newsprompt.coHIGH CHOLESTEROL
Hyperlipidemia is a scientific term that means your blood has too many lipids (fats) in it, i.e., cholesterol and triglycerides. In hypercholesterolemia, there’s too much LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood. This increases fatty deposits in arteries and the risk of blockages.
Levels of HDL (good) cholesterol can also be too low. With less HDL to remove cholesterol from your arteries, your risk of plaque — and blockages — increases.
The good news is, cholesterol can be lowered, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. The starting point for treating high cholesterol is working closely with your physician or healthcare provider. It takes a team to develop and maintain a successful health program. You and your healthcare professionals each have important roles in maintaining and improving your heart health.
If you’re diagnosed with hyperlipidemia, your overall health and risks will help guide treatment. Rather than focus only your cholesterol levels, your physician may discuss how they join other risk factors to affect your overall risk of heart disease. For example, age, sex, smoking and high blood pressure are also important. These factors can all interact with high LDL cholesterol or low HDL cholesterol levels to affect your risk. Noting which risk factors you have will allow your physician to use the National Institutes of Health’s Estimate of 10-Year Risk for Coronary Heart Disease Framingham Point Score to more accurately assess your risk of a coronary event in the next 10 years.
Lifestyle changes
Hyperlipidemia can often be improved by lifestyle changes. This is true even if high cholesterol is due to genetics (familial hypercholesterolemia). Work with your physician to create an action plan of lifestyle changes that you can make.
The four lifestyle changes you may be asked to make are:
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eating a heart-healthy diet
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regular exercise
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avoiding tobacco smoke
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losing weight (if you’re overweight or obese)
Let’s look at each of these now.
Eating a heart-healthy diet
From a dietary standpoint, the best way to lower your cholesterol is reduce saturated fat and trans fat. The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat to 5 to 6 percent of daily calories and minimizing the amount of trans fat you eat.
Reducing these fats means limiting your intake of red meat and dairy products made with whole milk. It also means choosing skim milk, low-fat or fat-free dairy products, limiting fried food, and cooking with healthy oils such as vegetable oil. Other aspects of a healthy diet include emphasizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts and limiting sugary foods and beverages. Eating this way may help increase fiber, which is also beneficial. A diet high in fiber can help lower cholesterol levels by as much as 10 percent.
Many diets fit this pattern. They include the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan promoted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and diets suggested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the American Heart Association. The pattern can be easily adapted based on your cultural and food preferences.
Becoming more physically active
A sedentary lifestyle lowers HDL cholesterol. Less HDL cholesterol means there’s less good cholesterol to remove LDL (bad) cholesterol from arteries.
Physical activity is important. Just 40 minutes of aerobic exercise of moderate to vigorous intensity done three to four times a week is enough to lower both cholesterol and high blood pressure. Brisk walking, swimming, bicycling or a dance class are examples.
Losing weight
Being overweight or obese tends to raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol.
Losing excess weight can improve cholesterol levels. A weight reduction of 10 percent can go a long way toward lowering your risk of high cholesterol — or reversing it.
Foods That Lower Cholesterol Naturally
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Oats
If you’re looking to lower your cholesterol, the key may be simply changing your morning meal. Switching up your breakfast to contain two servings of oats can lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by 5.3% in only 6 weeks. The key to this cholesterol buster is beta-glucan, a substance in oats that absorbs LDL, which your body then excretes.
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Red wine
Scientists are giving us yet another reason to drink to our health. It turns out that high-fiber Tempranillo red grapes, used to make red wine like Rioja, may actually significantly lower cholesterol levels. A study conducted by the department of metabolism and nutrition at Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain found that when individuals consumed the same grape supplement found in red wine, their LDL levels decreased by 9%. In addition, those who had high cholesterol going into the study saw a 12% drop in LDL. So go ahead and drink a glass for that cholesterol-lowering benefit.
Salmon & fatty fish
Omega-3 fats are one of the natural health wonders of the world and have been shown to ward off heart disease, dementia, and many other diseases. Now these fatty acids can add yet another health benefit to their repertoire: lowering cholesterol. According to research from Loma Linda University, replacing saturated fats with omega-3s like those found in salmon, sardines, and herring can raise good cholesterol as much as 4%.
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Nuts
If you’re looking for a snack food that lowers cholesterol levels, research shows that you should get cracking! In a study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people who noshed on 1.5 oz of whole walnuts 6 days a week for 1 month lowered their total cholesterol by 5.4% and LDL cholesterol by 9.3%. Almonds and cashews are other good options. However, while nuts are heart healthy, they’re also high in calories, so practice portion control—1.5 oz is about a shot glass and a half. Use a shot glass to measure out your portion so you can see exactly how it looks.
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Hyperlipidemia is a scientific term that means your blood has too many lipids (fats) in it, i.e., cholesterol and triglycerides. In hypercholesterolemia, there’s too much LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood. This increases fatty deposits in arteries and the risk of blockages.
-
Levels of HDL (good) cholesterol can also be too low. With less HDL to remove cholesterol from your arteries, your risk of plaque — and blockages — increases.
The good news is, cholesterol can be lowered, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. The starting point for treating high cholesterol is working closely with your physician or healthcare provider. It takes a team to develop and maintain a successful health program. You and your healthcare professionals each have important roles in maintaining and improving your heart health.
If you’re diagnosed with hyperlipidemia, your overall health and risks will help guide treatment. Rather than focus only your cholesterol levels, your physician may discuss how they join other risk factors to affect your overall risk of heart disease. For example, age, sex, smoking and high blood pressure are also important. These factors can all interact with high LDL cholesterol or low HDL cholesterol levels to affect your risk. Noting which risk factors you have will allow your physician to use the National Institutes of Health’s Estimate of 10-Year Risk for Coronary Heart Disease Framingham Point Score to more accurately assess your risk of a coronary event in the next 10 years.
