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High Cholesterol
Risks of high cholesterol High cholesterol is not a disease but increases your risk of serious conditions such as: • coronary heart disease, caused by atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries) • stroke • mini-stroke (transient ischaemic attack or TIA)
Having an excessively high level of lipids in your blood
(hyperlipidaemia) can have a serious effect on your health as it
increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
Bad Cholesterol (LDL – low density lipoprotein) accounts for 70%
of the cholesterol in our blood and acts to carry cholesterol from
your liver to the cells that need it. If there is too much cholesterol
for the cells to use, this can cause a harmful build-up in your blood.
Good Cholesterol (HDL – high density lipoprotein) carries
cholesterol away from the cells and back to the liver for excretion
from the body via the gastro-intestinal system. There it is either
broken down or passed from the body as a waste product. If your
HDL levels are low and your total cholesterol is normal or
above then your chances of a heart attack are higher.
Risks of high cholesterol
Triglycerides are the fats you use for energy and come from the
fatty foods you eat. There is usually an association between
triglycerides and raised cholesterol. Being overweight and
drinking too much alcohol can push up triglyceride levels.
The optimal total cholesterol target is 4.0 mmol/l and low density
lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol 2.0 mmol/l, or a 25% reduction in
total cholesterol and a 30% reduction in LDL cholesterol,
whichever gets the person to the lowest absolute value.
The government recommends that minimum standards of
cholesterol levels should be less than 5.0 mmol/l. In the UK, two
out of three adults have a total cholesterol level of 5.0 mmol/l or
above.
High cholesterol is not a
disease but increases your risk
of serious conditions such as:
• coronary heart disease,
caused by atherosclerosis
(narrowing of the arteries)
• stroke
• mini-stroke (transient
ischaemic attack or TIA)
“The UK population has one of the highest average cholesterol
concentrations in the world.”
Who should be tested?
Anyone can have their blood cholesterol level
tested, but it is particularly important to have it
checked if:
• You have been diagnosed with coronary heart
disease, suffered a stroke/mini-stroke or you have
leg artery disease
• You are over 40
• You have a family history of early
cardiovascular disease (for example, if your
father or brother developed heart disease or had a
heart attack or stroke before the age of 55, or if
your mother or sister had these conditions before
the age of 65)
• A close family member has a cholesterol-related
condition, such as familial hypercholesterolaemia
(inherited high cholesterol)
• You are overweight or obese
• You have high blood pressure or diabetes
• You have another medical condition such as a
kidney condition, an underactive thyroid gland or
an inflamed pancreas (pancreatitis). These
conditions can cause increased levels of
cholesterol or triglycerides
Treating high cholesterol
If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol,
the first method of treatment will usually involve
making some changes to your diet (adopting a
low-fat diet) and doing plenty of regular exercise.
After a few months, if your cholesterol level has
not dropped, you will usually be advised to take
cholesterol-lowering medication.
A healthy diet includes foods from all of the
different food groups:
• Carbohydrates (cereals, wholegrain bread,
potatoes, rice and pasta)
• Proteins (lean meat, beans and fish)
• Unsaturated fats
• Fruit and vegetables (at least five portions a
day)
You should try to avoid or cut down on the
following foods, which are rich in saturated
fat:
• Fatty cuts of meat and meat products, such as
sausages and pies
• Butter, ghee and lard
• Cream, soured cream, creme fraiche and ice
cream
• Cheese, particularly hard cheese
• Cakes and biscuits
• Chocolate
• Coconut oil, coconut cream and palm oil
Switching saturated fats to mono-unsaturated fats
such as olive oil can actually lower total
cholesterol whilst preserving the important HDL
cholesterol. We also know that the vitamin Niacin
can help toreduce cholesterol. It is virtually
impossible to develop coronary heart disease if
your cholesterol level is below 3.8 mmol/l.
Studies overwhelmingly show that it is perfectly
possible to stop and even to reverse the build up
of fatty deposits within artery walls. You can help
prevent getting high blood cholesterol by eating a
healthy, balanced diet that is low in saturated fat.
For more information visit:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cholesterol/Pages/Introductio
n.aspx
www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/healthy-
eating/Pages/Healthyeating.aspx
www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/Loseweight/Pages/Loseweight
home.aspx