Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes

Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes, also known as the TLC Diet, is a dietary pattern recommended by the National Cholesterol Education Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, to control hypercholesterolemia. This pattern focuses on saturated fats and cholesterol, dietary options to enhance LDL cholesterol lowering, weight control, and physical activity.

High cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke. The National Institutes of Health created the National Cholesterol Education Program in 1985 to reduce cardiovascular disease rates in the United States by addressing high cholesterol. They created the TLC diet to be used alone or in conjunction with medication management to control elevated cholesterol. The diet was incorporated into the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) for high cholesterol in adults which was released in 2002. Updated guidelines for cholesterol management were established in 2013 by the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC).

Essential Components of Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes

The main Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes components include:

After six weeks, The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends checking the LDL cholesterol response to the changes; if the LDL cholesterol goal has not been achieved, other therapeutic options for LDL lowering can be implemented. These include: 2 grams per day of plant stanols or sterols and 10–25 grams per day of soluble fiber.

Macronutrient Distribution of the TLC Diet

The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes macronutrient profile includes:

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