High cholesterol is one of the major risk factors of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. However, you can successfully lower bad cholesterol levels by making certain diet and lifestyle changes.
Remember, the body only requires a small amount of cholesterol to function in top form, and when too much cholesterol is present in the diet, health conditions such as heart disease can develop. Plaque (a thick, hard deposit) forms in the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through properly. Over time, this build-up of plaque causes hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart disease.
What are the symptoms of cholesterol?
High cholesterol doesn’t present with symptoms, and a blood test is the only way to detect the condition. You should have a baseline (basic) cholesterol test at the age of 20, and then get retested every 5 years. If your test results aren’t within a desirable range, your doctor will advise how you can help lower bad cholesterol levels and increase good cholesterol. You will probably need to go for more regular tests if you have a family history of high cholesterol, heart disease or other risk factors such as smoking, diabetes or high blood pressure.
What factors influence high cholesterol?
- Being overweight or obese
- A sedentary lifestyle and lack of regular exercise
- Smoking – it lowers “good” cholesterol levels plus it’s linked to other serious health conditions
- As we get older, cholesterol levels naturally increase, especially after menopause
- Certain medications can cause high cholesterol
- A diet high in saturated fat can increase “bad” cholesterol levels
What’s the difference between “good” and “bad” fats?
Bad fats include saturated fats and trans-fats. Saturated fats increase blood cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol. These types of fats are mainly found in animal products such as meat, dairy, eggs and seafood. Certain food sources such as coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil are also high in saturated fats. Trans-fats are found in many commercially packaged foods, fried food, snacks, margarine and microwave popcorn.
Good fats include monounsaturated fats, which lower total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol, while increasing HDL (good) cholesterol. They’ve also been found to aid in weight loss. Peanuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, avocados, canola and olive oil are high in monounsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Salmon, fish oil and sunflower oils are high in polyunsaturated fats. Essential omega 3 fatty acids also belong to this group of polyunsaturated fats.
Foods which help lower bad cholesterol levels
- Oatmeal and oat bran, which contains soluble fibre.
- Other sources of soluble fibre include wild rice, whole wheat bread and pasta, fruit and vegetables.
- Try to eat salmon at least 3 times a week, it’s far more effective than taking fish oil supplements to lower cholesterol.
- Although eggs are high in cholesterol, they’re a good source of concentrated nutrients. One egg contains 6 grams of protein as well as healthy unsaturated fats. The healthiest way to eat eggs is to boil them or cook them until the yolk is hard – the cholesterol levels are lower this way.