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Most of us are not health professionals but knowing about the importance of keeping our ‘bad’ cholesterol level down can be a life saver. I’ve kept the first part of this article as concise and easy to read a possible as I’m not a health professional either. The first couple of paragraphs contain the more ‘medical’ points about the different types of cholesterol and other fats, whether the good or the bad kind. The rest of the article is about how you can lower your bad cholesterol. Knowing what not to eat or what to keep to a minimum will help to protect your heart health and general wellbeing. This goes for doing a bit of regular exercise too.

WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?

LET’S START WITH THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHOLESTEROL

High levels of oestrogen help to balance the HDL (good cholesterol) and the LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. LDL was used as the main measure of bad cholesterol in the blood but over time it has been acknowledged that other forms of non-HDL are harmful too, so the term non-HDL is now often used. For ease of reading (and also typing!) in this article I will use the term LDL for all bad cholesterol unless a particular type is specifically named.  

Does Oestrogen Affect Cholesterol?

Oestrogen plays an important role in keeping the balance between good and bad cholesterol in check. When you’re in perimenopause and your oestrogen fluctuates or in menopause with consistently lower levels of oestrogen the drop can affect your normal balance of cholesterol. Low levels of oestrogen can allow the LDL levels to rise. While the rise in LDL caused by low oestrogen is considered to be fairly small, it still impacts on heart health. The rise in LDL causes an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. This is because the bad cholesterol clogs up and stiffens your arteries.

It’s worth noting that the risk of high LDL cholesterol levels increases after you reach menopause itself because your oestrogen levels remain low.

WHAT ARE TRIGLYCERIDES?

Triglycerides is another type of fatty substance. Although it’s stored in the body’s fat cells it’s also present in the bloodstream. When your overall cholesterol level is calculated, the calculation takes not only your HDL and LDL levels into account but also your triglycerides level too.

NON-HORMONAL FACTORS THAT CAUSE HIGH LDL CHOLESTEROL

Being overweight increases your chance of developing high LDL cholesterol. And if you’re a heavy drinker you are more likely to have a high triglycerides level. However, there are two main causes of a buildup of LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream.

Eating an incorrect diet and not getting enough exercise

Sounds really simple doesn’t it? It’s surprising how many of us think our diet is fairly healthy. Usually there’s actually a lot of room for improvement. Most of us seem to spend our days rushing around so we assume that we’re getting enough exercise too. Unfortunately a lot of us are way off the mark on both counts.

This includes me! I always thought that I ate a fairly healthy diet despite my weakness for crisps/potato chips. I’ve always eaten a wide variety of foods including lots of fruit, vegetables and salad stuff. I’m always busy, busy, busy doing this, doing that or rushing here or rushing there. That’s enough exercise surely? I was so wrong. I wasn’t doing nearly as well as I thought I was. This was made clear to me when I had a blood screening done as part of a routine health check.

I had high cholesterol and it needed to come down to a healthy level for the good of my heart and future wellbeing.

The nurse gave me some basic information and a few tips to help me get my cholesterol down. I went home and took a good hard look at my diet and my exercise regimen (or rather the lack of …).

The most obvious thing I could do was to get more exercise, keep it regular and keep it up. Secondly I needed to cut out or cut back on certain things I’d been eating and also start to include some foods that actively help to lower LDL cholesterol.

So, armed with the information I’d been given and by doing some research of my own I realised that getting my bad cholesterol down wasn’t rocket science. In fact it was quite simple as long as I made a few changes and stuck with it.

THIS IS WHAT I FOUND OUT

How can you tell if a particular type of fat is considered ‘good’ or ‘bad’?

It’s actually not as complicated as it might sound. You don’t need to be a scientist or nutritionist to tell the difference, which is a relief!

Take a look at the tables below for a simple guide to which is which.

THE TRICK IS TO LIMIT THE BAD FATS

Limit the amount of foods and oils that are on the bad list and, as far as is possible, replace them with the ones on the good list. There are lots of other foods that contain either good or bad fats and also foods that contain both. However, the tables above give you a good idea where the majority of the fat in your diet should be coming from. It’s important to remember that although we need a certain amount of fat in our diet eating too much fat, even the good sort, is not beneficial to your health and won’t do your waistline any favours.

MAKING HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES

Lowering your bad cholesterol level through diet means making different food choices. By swapping foods and snacks that contain a high level of saturated or trans fats for ones that contain the unsaturated fats in table 1 above, you will be able to lower your LDL cholesterol level.

Make sure you also include plenty of fruit, vegetables, lean protein, wholegrains, and oily fish in your diet. If you can’t or would rather not eat oily fish you can take your omega-3 fatty acids in supplement form.

Don’t be tempted to swap the bad oils for sugary foods and drinks. It’s an easy trap to fall into and it won’t improve your health. If you get the urge for something sweet then eat some fruit or berries. These sorts of foods help to satisfy a sugar craving and are packed full of goodness too.

