Lifestyle Change Alone Sufficient to Lower Cholesterol in Male Patient With Moderately Elevated Cholesterol: A Case Report

• Published in: American journal of lifestyle medicine Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 148 - 155
• Main Author: Janse Van Rensburg, Walter J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.03.2019
• Subjects: Case Studies in Lifestyle Medicine; healthy fat diet; hypercholesterolemia; lifestyle change
• DOI: 10.1177/1559827618806841
• ISSN: 1559-8276

Background. Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of deaths. Elevated cholesterol levels to above the normal reference range is a major risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease. Current guidelines recommend the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs to lower cholesterol levels to within the normal reference range. However, the American Heart Association further recommends a change in lifestyle in managing cholesterol levels. Thus, cholesterol-lowering drugs may not be needed if a lifestyle-change alone is sufficient in lowering cholesterol levels to within normal ranges. Unfortunately, limited examples exist in academic literature to illustrate the effectiveness of lifestyle change alone in lowering of cholesterol levels. Case report. We report a case of a 33-year-old man, with moderately elevated cholesterol levels and a family history of cardiovascular disease. Method. The man followed an altered healthy fat diet accompanied with moderate exercise for 6 weeks, without the addition of cholesterol-lowering agents. Results. At the 6-week follow-up, he was able to decrease his total cholesterol by 40.25% and low-density lipid cholesterol by 52.8%, to within normal ranges. The cholesterol levels remained within normal ranges after 6 months. Conclusion. This case illustrates that in some individuals, lifestyle change alone is sufficient to lower moderately elevated cholesterol levels.