Find out more about cholesterol, how high cholesterol impacts on your health, what is good and bad cholesterol and how to lower your cholesterol naturally. If you already have high cholesterol, or want to ensure you never do, regular exercise and some simple changes to your diet can make a huge impact, writes Rachael Hannan.

Understanding Cholesterol: What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a vital body fat or lipid, which is manufactured in the liver and transported around the body via the blood stream. Cholesterol is an essential component of every single cell membrane, and a building block for hormones and bile salts. The body manufactures cholesterol in the liver, and in fact very little of the cholesterol in the body comes directly from food. The problem is that our diet affects how our body deals with the existing cholesterol in the body.

There are two types of cholesterol: HDL which stands for high density lipoproteins, and LDL, an acronym for low density lipoproteins. HDLs are known as 'good' cholesterol because they transport excess cholesterol from the blood stream, back into the liver. LDLs are known as the 'bad' cholesterol because they transport cholesterol from the liver to the cells. Although this is a necessary function, if too many LDLs are circulating, they build up in the blood stream. An excess of cholesterol in the bloodstream eventually leads to fatty deposits forming along the artery walls, causing atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries). It is this narrowing of the arteries that is the major health risk because it increases your chance of having heart attacks and strokes since the heart has to struggle to pump the blood effectively.

Healthy Cholesterol Levels: What Should My Cholesterol Be?

According to the NHS the amount of cholesterol present in the blood can range from 3.6 to 7.8 mmol/litre. A level above 6 mmol/litre is regarded as high cholesterol, and a risk factor for arterial disease. Experts recommend a target cholesterol level of under 5 but on average men in England have a level of 5.5, and women a level of 5.6.

Too much emphasis should never be placed on a single cholesterol reading, but if more than one measurement shows a raised level, the HDL:LDL ratio is the next and more valuable test, which can be carried out in a hospital at the request of your doctor. Ideally 20-40% of your cholesterol should be HDL. If you cholesterol is high, your GP may prescribe statins. These have a variety of side effects, and if you can avoid taking them, do – read on to find out other ways you can lower your cholesterol by making some simple lifestyle changes.

How Can I Lower My Cholesterol? Exercise Reduces Cholesterol

Besides diet, exercise is crucial to reducing your cholesterol because it increases HDLs and decreases LDLs. Experts recommend a minimum of thirty minutes a day, 3-5 times a week. Try activities like walking, swimming, tennis, squash, line dancing, yoga, Pilates or doing an aerobics class to lower your cholesterol.

Cholesterol Information: What Should I Eat to Lower My Cholesterol?

• Healthy foods that reduce cholesterol: Start the day with a bowl of porridge, topped with linseeds and nuts.
• Healthy foods that reduce cholesterol: Reduce the amount of meat you eat. Replace meat with oily fish instead.
• Healthy foods that reduce cholesterol: Eat oily fish 3-5 times a week or take a fish oil supplement.
• Healthy foods that reduce cholesterol: Eat one large salad a day which includes a grated carrot.
• Healthy foods that reduce cholesterol: Eat more soluble fibre such as oats, linseeds, lentils, beans and raw fruit and vegetables as these foods reduce LDL cholesterol in the blood.
• Healthy foods that reduce cholesterol: Replace unhealthy snacks and biscuits with fruit and veg, or a small handful of nuts.
• Healthy foods that reduce cholesterol: Add lentils or beans to one meal every day.

Cholesterol and Fat Facts: Which Fats Are Good For You?

The mantra used to be to avoid all saturated fats to help prevent high cholesterol and heart disease. However, according to the latest research from the US based Harvard School, the main fats to avoid are the trans fats, also written on ingredient lists as hydrogenated vegetable oil. It is found in all manufactured cakes, pastries, pizzas, biscuits, crisps, fast food, ready meals and sauces, and raises LDL cholesterol levels in the blood.

Saturated fats raise both LDL and HDL cholesterol so these should be eaten in moderation, not every day. Avoid high fat meats like burgers, meat pies, sausages, salamis, pates and when you do eat meat, grill or steam it.

Monosaturated fats like olive oil and nut oils (sesame, peanut, walnut, coconut etc), the fat in avocados and the fat in nuts themselves, actually reduce LDL cholesterol levels. Heating destroys some of this ability though, so use olive oil and nut oil over salads as well as for cooking. Always choose the more expensive oils which state they are cold-pressed because these have been processed naturally.

Cholesterol Food Information: Do Eggs Raise Cholesterol?

Previously slated in the high cholesterol war, eggs themselves are now known to be beneficial. Experts suggest that an egg a day is fine, but that does depend on how you cook them. Research has shown that frying eggs damages the natural cholesterol within in them and raises our cholesterol levels so always poach or boil them. Eggs contain choline, vitamin B12, vitamin D, riboflavin, and folate so are a great heart food.

How Omega 3s & Oily Fish Lower Cholesterol

Oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, herrings, trout, salmon and fresh tuna contain omega-3 fatty acids which lower LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol, lower blood pressure, reduce atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries) and have an anti-clotting effects on the blood platelets. Aim to eat 3 - 5 servings of oily fish a week and if you can, and combine it with garlic for extra LDL cholesterol lowering potential. If you cannot eat oily fish this often, take a high quality fish oil supplement like Cardiozen.

Understanding Cholesterol: Seeds & Nuts Lower Cholesterol

Similarly to eggs, nuts and seeds have been vilified in the past as fattening and unhealthy, but thankfully, medical research is now giving them their due. Nuts and seeds are powerhouses of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and an excellent source of protein, so stock up on the unsalted and unroasted varieties at your local health food store today. A small handful of pumpkin seeds provides over half your daily protein requirements and is a rich source of iron, providing 11mg per 100g - which is four times that of spinach and ten times that of chicken.

Flax seeds and walnuts are vital in the fight against high cholesterol. They are rich in alpha linolenic acid, an omega 3 essential fatty acid that has the same health benefits as oily fish. Just 1 teaspoon of flax seeds, or a small handful of walnuts contains about 2.5 grams of omegas 3s - and will rapidly reduce LDL cholesterol in the blood. Sprinkle over porridge, stir into yoghurt or add to your smoothies. Flax seeds also contain a lignans which reduce the risk of cancer, particularly breast cancer.

Foods to Reduce Cholesterol: Soluble Fibre In Oats, Beans, Fruit & Vegetables

In 1999, Tufts University in Boston discovered that a diet rich in oats for 6 weeks lowered blood pressure and blood cholesterol in it's subjects. This is because oats contain beta-glucans, a water-soluble fibre that reduces LDL levels. (It is worth noting that insoluble fibre found in wheat bran or whole grains does not have the same effect). Other sources of soluble fibre include linseeds and hemp seeds, lentils, beans (chickpeas, kidney beans, barlotti beans etc) and raw fruit and vegetables such as apples and carrots. Carrots contain calcium pectate (a soluble fibre) which, in one study, decreased cholesterol among subjects who ate 1 cup of carrots per day. On average, participants experienced an 11% drop in blood cholesterol after only 3 weeks.

More Cholesterol Friendly Foods: Garlic, Onions, Mushrooms & Artichokes

People who eat plenty of onions, garlic, chilli peppers, artichokes and shitake mushrooms have lower cholesterol levels than those who don't. In a small study involving shiitake, healthy women who ate roughly 3oz of fresh shiitake for a week experienced a 9 - 12% reduction of LDL cholesterol.

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