How Long Does It Take to Lower Cholesterol?

You’ve probably heard the term “bad cholesterol” being blamed for heart attacks and strokes. If your healthcare provider has told you that your cholesterol is high, you may be wondering what you need to do to lower your cholesterol and how quickly you can do it to avoid these risks.

If you’re thinking about your cholesterol, you’re not alone. Almost 40% of adults in the U.S. have high cholesterol. But there are steps you can take to reduce your cholesterol and decrease your risk. Let’s take a closer look at the most effective ways to lower your cholesterol and how long it should take to see healthy changes. 

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is used in every cell in your body. Cholesterol is useful when it’s found in the right places. Some of the important jobs that cholesterol does include:

• Building cell membranes

• Producing vitamin D

• Making bile for digestion

• Acting as a building block for all steroid hormones (like estrogen and testosterone)

Cholesterol comes from animal products in the diet. The liver also makes it. Cholesterol is carried around the body by special proteins in the blood called “lipoproteins.” The lipoprotein level is what’s measured when you have a cholesterol test. These lipoproteins include:

• High-density lipoprotein (HDL): This is called “good cholesterol” because it takes cholesterol from your blood back to your liver. The liver then removes it from your body. 

• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL): This is called “bad cholesterol” because it can build up in your arteries, leading to heart disease and stroke. These buildups, known as plaques, can prevent proper blood flow to your organs and tissues.

• Very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL): This can also be found in plaques in the arteries. It attaches to triglycerides in your blood.

What are normal cholesterol levels?

A normal, or healthy, cholesterol level will vary based on your age and gender. As a general rule, for adults those levels are:

• Total cholesterol: under 200 mg/dL

• LDL: under 100 mg/dL

• HDL for men: higher than 40 mg/dL 

• HDL for women: higher than 50 mg/dL

For people under 19 years old, normal cholesterol levels are:

• Total cholesterol: under 170 mg/dL

• LDL: under 100 mg/dL

• HDL: higher than 45 mg/dL

Another test bundled with cholesterol on your lipid panel is “triglycerides.” Triglycerides aren’t made of cholesterol, but they can contribute to heart disease. Your triglycerides should be less than 150 mg/dL, regardless of your age or gender. 

How long does it take to lower cholesterol?

It can take several weeks to months to see a significant improvement in your cholesterol numbers. But the timeline will be different for everyone. How long it takes for you to lower your cholesterol depends on many factors, like:

• Genetics: People with certain genetic conditions like familial hypercholesterolemia — which causes high cholesterol — may take longer to lower their cholesterol. 

• Treatment: Dietary changes alone may take longer to lower cholesterol than diet plus exercise. Medication often works the fastest, but it can take several months to figure out the best medication and dose for you. 

• Consistency: If you aren’t consistent with your diet, exercise, or cholesterol medication, it can take longer to lower your cholesterol.

• Severity: Very high cholesterol can require adjusting doses or changing medications, and it may take more time. 

How can you lower your cholesterol?

Lowering your cholesterol is often done using a comprehensive approach. Diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes are usually the first step. Medications are then added to this effort if necessary. 

First, we’ll take a look at some natural treatments. Then we’ll go into medicinal treatments that may help you to reduce your cholesterol.

Diet

Some dietary changes can work to lower cholesterol in as little as 4 weeks. Adopting a plant-based diet with lots of fiber can help lower cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. 

Two eating plans that can lower total cholesterol are the TLC (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes) and DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) diets. Both eating plans limit:

• Fatty cuts of meat

• Full fat dairy

• Processed foods

• Added sugar 

Instead, these meal plans recommend that you eat:

• Whole grains

• Fruits

• Vegetables

• Lean meats

• Fish 

On average, you can expect about a 5% drop in cholesterol following a low-fat eating plan. One downside to using diet alone to lower cholesterol is that the good HDL cholesterol can also decrease.

Exercise

Regular physical activity can help raise your good HDL cholesterol. More intense activity can also lower your total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides. In one small study, changes in cholesterol were seen in as little as 15 weeks with moderate exercise.

The American Heart Association recommends getting at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise throughout the week. Aerobic exercise can include:

• Walking

• Swimming

• Cycling

• Jumping rope

• Dancing

You can also see cholesterol benefits from adding resistance training to your movement regimen. Resistance training is useful alone, but when combined with aerobic exercise it helps to lower cholesterol even more. You should aim for resistance training 2 times per week to see health benefits. 

Lifestyle changes

Your lifestyle choices can impact your cholesterol levels. Research shows that changing one or more factors in your life can help you lower your cholesterol to some degree: 

• Quitting smoking

• Managing stress

• Getting enough sleep

• Maintaining a healthy weight

These changes are often recommended along with a healthy diet, exercise, or medications. Dr. Vaughn Payne, a cardiologist and medical director with CVS Caremark advises “about 3 months of lifestyle modification, including dietary instruction and exercise advice.” 

Medications

Dr. Payne recommends adding medication if there isn’t “satisfactory improvement in lipid levels” with diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes alone. He also notes that medications may be started sooner if you have known cardiovascular disease. 

Some medications may begin to lower cholesterol within as little as 2 weeks. There are many effective medications that can help lower cholesterol levels. 

Some of the most common types of medications used to lower cholesterol are:

• Statins: These work by blocking the production of cholesterol. Examples are simvastatin (Zocor) and lovastatin.

• Bile acid sequestrants: These medications trap cholesterol in the bile where it’s removed from the body. Examples are colesevelam (Welchol) and cholestyramine (Prevalite).

• Niacin or nicotinic acid: This works to raise HDL and lower LDL and triglycerides.

• PCSK9 inhibitors: These are injectable medications for very high cholesterol levels. They can be used alone or with statins. Examples are Repatha and Praluent.

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Frank Schwalbe, MD

Frank Schwalbe, MD, is an assistant professor of anesthesiology at the Yale School of Medicine. He has practiced anesthesiology for 30 years.

Edited by:

Karla Robinson, MD

Karla Robinson, MD, is a medical editor for GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified family physician with almost 20 years of experience in health through varied clinical, administrative, and educational roles.

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