Sometimes a cholesterol-lowering diet and other lifestyle changes are enough to shake the values.
Food plays an important role in both lowering LDL cholesterol and raising HDL cholesterol. Adobe Stock / AOP
Elevated cholesterol values are, along with high blood pressure, the most common risk factors for heart disease in Finns.
Cholesterol has a few useful purposes. The body needs it to produce hormones and healthy cells. However, too much of the wrong type, or “malignant” LDL cholesterol, can cause health problems.
Too much cholesterol is harmful because it significantly increases the risk of developing arterial diseases. Cholesterol slowly narrows the vessels throughout the body, which can cause a heart attack or a stroke. For this reason, the aim is to reduce the increased cholesterol level in the blood.
Similarly, the so-called benign cholesterol, i.e. HDL-cholesterol, protects against arterial disease.
Over a million
Almost 60 percent of people over 30, i.e. more than a million Finns, have elevated blood cholesterol. The target value for LDL cholesterol is less than 3 millimoles per liter.
The cholesterol content of the blood can be influenced by one’s lifestyle.
With these five tips, you can aim to improve your body’s cholesterol levels.
Adding vegetables to your diet will increase your fiber intake and potentially displace foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Adobe Stock / AOP
1. Eating in shape
The food you eat plays an important role in both lowering LDL cholesterol and raising HDL cholesterol. The quality of fat is the most important factor affecting LDL cholesterol in food. Hard, saturated fat increases harmful LDL cholesterol, while soft, unsaturated fat lowers it.
In terms of fat quality, it is essential to reduce the amount of hard fat by choosing:
- dairy products, i.e. cheese, yogurt, milk, buttermilk, vinaigrette, curd as fat-free or as low-fat as possible or vegetable fat-based
- meat cuts and sausages with low fat
- meat and minced meat with low fat. For main meals, also prefer fish, chicken, turkey, beans and lentils.
Adequate intake of soft fat maintains or increases the amount of good HDL cholesterol in the blood.
You can ensure the intake of soft fat by using:
- soft vegetable fat spread on the bread
- to the salad 1–2 tablespoons of oil or oil-based dressing
- 2 tablespoons of nuts, almonds or seeds per day
- oil, bottled margarine or vegetable fat spread for food preparation and baking.
Adding vegetables to the diet also increases fiber intake and replaces the consumption of foods containing potentially saturated fat and cholesterol.
2. More movement per week
Good fitness is essential for general health, but it can also help raise good HDL cholesterol. Try to get 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise most days of the week. If you’re short on time, you can break the workout into 10-minute parts.
3. Weight loss
For overweight people, even a small weight loss brings health benefits and corrects cholesterol. You should take care of the amount of movement and eat regularly starting in the morning, 3–5 times a day, reasonably sized portions and plenty of vegetables.
4. Quitting smoking
The chemicals in cigarette smoke damage the blood vessels and accelerate the formation of plaques in the arteries. Quitting smoking improves blood lipid levels and significantly reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
5. Medication if necessary
If lifestyle changes alone do not help lower LDL cholesterol, cholesterol medication prescribed by a doctor is needed. Along with drug treatment, healthy lifestyles are always needed.
Sources: Healthline, Sydänliitto and Iltalehti archive.
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