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High cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease and heart attacks. You can reduce cholesterol with medications, but if you'd rather make lifestyle changes to reduce cholesterol, you can try these five healthy lifestyle changes.

If you're already taking medications, these changes can also improve their cholesterol-lowering effect.

Lose weight

Carrying some extra pounds -- even just a few -- contributes to high cholesterol. Losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can help significantly reduce cholesterol levels. Take stock of what you currently eat and your physical activity level and slowly work in changes.

Eat heart-healthy foods

Choose healthier fats. Saturated fats, found in red meat and dairy products, raise your total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol. As a general rule, you should get less than 7 percent of your daily calories from saturated fat.

Eliminate trans fats. Trans fat can be found in fried foods and many commercial baked products, such as cookies, crackers and snack cakes.

Limit the cholesterol in your food. Aim for no more than 300 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol a day -- less than 200 mg if you have heart disease or diabetes. The most concentrated sources of cholesterol include organ meats, egg yolks and whole milk products.

Select whole grains. Various nutrients found in whole grains promote heart health.

Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids can help lower your LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Some types of fish -- such as salmon, mackerel and herring -- are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Exercise on most days of the week

Exercise can reduce cholesterol.

Quit smoking

Quitting may improve your HDL cholesterol level. And the benefits don't end there. Just 20 minutes after quitting, your blood pressure decreases. Within 24 hours, your risk of a heart attack decreases. Within one year, your risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker. Within 15 years, your risk of heart disease is similar to someone who never smoked.

Drink alcohol only in moderation

Moderate use of alcohol has been linked with higher levels of HDL cholesterol -- but the benefits aren't strong enough to recommend alcohol for anyone who doesn't already drink.