Cholesterol is probably the one nutrient in the media which is most commonly mentioned in respect to heart disease. Many of us have relatives who suffered from heart disease and therefore many people worry about too high cholesterol levels in their blood.

Cholesterol however is an important fat in our body which has many functions and is found in all cells of the body. Cholesterol for example is a building block for many hormones, helps to produce certain vitamins and takes an important role in bile production. Although cholesterol is found in foods such as egg yolks, butter, fatty meat products, seafood (especially shellfish) and dairy products, food is not the major source of cholesterol in our body.

Most of the cholesterol in our blood is produced by the liver and this production is fairly adaptable to the diet. So if a diet is rich in cholesterol, the liver is usually producing less and if there would not be enough cholesterol in foods, the liver would increase cholesterol production. Yet large numbers of people have relative high cholesterol levels, because traditional Western Diets are commonly high in saturated fats.

Cholesterol is a fat therefore it would not dissolve easily in water and blood is made up by a high proportion of water, hence cholesterol needs to be packed up to be transported to every cell in the body. There are two transport vehicles for cholesterol one is called low density lipoprotein (LDL) and the other is called high density lipoprotein (HDL). You may remember these abbreviations from cholesterol tests you had done in the past.

LDL transports cholesterol from the liver to all areas in the body where it is needed. HDL on the other hand removes excess cholesterol and brings it back to the liver where is can be recycled or removed from the body. Therefore HDL cholesterol is often referred to as the good guy and LDL cholesterol and other fats in the blood as the bad guys.

The levels of both types of cholesterol and other fats in the blood can affect your cardio vascular health. If you have high levels of LDL and low levels of HDL cholesterol your circulation can become over time clocked up (atherosclerosis) and in the worst case blocked. If you would have additionally high levels of other fats circulating in your blood the LDL cholesterol can be even more damaging.

Current believe is that high HDL cholesterol can protect you arteries hence it is always important to check with your doctor which type of cholesterol is raised. To sum this up having abnormal fat levels in your blood which can include abnormal levels of cholesterol is a reason to worry and a good ground to think about making changes to your lifestyle.  Ideal cholesterol levels are currently described as a total cholesterol of less than 5 mmol/L, with LDL cholesterol less than 3 mmol/L.

There are many reasons why cholesterol levels can become abnormal. Some of these reasons cannot be influenced by our lifestyle, while others can. Age plays an important role and the older you are the more likely it is that your cholesterol levels will be within ‘unhealthy’ ranges. There are also some people who have genes which programme their body for high cholesterol levels, these people have commonly abnormal cholesterol levels much earlier in their life.

Moreover people with diabetes are also very likely to get abnormal cholesterol levels over time. Two other reasons however can be influenced by the choices we are making and those are our diet and our activity levels. Diets high in saturated fats and low in fibre and low exercise levels will increase your chances of developing abnormal cholesterol levels.

Eating a healthy balanced diet can reduce cholesterol levels by 5-10%. Important aspects to consider for your diet will be the amount and frequency of eating saturated fats, fruits and vegetables, whole wheat products and the use of certain cooking techniques. Your aim should be to reduce saturated fats, which could mean reducing the amount of animal products in your diet and using mono- and polyunsaturated fats in your cooking (plant oils with exception of coconut oil). You would also aim to increase the amount and variety of fruit and vegetables and aim to include whole wheat products as this would help to increase the fibre content in the diet.

You could also consider cooking techniques which require a lot less added fats, such as steaming, grilling, boiling, backing etc. Furthermore reducing salty and sugary foods as well as opting for soy products may help to tackle abnormal cholesterol levels.

Exercise has a multitude of health generating effects but if your cholesterol levels are abnormal aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, cycling etc. will help o increase the HDL cholesterol in your blood (the good cholesterol). Moreover many people with abnormal cholesterol levels are overweight and exercise in particular will help to reduce weight on the long run and increase your cardio vascular function.

This highlights that having abnormal cholesterol levels is not a death sentence if you are willing to change some habits. Moreover it is important to mention that other aspects such as smoking and drinking large amounts of alcohol will have additionally influence your heart disease risks independently from the cholesterol in the blood stream. So although you may have abnormal cholesterol levels your risk for heart disease may be lower if you are not smoking and if you only drink moderately.

Andrea Zick – Esteem Fitness Nutritionist
Esteem Fitness – Personal training London and South East UK