight control, with statins as first-line drugs for reducing coronary artery disease risk in moderate to high risk patients.

Recent National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III update: adjustments and options.

Recent clinical trials confirm the benefits of cholesterol-lowering therapy in high-risk patients and support the ATP III treatment goal of 100 mg/dL, with modifications for very high risk and moderately high-risk individuals.

Implications of recent clinical trials for the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III Guidelines.

Diet and drug therapy are effective in reducing LDL cholesterol levels, with statins being the mainstay for patients with coronary disease and elevated LDL cholesterol.

Lipid management: current diet and drug treatment options.

The CLIP program is more effective than qualitative lifestyle advice in improving weight, waist circumference, and LDL-cholesterol without adverse effects on plasma carotenoids over a 6-week period.

A pilot comprehensive lifestyle intervention program (CLIP)--comparison with qualitative lifestyle advice and simvastatin on cardiovascular risk factors in overweight hypercholesterolaemic individuals.

High cholesterol patients tend to eat healthier diets, but using cholesterol-lowering drugs can lead to increased fat and saturated fat intake, and larger waist size.

Offsetting behavior in reducing high cholesterol: Substitution of medication for diet and lifestyle changes

This paper provides recommendations for patient-centered management of dyslipidemia, focusing on lifestyle therapies, special considerations, and team-based care, to reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk.

National Lipid Association Recommendations for Patient-Centered Management of Dyslipidemia: Part 2.

Poor medication adherence in patients with hypercholesterolemia contributes to increased medical costs and adverse health outcomes, but recent efforts are aimed at addressing nonadherence and improving medication taking.

Improving medication adherence in hypercholesterolemia: challenges and solutions

Lowering cholesterol levels through diet and exercise is crucial for preventing future heart attacks, strokes, and death, but is widely underutilized due to awareness, side effects, and cost concerns.

Treatment of elevated cholesterol.

Cholesterol-lowering treatment in older adults may provide clinical benefits, but the risk of drug-related adverse events is higher, requiring tailored treatment strategies based on individual functional profiles.

Management of high cholesterol levels in older people

Recent clinical trials confirm the benefits of cholesterol-lowering therapy in high-risk patients and support the ATP III treatment goal of 100 mg/dL, with modifications for high-risk individuals and those with lifestyle-related risk factors.

Implications of Recent Clinical Trials for the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III Guidelines

Raising HDL-C levels is an important strategy for reducing residual cardiovascular risk in patients already optimally treated with statins, potentially improving clinical outcomes.

Targeting residual cardiovascular risk: raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

Fibrates reduce major coronary events and increase HDL-C levels without significant toxicity, while niacin has a more potent effect on HDL-C levels.

Efficacy and safety of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol-increasing compounds: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Targeting blood pressure and cholesterol lowering drug treatments to individuals at high absolute cardiovascular risk, rather than focusing on specific blood pressure or cholesterol levels, is more effective and efficient.

Treatment with drugs to lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol based on an individual's absolute cardiovascular risk

Active medical management of high cholesterol levels in elderly patients should be limited to those most likely to benefit, with diet modification as the first line of treatment.

Hypercholesterolemia in elderly persons: resolving the treatment dilemma.

A combination of rosuvastatin, candesartan, and hydrochlorothiazide significantly reduces cardiovascular events in individuals at intermediate risk without cardiovascular disease, with more common side effects.

Blood-Pressure and Cholesterol Lowering in Persons without Cardiovascular Disease.

36.7% of U.S. adults aged 21 years were on or eligible for cholesterol treatment, with 55.5% taking medication and 46.6% making lifestyle modifications to lower cholesterol, but sex and racial/ethnic disparities remain.

Prevalence of Cholesterol Treatment Eligibility and Medication Use Among Adults--United States, 2005-2012.

Lifestyle modifications, such as diet, exercise, and weight loss, can effectively reduce triglycerides in patients with elevated total cholesterol and hypertriglyceridemia.

Use of Lifestyle Modifications for Management of a Patient with Severely High Total Cholesterol (> 14 mmol/L) and Triglycerides (> 40 mmol/L)

Atorvastatin significantly reduces major cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients with average or lower-than-average cholesterol levels, potentially impacting future lipid-lowering guidelines.

Prevention of Coronary and Stroke Events with Atorvastatin in Hypertensive Patients who have Average or Lower-than-Average Cholesterol Concentrations, in the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial— Lipid Lowering Arm (ASCOT-LLA): A Multicentre Randomised Controlled Trial

Icosapent ethyl is recommended for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk reduction in patients aged 45 years with high or very-high triglyceride levels on statin therapy.

National Lipid Association Scientific Statement on the use of icosapent ethyl in statin-treated patients with elevated triglycerides and high or very-high ASCVD risk.

How do I manage high cholesterol without medication?

These studies suggest managing high cholesterol without medication can be achieved through diet, exercise, weight control, and lifestyle therapies.