High cholesterol: Nutritionist reveals top prevention tips
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The Cleveland Clinic says there are several foods to eat and others to “avoid” to help manage high cholesterol levels. It notes: “While some cholesterol in your diet is fine, lots of saturated fat isn’t. Diets high in saturated fat are linked to increased blood cholesterol and heart disease risk.”
The organisation notes whole milk, butter and full-fat yoghurts and cheese are high in saturated fat. It says cheese also tends to be high in sodium.
It advises that people limit cheese to about three ounces per week.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) says: “UK guidelines still recommend choosing reduced-fat milk, cheese and yoghurt. However, new research is highlighting that there may be more to dairy products than just their fat content.
“The combination of nutrients they contain could be doing more for our heart health than we previously thought.”
The charity notes Australian Heart Foundation has published a statement on dairy which encourages people to eat dairy foods like milk, cheese and yoghurt as healthy snacks.
“It also concludes that although people with high cholesterol should use low fat dairy, there isn’t enough evidence to say whether other people should choose low fat or full-fat dairy.
“This guidance is only for milk, cheese and yoghurt – not butter or cream, which are still foods to only eat in small amounts,” it says.
It adds: “The reason for the shift in focus is that although we know that saturated fat, which is the type of fat in dairy, can raise our levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol, this doesn’t appear to be the full picture when it comes to our heart and circulatory health.”
The BHF notes tha studies are suggesting that, despite their saturated fat content, dairy foods like milk, cheese and yoghurt have a neutral or even positive effect.
It says: “They could also help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and blood pressure, which can both increase the chances of having a heart attack or stroke.”
Ultimately, the NHS advises: “To reduce your cholesterol, try to cut down on fatty food, especially food that contains a type of fat called saturated fat.
“You can still have foods that contain a healthier type of fat called unsaturated fat.”
The NHS outlines a number of other lifestyle changes you may be able to make to lower your cholesterol.
A key one is to cut down on alcohol. You should try to avoid drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week, and avoid binge drinking. You can ask your GP for help if you are struggling to cut down.
You might need medicine to lower your cholesterol if your cholesterol level has not gone down after changing your diet and lifestyle.
You may also need medicine if you’re at a high risk of having a heart attack or stroke, according to the NHS.
If you’re aged 40 to 74, you can get your cholesterol checked as part of an NHS Health Check.
The BHF recommends all adults have a cholesterol check at any age, even if they feel completely well. It should be repeated every five years – or more often if the test was abnormal.
The cholesterol blood test measures your levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and your total cholesterol to HDL ratio.
Your total cholesterol should be 5mmol/L or less for healthy adults or 4mmol/L or less for those at high risk.
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