Guard your health: Risk Factors for High Cholesterol and How to Lower it

A DUNIA Magazine article

Cholesterol is a waxy fat-like substance that is naturally found in the body. The body needs cholesterol to perform important functions such as producing hormones and digesting fatty foods. The body naturally makes all of the cholesterol it needs. Examples of foods high in cholesterol include egg yolks, fatty meats, and regular cheese. Too much cholesterol in the body builds up inside blood vessels and makes it hard for blood to flow. Over time, this can lead to heart disease and consequent heart attack.

Statistics show that “1 in 6 American adults (approx. 16.3% of the total population) has high cholesterol. Coronary ailments, direct fallouts of high cholesterol levels, are the leading cause of death in the US,” reports howtocontrolcholesterol.org.

The good news however is that keeping taps on cholesterol levels is easy, and if high, steps can be taken to control them.

You could have high cholesterol and not know it. Because there are no signs or symptoms of high cholesterol, it’s very important to take action and find out how much of this substance is building up in your system. This is most important for men aged 35 and older, men under age 35 who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease, and women who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease.

Risk factors for heart disease include a family history of early heart disease, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. Be sure to talk to your doctor or nurse about your risk factors for heart disease.

Factors that increase risk of high cholesterol levels in the body include:

  • Family history – high cholesterol can run in families,
  • Age – as we get older, cholesterol levels go up,
  • Weight – being overweight or obese enables cholesterol to build up,
  • Eating habits – eating too much saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol,
  • Physical activity – not getting enough physical activity.

A blood test called a lipid profile is used to measure cholesterol levels. It is generally recommended that cholesterol be checked every 5 years, so that if high, you can take steps to manage it. Lowering high cholesterol levels is crucial in reducing the risk of heart disease and living a longer, healthier life. Remember that as cholesterol levels get higher, so does the risk of heart disease.

Take the following important steps to lower cholesterol levels:

  • Eat healthy. Change your diet and eat less saturated fat which comes from animal products (like regular cheese, fatty meats, and dairy desserts), and tropical oils (like palm, palm kernel, and coconut oil). Stay away from trans fats which may be in foods like cakes, cookies, stick margarines, and fried foods. Limit foods that are high in cholesterol, including egg yolks, fatty meats, and organ meat (like liver and kidney). Choose low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese, and yogurt. Eat more foods that are high in fiber such as oatmeal, oat bran, beans, and lentils. Add more vegetables and fruits, rich on fiber to your diet.
  • Get active. Exercising regularly can help you lose weight, lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol, and raise your HDL (good) cholesterol. Aim for at least 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate activity, such as: walking fast, swimming, aerobics.
  • Watch your weight. Advice from prevention.com: Research suggests that being overweight disrupts the normal metabolism of dietary fat. So even though you may be eating less fat, you may not see a difference in your cholesterol profile until you unload the excess pounds. In fact, shedding just 5 to 10 pounds may be enough to improve your cholesterol level. Just don’t go the crash-dieting route.
  • Quit smoking. Quitting smoking will help lower your cholesterol. A 2010 study by lead researcher Dr. Adam Gepner of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison and his team showed that smoking lowers good cholesterol (HDL) and raises bad cholesterol (LDL). If you smoke, make your plan to quit today.
  • Medication. Your doctor may consider prescribing medicine. However, because medications only help in the management of cholesterol levels, and do not cure the condition, doctors tend to recommend lifestyle changes to go parallel with the medicines prescribed.

Take action today and do not take your health for granted! Remember to ask your doctor for your cholesterol levels each time they are measured, write them down on a chart to keep track of your progress.

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