Is high cholesterol a worry?

Have you recently been for a routine check-up and found out your cholesterol is too high? Perhaps your doctor has also talked about putting you on statins—drugs that control your cholesterol levels.

Keeping your cholesterol levels under control can help reduce the risk of heart disease and other serious conditions.

What causes heart disease?

Heart disease develops slowly, starting years before any symptoms.

The arteries of the heart begin to narrow due to a buildup of plaque, a fatty material that clings to the artery walls. Over time, this can reduce blood flow to the heart, potentially causing cardiac arrest.

High cholesterol, along with high blood pressure, smoking and diabetes are all risk factors which can speed up this process.

Different types of cholesterol

There are two main types of cholesterol and it’s the low density lipoprotein (LDL) one, called ‘bad cholesterol’, that your doctor is interested in. It’s so-called because it’s thought to cause buildup and blockage in the arteries.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is the ‘good cholesterol’ and helps clear away the LDL from arteries and back to the liver where it’s broken down.

Why is high cholesterol so bad?

High levels of LDL cause fatty build-up that leads to blockages. The blockages prevent blood from flowing properly to the heart.

The fatty build-up can become so large that they can break apart and start travelling as a clot. Clots are dangerous and can lead to heart attack or stroke. 

Other factors are just as important

The effect of cholesterol is important but other factors should not be overlooked. More than half of all heart attacks or strokes occur in apparently healthy people, with normal or low levels of LDL cholesterol.

Not smoking, eating a healthy diet, exercising and reducing your stress levels are all just as important as your cholesterol levels.

Ways to lower your cholesterol naturally

There are clear links between your diet and your level of LDL cholesterol, so you may be able to lower your cholesterol naturally.

Some fats are essential to keep your body healthy, but saturated fats are linked to higher blood cholesterol. So replace these fats—which many of us consume too much of—with unsaturated fats where possible.

Foods to reduce include:

• Fatty meat and meat products, such as sausage
• Butter, full-fat dairy, cheese (especially hard cheese)
• Chocolate, biscuits, cakes and pastries
• Coconut oil and coconut cream.

Good fats include:

• Olive oil and grapeseed oil
• Avocados
• Some nuts such as almonds, B​​razil nuts and peanuts.

Increasing the amount of soluble fibre in your diet is also helpful—so eat more oats, fruits and vegetables, and whole grains.

Don’t despair, you can still eat cake! The Heart Foundation’s healthy cake and biscuit recipes make sure you can still treat yourself.

All evidence suggests there is a link between high LDL cholesterol and heart disease, so discuss all options with your doctor. The key? Look at practical steps you can take to reduce your cholesterol, whether you are on medication or not.