Cholesterol is mostly made by our livers from the fat in foods that we eat. It isn’t all bad, and is in fact vital to the normal functioning of our bodies. Cholesterol is used to make up the membrane of all the cells in our bodies, make sex and steroid hormones, insulate our nerve fibres and make bile acids to help us digest and absorb fats.
Cholesterol does not function in your body on its own as it cannot be dissolved in water. Instead it is carried around the body by lipoproteins.
Low Density Lipoprotein is often referred to as ‘Bad Cholesterol’ as it carries cholesterol from your liver to your cells, and too much can mean harmful build ups in the blood which are related to disease of the arteries and heart. Of course, your body does need some of this cholesterol, as your cells do need it, but it’s when there is too much that it’s bad, so lower levels are better.
High Density Lipoprotein’s job is to carry cholesterol away from your cells and to your liver to be broken down, and is seen as ‘Good Cholesterol’ and so higher levels are better.
Cholesterol is measured in ‘millimoles’ per litre of blood (mmol/L) and the recommended cholesterol level is 5 mmol/L.
High cholesterol can be due to smoking, having an unhealthy diet (lots of fatty foods especially) and not exercising. There are other people who are at risk, such as those with medical conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and those with a family history of heart disease and stroke.
If you are worried about your cholesterol, you can ask your GP to test your cholesterol levels. A tell tale sign of high cholesterol is a cloudy white ring around the outside of the iris (coloured part of the eye).
How do I avoid High Cholesterol?
Firstly try to avoid saturated fats (found in butter, cakes, cheese, fatty meat cuts and processed meats, chocolate and biscuits. The NHS recommends no more than 30g a day for a man and 20g a day for a woman.
Try to include unsaturated fats in your diet (in moderation of course) by eating avocado, oily fish, olive, sunflower and rapeseed oil, nuts and seeds.
If you are overweight, try to lose weight, lowering your BMI to a healthy level.
Living a healthy lifestyle incorporating a good and varied diet full of fresh produce, and getting plenty of exercise will enable you to lower your cholesterol – try Boot Camp to up your exercise intensity, and receive a nutrition plan which will help you to cut out foods that cause ‘bad cholesterol’ and incorporate foods that promote ‘good cholesterol’.
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