You can tell if you have high cholesterol from a blood test.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — High cholesterol means you have too much cholesterol in your blood. Cholesterol is not bad because it helps your metabolism to work efficiently. However, too much cholesterol can cause your arteries to narrow thereby cutting off vital blood supply to vital organs.
Reported on the page Express on Wednesday (10/11), when this process occurs in your legs, it’s called peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD is a condition in which the arteries to the legs become narrowed, restricting blood flow to the legs.
If you have severe peripheral artery disease, your feet may turn pale and cold, especially when your leg is lifted. Other signs include pain in the feet or calves at rest or at night, weak muscles in the legs, sores or sores on the toes, feet or legs that don’t heal and hair loss from the toes, feet or legs.
If you have any of these symptoms, contact your doctor. If these symptoms develop or change rapidly, you may need immediate medical attention.
The best way to ward off the threat of PAD and other complications of high cholesterol is to get tested first. You can only tell if you have high cholesterol from a blood test.
“Your doctor may suggest getting tested if they think you have high cholesterol levels,” says the National Health Service (NHS).
This may be due to your age, weight, or other conditions you have (such as high blood pressure or diabetes). If you are diagnosed with high cholesterol, you will usually be advised to make lifestyle changes to lower high cholesterol levels.
Different foods lower cholesterol in different ways. “Some provide soluble fiber that binds to cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive system and drags it out of the body before it enters the circulation,” explains Harvard Health.
Oat, barley, and other whole grains are good sources of soluble fiber. You should also avoid saturated fat if possible to lower high cholesterol levels.
Many foods contain saturated fat, especially animal foods such as meat, butter and dairy products, and foods made with them, such as cakes and biscuits. They are also found in several plant foods including coconut oil and palm oil.
“Reducing foods high in saturated fat and replacing them with foods higher in unsaturated fats can help improve cholesterol levels,” explains cholesterol charity Heart UK. For example, vegetable fats and vegetable oils, oily fish, nuts and seeds.
According to British dietary guidelines, about a third of our energy should come from fat. That’s about 70 grams for women and 90 grams for men per day.
Saturated fat should be no more than a third of this. That’s 20 grams for women and 30 grams for men. “When you’re shopping, check the product label to see how much fat it contains and how much to add to the daily maximum,” advises Heart UK.
– .
