By Teena Thomas

What is cholesterol?

A waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver, and found in the blood and in all cells of the body.

Cholesterol also comes from eating foods taken from animals such as egg yolks, meat, and whole-milk dairy products.

If you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it can combine with other substances in the blood to form plaque. Plaque sticks to the walls of your arteries. This build-up of plaque is known as atherosclerosis. It can lead to coronary artery disease, where your coronary arteries become narrow or even blocked.

Why is cholesterol needed by the body?

We need a small amount of blood cholesterol because the body uses it to:

• build the structure of cell membranes
• make hormones like estrogen, testosterone and adrenal hormones
• help your metabolism work efficiently, for example, cholesterol is essential for your body to produce vitamin D
• produce bile acids, which help the body digest fat and absorb important nutrients.

How cholesterol moves around the body?

Cholesterol is a white, insoluble and waxy substance. It is carried around the body by two key transport systems in the blood, which include:

• Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol – carries most of the cholesterol that is delivered to cells. It is called the ‘bad’ cholesterol because when its level in the bloodstream is high, it can clog up your arteries.
• High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol – is called the ‘good’ cholesterol, because it helps remove excess cholesterol out of the cells, including cells in the arteries.
• A lipid profile also typically measures triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. Having a high triglyceride level also can increase your risk of heart disease.

So. our body is designed and equipped just to make just the right amount of cholesterol and what brings us to trouble is our diet. Through our unhealthy dietary lifestyle, we are adding more cholesterol to our body.

What are optimal levels of HDL cholesterol?

Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood or millimoles (mmol) per liter (L). When it comes to HDL cholesterol, higher numbers are better.

	At risk	Desirable
MEN	Less than 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L)	60 mg/dL (1.6 mmol/L) or above
WOMEN	Less than 50 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L)	60 mg/dL (1.6 mmol/L) or above

Effects of high cholesterol levels

The liver is the main processing centre for cholesterol and dietary fat. When we eat animal fats, the liver transports the fat, together with cholesterol in the form of lipoproteins, into our bloodstream.

• Too much cholesterol circulating within LDL in our bloodstream leads to fatty deposits developing in the arteries. This causes the vessels to narrow and they can eventually become blocked. This can lead to heart disease and stroke.
• If the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle is reduced or blocked, it can cause angina (chest pain) or a heart attack.

• Plaque also can build up in other arteries in your body, including the arteries that bring oxygen-rich blood to your brain and limbs. This can lead to problems such as carotid artery disease, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease.

Why is my cholesterol elevated?

• Poor diet. Eating too much saturated fat or trans fats can result in unhealthy cholesterol levels. Saturated fats are found in fatty cuts of meat and full-fat dairy products. Trans fats are often found in packaged snacks or desserts.
• Obesity. Having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater puts you at risk of high cholesterol.
• Lack of exercise. Exercise helps boost your body’s HDL, the “good,” cholesterol.
• Smoking. Cigarette smoking may lower your level of HDL, the “good,” cholesterol.
• Alcohol. Drinking too much alcohol can increase your total cholesterol level.
• Age. Even young children can have unhealthy cholesterol, but it’s much more common in people over 40. As you age, your liver becomes less able to remove LDL cholesterol.

Sources of food high in cholesterol

High-cholesterol foods are often foods that are also high in saturated fats. These foods should be limited in a healthy diet.

How to avoid saturated fats?

The best way to have healthy levels of cholesterol in your diet is to limit foods high in saturated fats. Try to avoid –

• fatty meats
• processed meats like salami and sausages                                
• snack foods like chips
• most takeaway foods, especially deep-fried foods
• cakes, biscuits and pastries.

Dietary tips to avoid cholesterol

The most important thing you can do to reduce your cholesterol level is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You should try to:

• Increase the amount and variety of fresh fruit, vegetables and wholegrain foods you have each day.
• Choose low or reduced-fat milk, yoghurt and other dairy products or have ‘added calcium’ soy drinks.
• Choose lean meat (meat trimmed of fat or labelled as ‘heart smart’).
• Limit fatty meats, including sausages and salami, and choose leaner sandwich meats like turkey breast or cooked lean chicken.
• Have fish (fresh or canned) at least twice a week.
• Replace butter and dairy blends with polyunsaturated margarines.
• Include foods in your diet that are rich in soluble fibre and healthy fats, such as nuts, legumes and seeds.
• Limit cheese and ice cream to twice a week.

Lifestyle tips to cut cholesterol

Changing some of your lifestyle habits may also help to reduce your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Suggestions include:

• Cease alcohol consumption or reduce your alcohol intake to no more than one or two drinks a day. Avoid binge drinking. This may help lower your triglyceride levels.
• Don’t smoke. Smoking increases the ability of LDL cholesterol to get into artery cells and cause damage.
• Exercise regularly (for example, at least 30 minutes of brisk walking daily). Exercise increases HDL levels while reducing LDL and triglyceride levels in the body.
• Lose any excess body fat. Being overweight may contribute to raised blood triglyceride and LDL levels.
• Control your blood sugar levels if you have diabetes. High blood sugars are linked to an increased risk of atherosclerosis (‘hardening of the arteries’), heart attacks and strokes.

 By getting a simple cholesterol test and making positive lifestyle changes, let us fight against this invisible disease!