This doesn’t mean that you can never have a cookie or a cake ever again. You just need to keep it for an occasional treat. A birthday party or a meal out with friends for example. It’s what you eat on a daily basis that makes the difference.

READ THE LABELS

I know this sounds tedious and time consuming but really it isn’t. After all foods such as fruit, vegetables, salad stuff, fresh lean meat and fish don’t need closer examination. They are what you can see. The problem lies in the prepackaged and processed foods. Unless you take a look at the label you can’t be sure of what is in the food. It’s surprising how many hidden fats there are in pre-prepared grocery items. This goes for hidden sugars too.

So when you first start to make your new food choices take a look at the label. Check the fat content and the type of fat that’s in it. Even if the fat content isn’t high but it contains saturated or trans fats then you’re in a position to choose an alternative product. It’s amazing how quickly you learn what foods to avoid and what foods to include in your weekly meal plan.

ARE THERE ANY FOODS THAT ARE KNOWN TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL?

There are a range a of foods that are known to lower cholesterol. The good news is that they are not expensive and are easy to include in your diet, either in their own right or as part of a recipe or meal.

Take a look at the table below for cholesterol lowering foods.

WHY DOES EXERCISE HELP TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL?

Physical activity and exercise help to increase your good HDL cholesterol and also helps your body to move out the bad LDL cholesterol. Being active makes it easier for your body to move the LDL cholesterol to your liver. Your liver can get rid of it safely so it does not get the chance to stay in your body’s cells and then block up your arteries.

So how much exercise should you be getting each week?

The good news is that you don’t have to tackle an assault course or run a marathon to make a big difference. If you want to do some serious exercising then go for it, however, if you haven’t exercised for some time it’s best to build up slowly or speak to your doctor for some advice about what’s best for you.

Just by doing 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 times a week you will be helping to lower your cholesterol, improve your fitness and control your weight. The simplest form of exercise is brisk walking. It’s not only simple but it’s free. You don’t have to power walk, just keep your pace up so that you get a little out of breath and your heart is beating a little faster.

If you can’t do the 30 minutes in one go you can break it down into 2 or 3 sessions. Take a brisk walk on your lunch break at work for example, then fit the rest in later at a time that’s good for you. The trick with any type of exercise is ‘keep it regular and keep it up’.

DO I NEED TO TAKE MEDICINE TO LOWER MY CHOLESTEROL?

There are medicines that are used to lower cholesterol.

Statins are probably the most frequently prescribed of the cholesterol lowering medicines but there are others such as fibrates and inhibitors. The decision about whether you will be prescribed any medication will be made by your doctor and will be based on several factors. Your doctor won’t only be looking at your cholesterol level but also at other risk factors to your heart and circulatory system.

Other factors taken into consideration include:

• High Blood Pressure
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Angina
• Previous Heart Attack/Stroke
• Previous Bypass Surgery
• Previous Coronary Stents
• Inherited Familial Hypercholesterolaemia

HOW DO I GET MY CHOLESTEROL LEVEL CHECKED?

Because the cholesterol is in your bloodstream your cholesterol level is calculated using a sample of your blood. There are different ways of going about this.

• At Your Doctors Surgery

This involves a fasting blood test. You don’t eat any food for 12 hours before the blood sample is taken and you are only allowed small sips of water during this time.

It’s important to follow the fasting instructions because if you don’t you won’t get a true result. The blood sample is then sent off to the lab for testing. In the UK your results are usually sent to your doctor within 4-5 days.

Your doctor or a nurse will go through your results with you and give you any information and advice that is needed. If it’s decided that you would benefit from medication it may be prescribed then and there or you may have to have a further appointment with your doctor.

• At Your Local Pharmacy

Some pharmacies offer cholesterol checks (UK). You usually have to pay for this service although some pharmacies offer free tests. The method used can differ between pharmacy chains. You will need to check whether it’s a fasting test or not, and whether its an instant result pinprick test or a phile of blood that’s sent to a lab for testing.

• Home Testing Kits

These are widely used by people who want to, or need to monitor their cholesterol level regularly. They vary in the way they are used and they also vary in price. They are ideal for regular monitoring, particularly if you have to pay for your health care and check-ups. Or if your access to, or time for visits to your doctor can be a problem for you.

A lot of the home cholesterol testing kits have more than one function. For example some kits can also be used to test blood sugar (glucose), triglycerides and even uric acid (which can lead to gout and other symptoms) The trick is to choose one that suits your personal needs.

Below are a few of the Home Tests Kits that are available.

• WELLION – Testing kit and monitor for Cholesterol and Glucose. Comes with everything you need for home testing and monitoring your levels.

• PRIMA – 3 in 1 self testing kit for Cholesterol, Triglycerides and Glucose. Comes complete with monitor and everything you need for home testing and monitoring.

• EasySure – Testing device with PC link for Cholesterol, Glucose and Uric Acid. Comes complete with monitor and everything you need for home testing and monitoring your levels (you will need a USB cable for the PC link).