High Cholesterol and Triglycerides: Natural Ways to Lower LDL, Plus When Treatment Is Needed

Take control of your cholesterol and triglycerides for a healthier heart. This is general information — bring it along to talk things through with your GP.

High cholesterol is common, and high triglycerides (another blood fat) often travel with it — together doctors call them hyperlipidaemia. Both can raise the risk of heart disease and stroke over time. The good news is that a great deal is within your control: everyday diet and lifestyle changes can meaningfully improve your numbers, and where medication is needed, it works far better alongside those changes. This guide explains what the numbers mean, the natural, non-prescription strategies that genuinely help, and when treatment is worth considering.

What is high cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance your body needs — it is used to make hormones, vitamin D and the bile acids that help you digest fat. It travels through the bloodstream in small packages called lipoproteins. Cholesterol is mostly made in your liver, though what you eat does contribute.

Importantly, high cholesterol often has a genetic or family origin, and — as with many things — it tends to become more of a problem as we get older. We focus on lifestyle treatments not because your diet is necessarily “the cause”, but because we cannot change your genetics or your age. Improving the things we can change is where the leverage is.

There are two main types of lipoprotein to know:

• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) — often called “bad” cholesterol, because high levels drive the buildup of plaque in your arteries.
• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) — the “good” cholesterol, which helps carry LDL cholesterol away from the artery walls.

High cholesterol (hypercholesterolaemia) means there is too much LDL circulating, which over years increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. When cholesterol and/or triglycerides are raised, doctors call the overall picture hyperlipidaemia (or dyslipidaemia) — if you have seen that word on a referral or blood-test report, this is the condition it describes. Decades of evidence show that LDL is not just a marker but an actual cause of artery disease, and that lowering it lowers risk.

Triglycerides: the other blood fat

Triglycerides are a separate type of fat in the blood. They rise with excess kilojoules, added sugar, refined carbohydrates, alcohol and excess body weight. High triglycerides are their own cardiovascular risk factor, and very high levels can also inflame the pancreas. They respond to slightly different changes from LDL — which is why some of the advice below is aimed specifically at them.

Do I actually need medication?

At the end of the day, high cholesterol is one risk factor for heart attack and stroke, alongside things like blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, age and family history. What matters is your overall risk, not the cholesterol number in isolation.

If your doctor judges you to be at low overall risk, you may not need any medication — a heart-healthy lifestyle may be all that is recommended. If your risk is unclear, your GP may arrange further tests to clarify it, such as a CT coronary calcium score, which looks directly for early calcified plaque in the heart’s arteries.

If medication is warranted, your doctor may discuss one or more of:

• Statins — reduce how much cholesterol the liver makes and help it clear LDL from the blood. They are the best-studied lipid medicines and clearly reduce heart attacks and strokes. A common example in Australia is rosuvastatin.
• Cholesterol absorption inhibitors — reduce absorption of cholesterol from the gut; ezetimibe is the example used in Australia, often added to a statin.
• Bile acid sequestrants — bind bile acids in the intestine so more cholesterol is excreted; cholestyramine is an example.

Newer injectable options exist for people who need them. Whatever the plan, lifestyle change is the foundation under all of it.

Heart-healthy dietary changes

Your diet is one of the most powerful tools for improving cholesterol, and often triglycerides too. Australian and international heart guidelines all point the same way: eat plenty of plant foods, choose healthier fats, and cut back on unhealthy fats and added sugar. Eating patterns such as the Mediterranean diet — rich in vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, legumes, nuts, olive oil and fish — have been shown in high-quality trials to reduce cardiovascular events, not just lab numbers.

A note on getting help: if you would like tailored dietary advice, ask your GP to refer you to one of our dietitians at The Local Doctor. You may be eligible for a care plan, which can give you Medicare-subsidised access to a dietitian.

Here are the key strategies.

Limit saturated and trans fats

These are the fats that push LDL up. Saturated fat is high in fatty and processed meats, butter, cream, cheese and full-fat dairy; trans fats hide in some fried foods and processed snacks. Major heart guidelines recommend keeping saturated fat low (the American Heart Association suggests under about 6% of daily energy) and avoiding trans fats altogether. Cutting back — leaner meats, reduced-fat dairy, cooking with vegetable oils instead of butter — can reduce LDL by roughly 8–10%.

