There is no longer any significant medical debate on the issue: to remain in good health we should all be trying to achieve a lower cholesterol level and a lower blood pressure. Lower cholesterol means a healthier heart, less risk of stroke and a longer healthier life.
Achieving a lower level is very important if you have high blood pressure or other risk factors for heart disease and stroke. If your blood shows a high cholesterol level then you could be at risk of heart disease or early death. You should aim to reduce your level immediately don't delay start right now and begin the long haul towards achieving better long term health.
How do I know if I have high cholesterol?
If you have a lipid blood test then the result that your doctor will tell you is usually the total cholesterol level. Your doctor will also want to know the level of the HDL (sometimes called good) cholesterol and the LDL (sometimes called the bad).
The blood sample report will also often give details of the level of triglyceride in the blood. Tryglyceride is another kind of blood fat or lipid and is also important in predicting your risk of heart disease and stroke. Lastly your doctor will use the total cholesterol level divided by the HDL level to calculate a ratio level that allows a reasonably accurate prediction of how great a risk you face if you don't start sorting yourself and your lipid levels out quickly! Start going lower now if this applies to you!
Knowing your cholesterol level is an important first step in working out your risk for heart disease or stroke.
A lipid profile blood test is usually done on what is called a fasting blood sample. This normally means taking the blood test first thing in the morning when you have not eaten or drunk anything from midnight the night before.
Lower Lipid Levels: Who should have a cholesterol test?
• Anyone who has any heart disease, such as coronary heart disease, peripheral vascular disease (disease in the blood vessels that supply the limbs) or stroke, should have their lipid levels measured by a doctor on a regular basis
• Anyone, even children, with a strong history of high cholesterol in the family (this is called familial hypercholesterolaemia) should have their levels measured.
• Anyone aged 35 or over should consider having their blood level measured if they have one or more of the following risk factors: family history of early heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking.
Some experts believe that everyone over the age of 20 should have a cholesterol blood test once every five years or so.
Do I need to have a regular blood test if I am trying to lower cholesterol?
You do not need to repeat a cholesterol blood test very often - unless you have very high level. The recommendation in the USA is that anyone over the age of twenty should have their blood lipid levels tested at least once every five years.
You also need to know what your HDL or "good" level is. HDL actually helps clear away 'bad' cholesterol from the blood vessels. 'Bad' cholesterol is called LDL. You can read more about good and bad cholesterol below.
Lower Lipid Levels: Automatic Testing Devices
Automatic home test lipid monitors are now available to buy online. Their accuracy is excellent - although you need to practice a bit to operate the monitor correctly. The purchase price is reasonable - particularly if you set it against the cost of a regular check from your doctor. Click here for more details on Home Cholesterol Testing Kit
(stocked by Amazon.com).
If you are going to buy one then don't forget to purchase the testing sticks at the same time because they don't always come packaged with the monitor.
Is there such a thing as a high cholesterol diet?
Cholesterol in small amounts is vital to the normal function of our body. Almost every part of our body needs cholesterol around to maintain normal function and health. Our own body actually makes it in small amounts for that very reason.
But a high lipid level in the blood is a major problem. Having a high level puts you at real risk of having a stroke or a heart attack or both!
Eating a diet too high in fat is certainly bad for you and is one cause of a high lipid level in the blood. This kind of diet is only one cause of a high blood cholesterol level however the other causes are given below.
A diet too high in fat especially saturated fat is invariably harmful and in this sense eating high fat food does put you at risk of early death. It's the high saturated fat content in the diet that's bad for you however not the amount of cholesterol in the food itself.
Only about 20% of cholesterol in your body comes directly from your diet - the other 80% is produced by the liver. But a diet high in saturated fats can cause the liver to produce more "bad" LDL. No two people are the same when it comes to how their diet affects their blood level. Some people who eat high-fat diets have high lipid levels; others may have entirely normal or even low levels
Why lower cholesterol?
The reason for trying to reduce or lower lipid levels is to reduce the risk of early death from heart attack or stroke.
How can I lower my lipid levels?
There are two ways to lower cholesterol levels in the blood. The first is with simple lifestyle changes such as changing diet, losing weight, increasing exercise, and quitting smoking. The second is to combine lifestyle changes with medication
A lower cholesterol diet
You can lower lipid levels by eating healthy choices. A healthy diet should be low in saturated fats and low in fat overall. Cakes, cookies, pastries, red meat, hard cheese, butter and foods that contain coconut or palm oil are all high in saturated fats and are bad for you if you have a high cholesterol level.
Some foods have a large amount of cholesterol in them.
The list of high cholesterol foods would include: eggs liver and kidneys. If you're wise then you'll choose to limit these foods to three servings a week
Lower Cholesterol - Eat Fruit, Vegetables and Fiber
You must eat plenty of fiber, especially soluble fiber, which is thought to lower cholesterol. This kind of fiber is found in fruits and vegetables and in beans and oats. You should try to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day.
Cholesterol-lowering medication of the Statin group has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke in people with heart disease or diabetes no matter whether their level was high or normal before they started treatment. Anyone who has coronary heart disease or who is at significant risk of getting it should be on a lipid lowering medication. The presence of other risk factors such as blood pressure, smoking or diabetes needs to be weighed into account when making the decision to start treatment.
Statins are the main group of medicines used to lower cholesterol. Examples include simvastatin (Zocor) and atorvastatin (Lipitor). They work by reducing the production of lipids in the liver. These drugs can sometimes have side-effects such as indigestion and muscle pains.
How do I lower my risk of heart disease
The key's to a lower risk of heart disease are:
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exercise on most days
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eat a lower fat diet
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don't smoke
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drink alcohol within the recommended limits
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lower your weight and keep your waist circumference down
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get your blood pressure checked regularly
You never know if a diet designed to lower cholesterol is going to be the answer for you until you really give it a good try. Remember that it may take several months of healthy eating before your blood tests show a difference. Remember too, that not all blood lipid is diet based and a large number of people continue to have a high blood cholesterol level despite a very healthy diet. These people need to take medication to achieve a lower or a normal lipid level in the blood
Good cholesterol and Bad cholesterol?
What is hdl cholesterol? What is ldl cholesterol?
Cholesterol circulates in our blood attached to a protein called a lipoprotein. There are two basic types of lipoprotein. High density lipoprotein (HDL) or low density lipoprotein (LDL). HDL is usually labelled as "good cholesterol" because the molecule is mostly protein and does not carry a high quantity of free fat along with it. LDL on the other hand is a molecule that only has a small amount of protein and for the most part is made of of freely available cholesterol fat. LDL is often referred to as "bad cholesterol."
Your doctor will look at your blood test and look first to see the level of the Total Cholesterol count. He or she will then examine the count for the level of the good cholesterol or HDL. The ratio of the total cholesterol divided by the HDL level is thought to be a reflection of the "true cholesterol level" in your blood and as such is a good predictor of future heart attack or stroke problems.
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