More than 90 million Americans have borderline high cholesterol, a key risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Nutritionist Keri Glassman joins "CBS Mornings" to share tips on how to take control of your health.

New York

High cholesterol affects a significant portion of the population and is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke. While genetics, age, and sex can influence cholesterol levels, there are several modifiable factors that individuals can address to lower their risk.

Nutritionist Keri Glassman emphasizes the importance of not only monitoring LDL (bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol, but also considering other health markers with a doctor. Lifestyle changes such as not smoking, reducing stress, getting proper sleep, exercising, and consuming a diet high in soluble fiber, healthy fats, and antioxidant-rich foods can help lower LDL cholesterol and protect heart health.

How to lower your cholesterol and protect your heart

More than 1 in 10 Americans has high cholesterol with the highest overall rates among people ages 40 to 59. More than 90 million other Americans have borderline high cholesterol. It's a primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke as well. But there are things you can do to lower your cholesterol levels. I knew I wouldn't be able to say it three times. I got through two. Nutritionist and CEO of Nutritious Life, Keri Glassman, is here to talk more about the C word, cholesterol. So what's the difference between good and bad? You hear about that. Well, first of all, cholesterol isn't a bad word. We actually need cholesterol. It is essential to our health. So I'd just like to put that out there for people. It's not all bad. And when it comes to good and bad cholesterol, it's more about how the cholesterol is carried in your body that determines whether or not it's good or bad. So LDL, low density lipoprotein, is what's called your bad cholesterol. HDL, high density lipoprotein, is what's called your good cholesterol. So what I really think is super important here, though, is many people focus on those two numbers. And those two numbers are just a small sliver of your total heart health picture. And it is really important to talk to your doctor about other markers. Ask about ApoB. Ask about your inflammatory markers. Maybe get a calcium score. So it's just really important not to just focus on those two specific numbers. Well, that's what I always do, is focus on the two specific, because I'm not even borderline. I am high cholesterol. Been on medication for a very long time. Yeah, the highest doses, all of that stuff. And I've always heard it's your genetics, no matter what you do. Sometimes there's nothing you can do. But I don't know if that's true. Diet and bad cholesterol, there's something that we can all do, right? There absolutely is, because yes, there are certain things you can't change. Your genetics, your sex, your age. But there are so many modifiable factors. And diet and lifestyle play a huge role in reducing your risk for heart disease. Focus on the bad cholesterol, what we need to do. What is it to keep it low? So bad cholesterol, the reason it's bad is because it is delivered to your arteries and creates that plaque. Many people know of that word atherosclerosis. HDL, your good cholesterol, comes in and clears out some of that cholesterol. Brings it back to your liver. It's broken down and it's cleared out. So LDLs are sort of those bad guys. HDLs are the good guys coming in as the cleanup crew. And to reduce your LDL, there's many things you can do. Like, of course, don't smoke. Reduce your stress. Even proper sleep. Exercise. And then, of course, when it comes to diet, my favorite topic, you want to make sure you're having a diet that is high in fiber and specifically soluble fiber. Soluble fiber plays a really important role in lowering LDL. Sleep affects your cholesterol? Yeah, because even sleep can. I'm a dead man walking. Let's talk about the diet. You're on your medication. You're all right. Take your butt to sleep at night, all right? That's because you're out partying and going to concerts. All right, but what specific foods can we focus on? Okay, so when it comes to specific foods, so as I just mentioned, foods that are high in soluble fiber, so things like oats and barley, lentils, so beans and legumes. Avocado. You also want to focus on avocado because that's a healthy fat and it also has plant sterols. So other healthy fats like omega-3, essential fatty acids. Then we also want to focus on antioxidant foods. Antioxidant foods found in things like fruits and vegetables and nuts and seeds and whole grains. They are anti-inflammatory. They prevent that LDL oxidation, which can lead to more of that plaque. I think this is doable. You make me think it's doable. I do. I know it's doable. It's not as scary. C-word isn't as scary anymore. I can't get sleep on this schedule and throw in menopause. It's a mess. Well, by the way, I got the menopause thing and I got the genes going too, but there's lots we can do. Thank you, Carrie. That'll do it for us. We'll see you tomorrow. Bye.

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