Tip: swap butter for olive or canola oil, use a plant sterol-enriched spread (see supplements below), and choose baked or grilled over fried.

Choose healthy (unsaturated) fats

Not all fat is bad. Unsaturated fats — in olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and oily fish — lower LDL when they replace saturated fat. Oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines) are rich in omega-3, which does not raise LDL and helps lower triglycerides; two serves of oily fish a week is a good target. Nuts (almonds, walnuts and others) add healthy fat and fibre and can improve cholesterol — keep to about a handful a day, as they are energy-dense.

Increase soluble fibre

Soluble fibre binds cholesterol in the gut and helps carry it out of the body. Good sources include oats and oat bran, barley, legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas), and many fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, citrus, berries, Brussels sprouts and okra. Building soluble fibre into your day lowers LDL modestly — start the day with oats, add beans to soups and salads, and introduce fibre gradually with plenty of water to avoid a bloated tummy. A psyllium supplement is an easy way to top up (see below).

Fill up on vegetables, fruit and wholegrains

A heart-healthy diet is naturally rich in vegetables and fruit — high in fibre, vitamins and antioxidants — and these foods help by displacing less healthy options. Aim to fill at least half your plate with vegetables and fruit. Choose wholegrains (wholemeal bread, brown rice, quinoa, oats, barley) over refined grains; swapping white bread, white rice and sugary cereals for wholegrains improves cholesterol and helps triglycerides too.

Choose lean and plant proteins

Replace some red and processed meat with leaner options: skinless poultry, fish, or plant proteins such as beans, lentils, tofu and tempeh. A beef burger becomes a turkey or black-bean burger. Soy foods (tofu, soy milk, edamame) have a modest LDL-lowering effect, and simply eating more plant-based meals boosts fibre and cuts saturated fat.

Cut back on added sugar and refined carbs

Sugary drinks, sweets and refined starches raise triglycerides and contribute to weight gain. The liver turns excess sugar and fast-digesting carbohydrate into triglycerides. Choose water or unsweetened drinks over soft drink and juice, favour complex carbohydrates (vegetables, legumes, wholegrains) over refined ones, and if you have a sweet tooth reach for whole fruit or a small piece of dark chocolate.

Moderate alcohol

Alcohol is a common driver of high triglycerides — the liver converts it into blood fat, and beer and sweet mixed drinks are particular culprits. Australian guidelines advise no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 on any one day. If your triglycerides are high, less is better still, and your doctor may suggest avoiding alcohol for a while. Cutting back also helps with weight and liver health.

Maintain a healthy weight

If you carry extra weight, losing even 5–10% of your body weight can meaningfully improve LDL, HDL and triglycerides. Excess fat — especially around the middle — is linked to more LDL and triglycerides and less HDL, so shedding some through eating well and moving more helps normalise all three. Slow and steady (about half a kilo to a kilo a week) is the safest, most sustainable approach; small changes like portion control, dropping sugary drinks and walking more add up. If you are already at a healthy weight, the goal is simply to avoid gaining.

Stay physically active

Exercise is one of the best natural boosters for your heart and your lipids. Regular activity lowers triglycerides, nudges HDL up, and improves how your body handles fats and sugars.

• Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week — around 30 minutes on most days. Brisk walking, cycling, swimming, jogging or dancing all count. This lowers triglycerides and modestly helps LDL, and does most when paired with dietary change.
• Add strength training twice a week. Resistance work builds muscle, supports a healthy weight and complements the aerobic benefits.
• Sit less, move more all day. Take the stairs, break up long sitting, do active chores. A sedentary routine lowers HDL and raises triglycerides, so any movement helps.

If you are new to exercise, start gently and build up — and check with your doctor first if you have a heart condition or other medical concerns.

Quit smoking

If you smoke, quitting is one of the best things you can do for your heart and your cholesterol. Smoking (and vaping) lowers HDL and damages blood vessels. The upside is quick: stopping can raise HDL and lower triglycerides, and your heart-disease risk falls substantially over time — especially valuable if your cholesterol is high. Avoid second-hand smoke too. If you would like help, your GP can offer counselling, programs and medications that greatly improve your chances of success.

Sleep and stress

Diet and exercise lead the way, but sleep and stress matter too.

