High cholesterol: Nutritionist reveals top prevention tips
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High cholesterol means that there is too much of a fatty substance in your blood, which can settle along blood vessel walls, hardening in plaques, that can narrow the passageway of blood. When there is less space for blood to travel through, the heart muscle has to work harder to get blood to circulate around the body. Consequently, blood pressure is likely to increase and the risk of heart disease spikes.
Not only that, high cholesterol puts you on the path towards a heart attack or stroke.
Doctor Carol DerSarkissian verified the “fast” ways to get rid of the hazardous cholesterol in the body.
First, get moving – exercising for up to three hours per week is enough to improve low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
What’s LDL cholesterol?
There are two main types of cholesterol lipoproteins, the charity Heart UK pointed out.
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is considered “bad” cholesterol because too much of it can build up in the blood vessels, clogging them up.
High-density lipoprotein cholesterol, on the other hand, helps to prevent disease as it contains lots of protein and very little cholesterol.
There are other types of cholesterol, such as:
- Very low density lipoproteins
- Intermediate density lipoproteins
- Chylomicrons.
Doctor DerSarkissian also suggests eating fibre-rich foods, such as oatmeal, apples, prunes, and beans.
All rich in soluble fibre, these foods can help prevent the body from absorbing cholesterol.
Eating more fibre also helps people to feel more full, which means people are less likely to overeat.
Eating nuts can also be beneficial as they contain sterols which, like fibre, keep the body from absorbing fibre.
How to quickly lower cholesterol:
- Exercise frequently
- Eat fibre-rich foods
- Eat nuts.
The NHS agrees that eating nuts can help to bring down low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
Moreover, oily fish – such as mackerel and salmon – in addition to seed, fruits and vegetables can all help to lower cholesterol.
As well as incorporating such foods into your diet, it’s also advisable to avoid certain foods.
The NHS recommends you eat less:
- Meat pies, sausages and fatty meat
- Butter, lard and ghee
- Cream and hard cheese, like cheddar
- Cakes and biscuits
- Food that contains coconut oil or palm oil.
In addition to dietary adjustments, the NHS agrees that people should “exercise more” if they are hoping to lower their cholesterol levels.
People should aim to do 150 minutes of exercise each week, such as walking, swimming, and cycling.
Lifestyle habits to avoid include smoking, which can raise cholesterol levels, and drinking more than 14 units of alcohol weekly.
Some people who have high cholesterol might be required to take prescribed medication.
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