Cholesterol & Triglyceride Information
What is cholesterol? Where does it come from?
How do you improve your cholesterol profile?
Information about triglycerides
Heart and circulatory disease is the UK's biggest killer and many of the major risk factors have no symptoms. High cholesterol is one of these 'silent' risk factors. If you have undergone a BlueSkies Health MOT and now wish to reduce or manage your cholesterol level, this information will help you do so.
NB The information on this page should not supersede that given by your GP or medical professional.
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a white, waxy, fatty substance that is made in the liver from saturated fat. Cholesterol itself is not found in many foods - eggs, seafood such as prawns, liver and kidney are common cholesterol containing foods.
Cholesterol is essential for good health - it plays important roles in forming cell membranes, maintaining bone health, aiding the digestion of fat, insulating nerve fibres and making essential hormones. However, too much cholesterol causes problems within the body and it increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease and diseases of the arteries elsewhere in the body.
Our circulatory system transports cholesterol around the body. It is transported in our blood attached to proteins. The combination of cholesterol and protein forms 'lipoproteins'. There are two main forms of lipoproteins and these are often called 'bad cholesterol' and 'good cholesterol'.
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Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) are otherwise known as 'bad cholesterol'. LDLs have a high affinity for the artery walls and it is this type of cholesterol that causes the plaques and blockages associated with atherosclerosis.
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High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) are otherwise known as 'good cholesterol'. HDLs are capable of mopping up any excess LDL from the blood and taking it away to be disposed of. Whereas, LDL can contribute towards artery disease, HDL can help to prevent it.
For the latest research findings on cholesterol, click here.
Where does cholesterol come from?
We have already mentioned that cholesterol is made in the body from saturated fat and that it is found in certain foods. This is the simple way to look at cholesterol formation. However, just as there are different types of cholesterol (LDL & HDL), there are different factors that influence your cholesterol level and these include the following.
Genetics
Approximately 1 in 500 people have high cholesterol due to an inherited disorder called Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH). In people with FH, the removal of LDL from the blood is only about half as effective as in non-sufferers. This results in their blood cholesterol levels being approximately double those of non-sufferers. If one or both of your parents have FH, you have about a 50% chance of inheriting it.
Dietary fats
Just as there are bad and good forms of cholesterol, there are bad and good types of fat in the foods that we eat.
Saturated fats are often known as 'bad fats' as they contribute towards the formation of LDL cholesterol. Saturated fats are generally animal sources of fat that are solid at room temperature. Examples of foods that contain saturated fat include meat, dairy products, mayonnaise, pastry products and many convenience foods. Non-animal sources of saturated fats include coconut products and palm oil.
Unsaturated fats are the 'good fats' and, when it comes to cholesterol, it is the mono-unsaturated fats that are most important. Eating mono-unsaturated fats and can help to reduce LDL cholesterol levels. Mono-unsaturated fat is found in high concentration in foods such as olives, rapeseed, hazelnuts & avocados and in the oils and spreads made from these foods.
Physical activity
Being physically inactive increases your risk of coronary disease. Physical activity will not reduce your LDL cholesterol level. However, taking part in regular, moderate intensity physical activity will increase your HDL cholesterol level. Therefore, regular physical activity can help to protect you against high LDL cholesterol levels and heart disease.
Smoking
Cigarette smoking lowers HDL cholesterol levels. Once a smoker quits, HDL levels will begin to rise and will start to exert their protective effect. Within a matter of weeks or months after stopping smoking, a person's HDL level will be equal to that of their non-smoking peers.
Alcohol
Moderate alcohol intake has been shown to reduce the negative effect of LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol - protecting against heart disease to a certain extent. However, above moderate levels, alcohol intake is detrimental to health on many levels.
Why know your number?
Although a number of factors contribute towards heart disease, high LDL cholesterol is the single greatest risk factor and it contributes to almost half of all coronary heart disease deaths. In addition, high cholesterol is a major risk factor for strokes and it has health implications for people with diabetes and those who are obese.
It is estimated that 80% of people in the UK don't know what their cholesterol level is despite the fact that it is very simple to find it out. Knowing your cholesterol level is particularly important as there are no obvious outward signs of high cholesterol - the only way to know if yours is high is to get it measured.
