Natural Ways To Lower Your Cholesterol: The Simple Daily Habits That Protect Your Heart

If your cholesterol numbers have been creeping up lately, you’re far from alone. The problem: Untreated high cholesterol can reduce blood flow over time and increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Fortunately, there are natural ways to lower your cholesterol.

“I see patients all the time who don’t want to take statins to lower their cholesterol,” says Vanita Rahman, MD, an internal medicine and lifestyle medicine physician in Washington, DC. “They want to do it naturally, and that’s where we talk about diet and lifestyle changes.”

Understanding normal cholesterol levels

A routine blood test called a lipid panel measures your key cholesterol numbers, including “bad” LDL cholesterol, “good” HDL cholesterol and total cholesterol.

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According to updated 2026 guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association, ideal LDL levels are under 100 mg/dL for low-risk individuals, under 70 mg/dL for those at higher risk and under 55 mg/dL for those at very high risk. Optimal HDL levels are above 50 mg/dL for women. Total cholesterol should ideally be below 150 mg/dL—anything over 200 mg/dL is borderline, and over 240 mg/dL is high.

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Natural ways to lower cholesterol

To help bring your cholesterol numbers down naturally, consider these smart habits.

Fill up on fiber

Among food-based ways to lower cholesterol naturally, soluble fiber stands out. It binds cholesterol in the digestive tract and helps remove it before it enters the bloodstream.

“Foods like oats, beans, lentils, apples and asparagus are all high in soluble fiber, which helps trap cholesterol in the gut and excrete it from the body,” says Brynna Connor, MD, a family medicine physician and healthcare ambassador at NorthWestPharmacy.com. “This happens because soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance that prevents the cholesterol from being absorbed into your intestines.”

In fact, a review in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine found that a high-fiber diet can lower LDL cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease by nearly 25 percent.

Eat cholesterol-lowering foods

Several everyday foods show promise for reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol naturally:

Eggs: Research in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that healthy adults who ate two eggs per day for five weeks as part of a low-saturated fat diet significantly lowered their LDL cholesterol. “Despite their cholesterol content, eggs don’t seem to raise LDL cholesterol in most people,” says Gabrielle Lyon, DO, author of The Forever Strong Playbook and founder of Muscle-Centric Medicine.

Apples: An Ohio State University study found that eating one apple per day for four weeks lowered oxidized LDL levels by about 40 percent in healthy, middle-aged adults.

Pecans: University of Georgia researchers found that consuming about ½ cup of pecans daily for eight weeks lowers LDL cholesterol by 10 percent.

Cinnamon: A study in the Annals of Family Medicine found that taking as little as ¼ tsp. daily significantly lowered LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides in four weeks.

Sip cholesterol-lowering drinks

What you drink matters too, and several beverages can be great natural ways to lower your cholesterol. 

Green tea contains antioxidant compounds that fight bad cholesterol. In a study published in Clinical Medicine Insights: Cardiology, participants who drank 7 cups of green tea daily experienced a dramatic reduction in LDL cholesterol.

Bergamot, the citrus fruit in Earl Grey tea, also shows promise. A study in Frontiers in Pharmacology found that supplementing with a bergamot extract containing 150 mg of flavonoids daily reduced LDL cholesterol by 20 percent in six months. “Bergamot contains citrus-derived polyphenols that may reduce cholesterol production in the liver, similar to how statins work,” says Dr. Lyon.

Add low- and moderate-intensity exercise

Body weight and cholesterol tend to rise together, making physical activity essential. “When we carry excess body fat, that leads to higher levels of cholesterol, higher blood sugar and higher blood pressure,” Dr. Rahman says. “All of these things trend together.”

Walking most days of the week and staying active throughout the day can make a meaningful difference over time, she adds.

Consider natural supplements to lower cholesterol

A few supplements may help when it comes to natural ways to lower cholesterol: 

Red yeast rice contains a compound chemically identical to the prescription statin lovastatin. One woman, Heather Lopez, 45, saw her total cholesterol drop 66 points after taking 1,200 mg daily. That said, “it can also have similar side effects as prescription statins, like muscle aches or changes in liver enzymes,” adds Raj Dasgupta, MD, chief medical advisor for Garage Gym Reviews.

Plant sterols and stanols block cholesterol absorption in the intestines. “About 2 grams per day is the sweet spot,” Dr. Dasgupta says.

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Omega-3 fatty acids don’t lower LDL directly, but help lower triglycerides. Dr. Rahman advises getting omega-3s from food sources like walnuts, chia seeds and hemp whenever possible.

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When natural ways to lower cholesterol aren’t enough

These approaches work best for people who have not had a heart attack or stroke. “For people who have already had cardiovascular disease, the recommendations are different,” Dr. Rahman explains. “In those cases, statin therapy along with lifestyle changes is strongly recommended.”

If your doctor has prescribed cholesterol-lowering medication, don’t stop taking it. But for many people, consistent changes in diet, activity and daily habits can bring cholesterol into a safer range and keep it there.