How Can I Lower My Cholesterol?

This is one of the most frequent questions I have been asked so far.

Statistics from May 2020 state that a staggering 39.65% of adults in the UK have high or borderline high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol.

People of all ages and sizes can have high cholesterol and they may not even know they have it. High cholesterol itself does not have any symptoms, but it does significantly increase our risk of developing serious health conditions such as heart disease and stroke.

What Does High Cholesterol Mean?

Cholesterol is a type of blood lipid which our body needs to stay healthy.

Too much of it though and it can clog our arteries, blocking blood flow. This happens when excess cholesterol is laid down on artery walls and over time it hardens into a "plaque", narrowing the blood flow.

What Causes High Cholesterol?

There are many variables which contribute to high cholesterol levels including:

Lifestyle

>> Eating too many saturated fats

>> Smoking

>> Alcohol

>> Being physically inactive

Overall Health

>> Type 2 Diabetes

>> Being overweight

>> Holding most of your weight around your middle

>> Underactive thyroid

>> Liver and kidney disease

Our Genes

>> High cholesterol can be genetic

>> Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) can cause high cholesterol even if you live a very active, healthy lifestyle

Age and Gender

>> Age - raised cholesterol and damaged arteries become more likely with age

>> Post menopausal women - the menopause causes higher cholesterol levels in women as oestrogen levels drop

>> Men are more likely to develop higher cholesterol in general (sorry guys!)

How Do I Check?

The NHS advises that if you are over 40, have never had a check before, are overweight or high cholesterol runs in your family, to ask your GP for a test as you are more likely to have high cholesterol.

The doctor or nurse will be able to advise you on levels which are healthy for you.

How to Lower Cholesterol

Let's have a look at how lifestyle and dietary changes can help reduce our cholesterol levels

>> Unsaturated fats

Choosing unsaturated fats over saturated can actually help reduce LDL cholesterol. Examples of unsaturated fats include:

- Nuts and seeds

- Oily fish (salmon, mackerel, trout)

- Avocados

- Vegetable oils (rapeseed oil, olive oil etc)

Foods high in saturated fats to limit include:

- Processed fatty meats

- Processed sweet treats such as cakes and biscuits

- Butter and lard

- Cream

- Hard cheese

- Coconut and palm oils

>> Fibre

Fibre is wonderful. One of the benefits are that it reduces our risk of heart disease and some high-fibre foods such as oats, apples, kidney beans and sprouts lower LDL cholesterol.

Aim for at least 30g fibre a day (most of us only get half of this per day!)

• Pulses - beans, lentils and peas

• Fruit and vegetables

• Nuts and seeds

• Oats

• Potatoes with skin on (hello potato wedges!)

• Wholegrain bread and cereals

>> Get Moving!

Increasing our activity helps to lower cholesterol levels (among many other things!) and includes everything from walking, dancing, swimming, cycling, running and HIIT.

150 minute of moderate aerobic activity per week can also improve cholesterol levels. To clarify - moderate activity means heart rate increases and you break a sweat (sadly walking round the shops doesn't count. Damn!)

TOP DIETARY TIPS

>> Chia seeds

>> Ground flaxseeds/linseeds

>> Oats

>> Nuts - unsalted and unroasted

>> Chickpeas, lentils and beans

>> Avocados

>> Oily fish

>> Fruit and vegetables with the skin left on

>> Soy, edamame and tofu products

Overall there is no one magic fix for our cholesterol levels, it needs to be a sustainable lifestyle change encorporating healthy habits.

A lifestyle makeover isn't always easy, especially at the start, but by swapping out some saturated fats for unsaturated and starting some exercise it really can make huge improvements on your health.

Check out local activity groups in your area, have a look at the NHS website for guidance or if needed, contact a nutritionist for more support.

The Qualified Nutritionist