Total cholesterol should be below 5.2mmol/L in otherwise healthy individuals. However, for those people with any other heart disease risk such as those who smoke or are overweight or have diabetes, total cholesterol should be below 4mmol/L. The average cholesterol in the UK is 5.8mmol/L. HDL cholesterol should be above 1.00mmol/L but ideally will this will be above 1.6mmol/L.
Once you have had your cholesterol measured, you can then make lifestyle choices based on the results. If your cholesterol is high, simple decisions can improve your cholesterol profile and your health outlook. For people with high cholesterol, every 1% decrease in cholesterol reduces their risk of heart attack by 2%.
Recent research (2008) from Australia shows that even small improvements in your cholesterol profile can dramatically reduce your risk of death from heart disease. Findings showed that a 10% decrease in 'bad' cholesterol would lead to a 6% drop in the number of deaths from heart disease in Australia - simply changing your diet may reduce your cholesterol by up to 10%! For more information on this research, click here.
How do you improve your cholesterol profile?
If your cholesterol is high, it is recommended that you have it measured by your GP if you have not done so already. Your GP will be able to make a diagnosis based upon your results and help you decide how best to manage your condition. There are several ways to improve your cholesterol profile.
Drug therapy
If your cholesterol is particularly high and/or you have other heart disease risk factors or you have FH, your GP may suggest that you start drug therapy such as Statins. Statins and other cholesterol-lowering drugs are effective in reducing cholesterol levels and should be used in conjunction with the modification of other lifestyle factors.
The information contained within this article does not cover the use of statins or other medication to control cholesterol - this is information that you should seek from your own GP should you require it. Instead, we discuss modifiable lifestyle factors that can help to improve cholesterol profile.
Modifiable lifestyle factors
There are several lifestyle factors that can influence cholesterol levels as discussed previously. Making simple, easy to achieve adjustments to your lifestyle and your diet can have a dramatic influence on your cholesterol level and your heart disease risk.
Modifiable lifestyle factors include:
- Diet
- Physical activity
- Smoking
- Alcohol
Triglycerides
Triglycerides (TGC) are fats that are found in the blood - they are the most common type of fat and a major source of energy for the body. Therefore, normal levels of are important to good health but high levels of TGC can increase a person's risk of heart disease, stroke and pancreatitis. In fact, people with high levels of TGC are around 3 times more at risk of heart attack and nearly 30% more likely to have a stroke than people with normal levels.
A lot of people with high TGC also have high total cholesterol and low HDL levels but this is not always the case. It is possible for a person to have a normal cholesterol profile but a high TGC level.
Blood TGC come from the fats eaten in the diet or those made in the body from other energy sources such as carbohydrate. Any calories that are consumed but not immediately used by the body for energy, are converted to TGC to be transported to the fat cells to be stored. TGC can then be released from the fat cells if the body is in need of extra energy between meals.
Your TGC level should ideally be below 1.7mmol/L. If yours is above this, there are lifestyle and dietary modifications that you can make in an attempt to reduce it.
Here are BlueSkies guidelines to help you reduce your TGC level:
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Reduce your intake of saturated fat e.g. red meat, full-fat dairy products, butter, cream, convenience foods, pastries, pies and cakes. Try to replace animal sources (saturated) of fat in your diet with vegetable sources (unsaturated) e.g. replace butter with an olive oil spread and fry food in seed or nut oil instead of butter/lard. If you eat a lot of red meat, try to replace some (or all) of this with white meat such as chicken & turkey or oily fish.
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If your BMI is above normal, try to reduce it by reducing your calorie intake and/or increasing your activity level.
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If you consume excess alcohol, try to reduce your intake. Even small amounts of alcohol can increase your TGC level.
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Try to ensure that you achieve 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on at least 5 days of the week.
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Reduce your intake of hydrogenated fats such as those found in margarine, fried foods, fast foods and processed foods such as biscuits, cakes & pies.
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Reduce your intake of processed, high-GI carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta, sugary breakfast cereals, sweets and soft drinks. Limiting your intake of foods that result in quick surges in blood sugar can help to reduce TGC levels.
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Eliminate 'high-fructose-corn-syrup' from your diet if possible - check the labels of what you eat! This is a sweetener which is found in many products but it can result in TGC to rocket by up to 30%!
Further information
To go the other pages in this series, please click on the appropriate topic below:
For more information on how to make modifications to these factors that will help you to improve your cholesterol profile click here. You will be taken to the Member's Area of the BlueSkies website and will need your Member's Password to gain access.
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NB The information on this page should not supersede that given by your GP or medical professional.