High cholesterol is bad in more ways than one. It can invite a host of cardiovascular diseases such as clogged arteries, brain strokes, and heart attacks; and even lead to kidney failure. It is thus essential to keep track of your cholesterol levels; however, there isn’t any explicit guidance on the right amount of dietary cholesterol (1). The previous recommendations were around <300 mg per day.
There are many tips and ways to deal with high cholesterol in this age of technology. You can now track your health information through smartwatches. The apps can track your sleep pattern, give notifications on heart rate, and track your menstrual cycle. Unfortunately, there isn’t an app to store cholesterol values as yet.
However, a cholesterol-measuring accessory and app called The Smartphone Cholesterol Application for Rapid Diagnostics or smartCARD in iPhones helps measure and record the total cholesterol in the body (2).
The accessory is clamped on the phone camera and detects biomarkers in the blood optically from the cholesterol test strip. The test results are transferred to the app. This device can be used to track cholesterol at home.
Types of Cholesterol
Here, it is important to note that not every type of cholesterol is bad for your body. Cholesterol is broadly classified into three types.
- HDL- high-density lipoprotein, the kind of cholesterol good for the body. It carries the unused cholesterol in the body back to the liver.
- LDL- low-density lipoprotein or cholesterol that is not good for the body.
- VLDL- very low-density lipoprotein with triglycerides that are also bad for health.
The lipoproteins affect the lipid profile of the person. Lipids are an important component of the body cells and cell membranes. A bad lipid profile will affect hormone production, vitamin D, and the production of bile acids needed for digestion and lead to poor energy levels.
How does Cholesterol Increase in Your Body?
Many food items we consume, particularly non-vegetarian food, carry cholesterol. It is also naturally produced by the liver in your body. The levels of cholesterol produced by the body are auto-regulated based on the dietary cholesterol we consume (3).
High cholesterol does not show any significant symptoms; the only way to detect it is through a blood test. However, in some cases, patients can find fatty bumps on the skin or greyish-white rings in the corner of their eyes, indicating high cholesterol levels (4). Doctors prescribe medicines to lower cholesterol which can have side effects like nausea, headache, and muscle cramps.
So, the only way out is to shun the sedentary lifestyle, shift your focus on eating healthy, and include physical activity in your routine. To do that, you first need to know the food items to avoid that add to the bad cholesterol in the body.
We have compiled a few ways below to lower bad cholesterol and ensure a healthy heart.
Dietary Changes
- Increase soluble fiber - Soluble fiber reduces the absorption of cholesterol in the blood. Foods, particularly kidney beans and other legumes, oatmeal, and brussels sprouts, are rich in soluble fiber. Fruits such as apples and pears are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber. Oats have ß-glucan that lowers bad cholesterol. Whole Grains such as wheat, barley, and quinoa are also rich in soluble fiber.
- Include whey protein - Whey protein is the best type of protein that regulates blood pressure and reduces low-density and total cholesterol in the body (5). Whey Protein also instigates hormone release, including GLP-1- glucagon-like-peptide 1, cholecystokinin, leptin, and ghrelin hormones that regulate hunger, appetite, and fat storage.
- Reduce trans fat consumption - Hydrogen is added to vegetable oils to make them more solid and spreadable. These oils thus have trans fats that are not good for health. Such vegetable oils are mostly used in margarine, and cookies and cakes are available in the market. They increase LDL cholesterol. The primary source of artificial trans fat is PHOs, and foods containing PHOs were banned by FDA post-June 2018 (6). You can use sunflower or olive oil instead of butter and hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce your trans fat consumption.
- Use less saturated fats - Full-fat dairy products, butter, cheese, palm and coconut oil, and foods such as red meat have large amounts of saturated fats. They increase bad cholesterol and should be avoided.
- Consume foods that have polyunsaturated fats - Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats that are good for the heart and managing blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Walnuts, flax seeds, soybean, corn, and salmon are rich in these fatty acids.
- Have more stanols and sterols fortified foods - Stanols and sterols have similar molecular structures and look wax-like, identical to Cholesterol. These stick to the cholesterol and stop it from being absorbed in the blood and block arteries; instead, it leaves the body as waste.
Many food products such as margarine, juice, bread, milk, and cheese are fortified with added stanols and sterols. These food items are labeled ‘added phytosterols.’ Nuts and seeds also have phytosterols and are rich in monounsaturated fats. Edibles with monosaturated fats are great for the regulation of cholesterol.
Physical Activity
A 30-minute of physical activity daily increases the good cholesterol or the HDL. You can take up any type of physical activity such as brisk walking, swimming, cycling, treadmill or gyming, or play your favorite sport.
If you cannot set a dedicated time for exercise, you can incorporate ways to keep your body in motion. For example, you can use stairs and avoid lifts, park your car far away from the building, take walking breaks during work, or cycle to work.
Reduce Weight
Being overweight brings along several diseases, let alone bad cholesterol. You can start intermittent fasting to curb calories or try to have a calorie-restricting diet. You should eat less sugary drinks and avoid processed and fatty foods altogether.
You can make exercise friends, join exercise groups or subscribe to online weight-losing apps and get a proper diet and exercise plan suitable to your eating habits and daily routine.
Become a Teetotaler
While a drink once in a while is okay, regularly drinking is harmful to your health as it sends many of your health markers into a quandary. Moderate alcohol usage is linked with high HDL or good cholesterol. But the benefits aren’t many to advocate alcohol to a non-drinker.
Smoking is particularly bad for the lungs and also affects overall health. The nicotine in the smoke and tobacco disrupts lipids and lipoprotein metabolism (7). It leads to an increase in total cholesterol, decreases HDL, and; increases LDL and triglycerides. Water pipe smoking is also associated with high triglycerides and dyslipidemia.
The blood pressure and heart rate rises with increased cigarette smoking. You should quit smoking for blood circulation and reduce the risk of heart diseases.
In Conclusion
Although cholesterol levels are not as easily monitored as say, blood pressure or blood sugar levels, it is essential to keep track of them and make the necessary dietary changes to ensure a healthy heart. However, lifestyle changes aren’t enough to regulate high cholesterol. Your doctor can prescribe medications for cholesterol regulation. You can use them and make the necessary lifestyle changes to control your cholesterol levels.