What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty substance which is found in the
blood. It is mainly made in the body.
Podcast - Controlling Your
Cholesterol
The top five things you can do to lower your
cholesterol
Cholesterol plays an essential role in how
every cell in the body works. However, too much cholesterol in the
blood can increase your risk of heart problems.
LDL cholesterol and HDL
cholesterol
Cholesterol is carried around the body by
proteins. These combinations of cholesterol and proteins are called
lipoproteins. There are two main types of lipoproteins:
- LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is
the harmful type of cholesterol.
- HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is
a protective type of cholesterol.
Having too much harmful cholesterol in your
blood can increase your risk of getting cardiovascular disease. The
risk is particularly high if you have a high level of LDL
cholesterol and a low level of HDL cholesterol.
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are another type of fatty
substance in the blood. They are found in foods such as dairy
products, meat and cooking oils.
They can also be produced in the body, either
by the body’s fat stores or in the liver.
People who are very overweight, eat a lot of
fatty and sugary foods, or drink too much alcohol are more likely
to have a high triglyceride level.
People with high triglyceride levels have a greater risk of
developing cardiovascular disease than people with lower
levels.
What causes high cholesterol?
One of the causes of high blood cholesterol levels amount people
in the UK is eating too much saturated fat.
The cholesterol which is found in some foods such as
eggs, liver, kidneys and some types of seafood eg.
prawns, does not usually make a great
contribution to the level of cholesterol in your
blood. It is much more important that you
eat foods that are low in saturated fat.
However, some people have high blood cholesterol even though
they eat a healthy diet. For example, they may have inherited a
condition called familial hyperlipidaemia
(FH).
For more information on FH, please download our booklet
Reducing your blood cholesterol (see below
under further information).
How can I reduce my cholesterol level?
To help reduce your cholesterol level, you need to
cut down on saturated fats and trans
fats and replace them with
monounsaturated fats and
polyunsaturated fats. You should also
reduce the total amount of fat you eat.
Eat oily fish regularly. Oily
fish provides the richest source of a particular type of
polyunsaturated fat known as omega-3 fats which can help to lower
blood triglyceride levels and also helps prevent the blood from
clotting, and help to regulate the heart rhythm.
Eat a high-fibre diet. Foods that are
high in 'soluble fibre' such as porridge, beans, pulses, lentils,
nuts, fruits and vegetables, can help lower cholesterol.
Please see our information on fibre.
Doing regular physical activity can help
increase your HDL cholesterol (the 'protective' type of
cholesterol).
Will eating sterol-enriched foods help reduce my
cholesterol level?
There is evidence to show that substances called ‘plant sterols’
and ‘stanols’ may help reduce cholesterol levels.
They are added to certain foods including margarines, spreads, soft
cheeses and yoghurts.
Please see our information on plant sterols
and stanols.
I've heard that eating too many eggs can raise
your cholesterol - how many can I eat?
The recommendation on how many eggs you can
eat has changed over the years and is a common source of confusion.
In the past we recommended a restriction on eggs because we thought
that foods high in cholesterol (including liver, kidneys and
shellfish, as well as eggs) could have an impact on cholesterol
levels.
However, as research in this area has
developed so has our understanding of how foods that contain
cholesterol affect people’s heart health. This means we have
changed our recommendation and there is currently no limit on the
number of eggs that can be eaten in a week.
For most people, the amount of saturated fat
they eat has much more of an impact on their cholesterol than
eating foods that contain cholesterol, like eggs and shellfish. So,
if you like eggs, they can be included as part of a balanced and
varied diet.
Will I need to take medication?
Whether you need to take cholesterol-lowering drugs or not
depends not just on your total cholesterol, HDL and LDL levels, but
also on your overall risk of coronary heart disease.
Cholesterol-lowering medicines such as statins
are prescribed for people who are at greatest overall risk of
suffering from coronary heart disease. Please see our
information on statins.
For further information:
Listen to our podcast
Controlling Your Cholesterol
The
top five things you can do to lower your
cholesterol
(Note: to download our podcast direct from this
site right-click the link above select 'Save Target As' and
save to your computer.)
Please visit our Publications
section to download or order
our resources on healthy eating, physical activity and keeping
your heart healthy.
You may also wish to contact the following organisation:
Heart UK is a national cholesterol charity
for patients and their families and can help with specific
enquiries particularly with Familial Hypercholesterolaemia
Helpline: 0845 450 5988
Email: ask@heartuk.org.uk
Website: www.heartuk.org.uk
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