High cholesterol: Nutritionist reveals top prevention tips
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High cholesterol is when you have too much of a fatty substance called cholesterol in your blood. Too much cholesterol in your blood can clog up your arteries and lead to a blockage – the preconditions for a heart attack. The lack of symptoms that can alert you to this process makes the condition particularly harrowing.
However, symptoms may be unlikely but they are not non-existent.
It is possible to develop fatty lumps under the skin called xanthomas.
According to the Winchester Hospital, xanthomas may appear anywhere on the body but one common site is on your feet.
A number of sensations can be a telltale sign of these fatty lumps of cholesterol.
According to the Winchester Hospital, the bumps under the skin may be:
- Tender
- Itchy
- Painful.
“They range from very small to up to three inches in size. Xanthomas can be cosmetically disfiguring,” the health body explains.
In most cases, however, high cholesterol levels will not give rise to perceptible warning signs.
“Your GP might suggest having a test if they think your cholesterol level could be high,” explains the NHS.
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According to the health body, this may be because of your age, weight or another condition you have (like high blood pressure or diabetes).
“If you have high cholesterol, a doctor or nurse will talk to you about how you can lower it.”
How to lower high cholesterol
You can lower high cholesterol levels by making healthy dietary decisions.
“Cutting down on saturated fat and replacing some of it with unsaturated fats is a great way to lower your cholesterol,” explains cholesterol charity Heart UK.
Saturated fat is the kind of fat found in butter, lard, ghee, fatty meats and cheese.
Foods which contain unsaturated fats include:
- Vegetable oils such as olive, sunflower, corn, rapeseed, nut and seed oils
- Avocado, nuts and seeds
- Fat spreads made from vegetable oils, such as sunflower and olive oil
- Oily fish.
“Oily fish are a good source of healthy unsaturated fats, specifically a type called omega-3 fats,” explains Heart UK.
“Aim to eat two portions of fish per week, at least one of which should be oily.”
Oily fish can be found in a Mediterranean-style diet, which has been shown to provide direct benefits to the heart.
The Mediterranean diet varies by country and region, so it has a range of definitions.
“But in general, it’s high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, beans, cereals, grains, fish, and unsaturated fats such as olive oil. It usually includes a low intake of meat and dairy foods,” explains the NHS.
The health body adds: “It usually includes a low intake of meat and dairy foods.”
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