Cholesterol is critical in many bodily functions, such as forming cell tissues, producing hormones, and making vitamin D. While your liver makes all the cholesterol required by your body, most people get some from their diet too. If eggs, dairy, and meat make up a large part of your diet, you might increase your body’s cholesterol levels to unhealthy levels. Excess intake of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol can have adverse effects on your health. High cholesterol levels are associated with heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. Therefore, you should maintain your cholesterol levels using the following lifestyle changes.
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Exercise Regularly
Working out enhances not only physical fitness but also improves your heart health. Rigorous exercises burn excess fats, especially harmful low-density lipoproteins, increasing the amount of high-density lipoproteins (so-called ‘good’ cholesterol). Aerobic exercises like swimming, walking, or resistance training are effective in reducing cholesterol levels. Any activity that increases your heart rate will increase HDL while decreasing LDL cholesterol levels. Following the exercise guidelines recommended by the NHS will help to keep your cholesterol levels in check. However, it would be best to talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise regime.
Quit Alcohol and Smoking
It is no secret that smoking affects your heart’s health by changing how your body handles cholesterol. The tobacco tar found in cigarettes damages immune cells that mean the cells cannot remove LDL cholesterol from the blood and transport it to the liver. The dysfunction in the cells leads to clogged arteries in smokers due to their high LDL levels. If you quit smoking, it can reverse the effects and increase transportation of the bad cholesterol to the liver for breaking down or storage.
A moderate amount of alcohol can positively affect cholesterol levels by lowering the amount of LDL cholesterol. However, excessive alcohol consumption harms your liver, making it unable to break down the bad cholesterol. A 2001 study also found that You can moderate alcohol intake to keep your cholesterol levels in check.
Eat a Heart-Healthy Diet
Reducing LDL cholesterol starts with your diet. While fat is a healthy nutrient, you should consume food with unsaturated fats instead of saturated and trans fats. Good fats are found in vegetables, grain, nuts, and fish, while trans fats are often found in processed food. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables also increases your fiber content, which helps in removing excess fat from your body. Instead of meat and dairy products, which contain saturated fats, look for other protein sources like fish, beans, and nuts.
Besides picking the right food types, you need to use healthier cooking methods to reduce your food’s fat content. Instead of frying, consider baking, roasting, or broiling to reduce the fat content. You should also remove or trim any fat on food before cooking.
Lose Weight
Obesity raises your cholesterol levels by increasing the amount of fat in your bloodstream. Dieting to reduce weight will change the absorption and production of cholesterol while lowering your intake of bad cholesterol will increase the production of good cholesterol in the liver. Some weight-loss regimens also reduce overall cholesterol levels and triglycerides in the body, improving your heart health.
Use Supplements
If altering your diet is not enough to keep your cholesterol levels in check, you can use supplements. Plant sterols and stanols reduce the absorption of cholesterol in your body. The sterols are available in some foods or dietary supplements. Besides, omega-3 fatty acids supplements will increase HDL cholesterol in your body, protecting your heart. Red yeast rice can reduce cholesterol production in your liver but should be taken on prescription only.
Keep Track of Your Cholesterol Levels
You need to inform your doctor before making lifestyle changes to lower your cholesterol levels. They can perform cholesterol tests to measure your levels and advise on the best course of action based on your numbers.
It is critical to keep your cholesterol levels low to maintain a healthy heart. The above lifestyle changes will reduce high cholesterol levels to help minimize your health risk. Your doctor will advise on the best changes to make.
