Sergey Young, a well-known longevity expert, shares his Top Three Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol and quite possibly lengthen your life!
Before Young (yes, that is really his name!), founder of the Longevity Vision Fund and author of The Science and Technology of Growing Young, pledged his personal mission was to live to 200; he had a wake-up call. Apparently, when he was 43 years old, his doctor told him that his cholesterol was sky-high.
“It was 30% above the maximum allowed level,” he recounts on his popular mindbodygreen podcast.
Fast-forward just six months (yep, really!), and Young had reduced his total cholesterol levels by 25%. “I met with my doctor, and he was looking at me and said, ‘Sergey, what have you done?’ To my surprise, it was all changes to my lifestyle.”
Here are the three relatively simple – and not so surprising steps to antiaging doctors -that he took to do it!
- Leaning on a plant-based diet
Originally a self-described “red meat guy,” he found that switching to a more plant-based diet was the catalyst for helping lower his cholesterol. “Lifehack No. 1 for me was a significant focus on plants,” he says. Research backs up the shift, as well. In a study of more than 10,000 adults published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, following a more plant-based diet was associated with better heart health, which is linked to balanced cholesterol.
He has not cut out meat entirely (“I probably eat meat once every two weeks,” he declares), but the bulk of his plate features a smattering of healthy fruits and veggies.
- Specific Supplements
As you have no doubt read on these pages in the past, to support healthy cholesterol levels, he relied on good ol’ omega-3s, specifically “a high-quality version at a high dose.”
Again there is research to support this tip. A 2020 study in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology found that DHA was associated with a small but statistically significant decrease in LDL cholesterol. Not to mention, omega-3 supplements are linked to heart-health benefits at large.
- Exercise – Particularly More Cardio
Young recommends opting for some form of cardio every day if you can. When he was trying to lower his cholesterol, he relied mostly on swimming, but now he sticks to 30 to 40 minutes of training (be it swimming, running, or HIIT) to get his heart pumping and keep his vascular system strong.
“Any movement is good. Let’s just make sure we integrate it in our daily and weekly routine,” Young says. “It’s up to you what particular style of exercise you like.” Even a daily walk can do the trick: “The beauty of walking is that you don’t need to dedicate a lot of time to it. You can integrate it into your healthy lifestyle,” he adds.