• Prioritise sleep. Regularly sleeping too little (under about 6 hours) is linked to higher triglycerides and lower HDL, and can worsen weight and insulin resistance. Aim for 7–9 hours, with a regular schedule and good sleep habits.
• Manage stress. Chronic stress nudges people towards unhealthy eating and less activity, and stress hormones can raise blood fats. Techniques like walking, exercise, meditation, slow breathing or yoga help — and reaching out to friends, family or a counsellor when stress is high is a strength, not a weakness.

Supplements and functional foods

Some natural products genuinely help, best used alongside a healthy diet rather than instead of it. Always check with your GP or pharmacist before starting a supplement, particularly if you take other medications.

• Omega-3 (fish oil). The standout for triglycerides — higher doses of EPA/DHA reduce the liver’s triglyceride output and can lower triglycerides substantially. Prescription-strength omega-3 is an approved therapy for high triglycerides. Note it does not lower LDL (and can nudge it up slightly), so it is a triglyceride tool. Marine omega-3 (from fish) is more effective for this than plant sources like flaxseed or chia.
• Plant sterols and stanols. Natural plant compounds that block cholesterol absorption in the gut. About 2 g a day — the amount in a serve or two of sterol-enriched spreads, or a supplement with meals — lowers LDL by roughly 7–12%, without affecting HDL or triglycerides. They are hard to reach from ordinary food alone, so enriched products help bridge the gap.
• Soluble fibre (psyllium). If you struggle to get enough soluble fibre from food, a psyllium husk supplement before meals binds cholesterol in the gut. Around 5–10 g a day gives a further useful LDL reduction on top of diet, and helps with regularity. Build up gradually with plenty of water.
• Niacin (vitamin B3), high dose. Can raise HDL and lower LDL and triglycerides, but only at gram-level doses far above normal vitamin needs. Modern trials found adding niacin to standard therapy did not improve heart outcomes, and it can cause flushing and affect the liver and blood sugar. Use only under medical supervision — do not start high-dose niacin on your own.
• Red yeast rice. Naturally contains monacolin K, which is chemically the same as the statin lovastatin, so it can lower LDL meaningfully — but it can also cause statin-like side effects, and product strength varies widely because these products are not tightly regulated. If you consider it, do so with your doctor’s guidance, and treat it with the same respect as a prescription medicine.
• Other options. Garlic, green tea, bergamot and berberine have some supportive evidence but smaller or less consistent effects. If you try any, treat them as add-ons to the foundations above, and check they will not interact with your medications.

Putting it all together

Lowering LDL cholesterol and triglycerides naturally is genuinely achievable. The biggest levers are a heart-friendly diet, regular activity, a healthy weight, and not smoking. Eat more plants, the right fats and soluble fibre; cut saturated and trans fats, excess sugar and heavy alcohol. Exercise and weight loss amplify the diet’s effect — in milder cases, approaching what medication achieves. Quitting smoking, moderating alcohol, and looking after sleep and stress round out the picture.

Responses vary. Some people see big drops from lifestyle alone; others with a strong genetic tendency, or already-high heart risk, will need medication as well — and combining both gives the best result. Be patient and consistent: numbers usually start to improve within weeks to months and keep improving over time. And celebrate the wins that do not show on a blood test — more energy, better fitness, and knowing you are protecting your heart.

Partner with your GP to build a plan that fits your risk and your life — and ask about a referral to one of our dietitians if you would like hands-on dietary support.

References

Links open the PubMed record for each source.

• Low-density lipoproteins cause atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease — European Atherosclerosis Society Consensus Panel — Ference BA, et al. European Heart Journal, 2017.
• Efficacy and safety of more intensive lowering of LDL cholesterol: a meta-analysis of 170,000 participants in 26 randomised trials — Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ (CTT) Collaboration. The Lancet, 2010.
• 2018 AHA/ACC Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol — Grundy SM, et al. Circulation, 2019.
• Cholesterol-lowering effects of dietary fiber: a meta-analysis — Brown L, et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1999.
• Plant sterols and plant stanols in the management of dyslipidaemia and prevention of cardiovascular disease — EAS Consensus Panel — Gylling H, et al. Atherosclerosis, 2014.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids for the Management of Hypertriglyceridemia: an American Heart Association Science Advisory — Skulas-Ray AC, et al. Circulation, 2019.
• Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet (PREDIMED) — Estruch R, et al. New England Journal of Medicine, 2018.
• World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour — Bull FC, et al. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2020.