Top 10 Cholesterol Lowering Foods “It sent a shockwave through me,” says the actor, who is 57. “I’d ignored that for a while, but after developing an open and honest relationship with my family physician, I learned the importance of compliance.” But for that he’s in the minority—which compelled him to team up with USAGE, the largest cholesterol survey in the United States. The survey followed more than 10,000 high-cholesterol patients and found that, of the 200 million prescriptions for statins written a year, nearly 75% of statin users ignore their doctor’s advice and quit taking them within the first year. Statins are highly successful in reducing cholesterol levels, but these statistics help explain why only one-third of people with high cholesterol have their cholesterol under control. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that preventative medicine is an uphill battle,” O’Hurley said. “And if heart disease is the number-one killer, controlling your cholesterol is the number-one prevention.” After adhering to a program put together by his family physician, the actor is back down to his DWTS weight—and his cholesterol is back to normal, too. Here are O’Hurley’s tips for taking control of any health concern: Don’t play doctor. Scary stat: 62% of statin uses stop taking the potentially life-saving daily meds due to unexpected side-effects caused by other drugs. But that’s just a side effect of not having a good relationship with your doctor. “You have to be a team,” says O’Hurley, who didn’t get healthy until he teamed up with his own doctor. “It’s like a relay: Let him or her watch your numbers, and you do what you’re supposed to do, and you can win the race together.” Set a goal. “High cholesterol is an asymptomatic condition. With high cholesterol, I didn’t have bruises or lesions or lose the curl in my hair,” says O’Hurley, “but it does have numbers. And I knew what number I had to hit.” Whether it’s three pounds a week or keeping your sugar levels below a certain number, creating quantifiable goals will keep you motivated and accountable. Enlist a partner-in-crime (or two). O’Hurley’s program is now a lifestyle, thanks to his wife and two dogs. Once a “meat and pasta kind of guy,” his wife Lisa now runs a gluten-free household while O’Hurley walks the hills of Beverly Hills with his four-legged trainers. “Even the beer we drink is gluten-free!”
