High Cholesterol

1. What is High Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that is present in every cell of your body. It comes in three forms - the 'good' (high-density lipoproteins), the 'bad' (low-density lipoproteins) and the 'ugly' (triglycerides). If you have too much of the latter two, you may increase your risk of heart disease.

Cholesterol is measured by its concentration in your blood and high cholesterol is generally an indication that you have too much of the 'bad' and the 'ugly'.

High cholesterol is one of the most likely causes of heart disease.

If you have high cholesterol, your arteries become narrower because of the fatty deposits along their walls. This means your heart has to work harder to pump the blood around your body, which in turn increases the stress on it and makes you more susceptible to heart attack or a stroke.

2. What causes High Cholesterol?

High cholesterol is generally caused by unhealthy diet and lack of exercise.

An unhealthy diet is the most common way to increase your cholesterol levels. Some foods contain lots of saturated fats and these are the culprits that increase the cholesterol levels in your blood. Avoid butter, margarine, salt, ice cream, cream, chocolate, cakes, fried chicken and pizza, and substitute them for fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, rice, grains, cereals, beans and pasta. You can also eat lean meat, fish, chicken, eggs, cheese, milk and nuts in moderation.

If you make healthy eating choices and stay aware of the different kinds of fats in foods, then you're well on the way to controlling your cholesterol levels.

Another cause of high cholesterol is a lack of exercise. Or, put the other way around, if you want to reduce your blood cholesterol levels you should exercise more!

3. Could I have High Cholesterol?

You may not find out that you have high cholesterol until it's too late, because you can't feel or see your cholesterol levels. The only way to find out if you have high cholesterol is to get your doctor to test your blood.

It is recommended that people over 20 years of age should have their cholesterol levels checked at least once every five years. If you are overweight, have a history of heart disease in your family, or you're leading an unhealthy lifestyle, you should get it checked more regularly.

4. Can High Cholesterol be treated?

If you've been told your cholesterol is too high, you will need to make a number of changes to your lifestyle so that you can reach a safe cholesterol level. Your doctor will help you figure out your target level and, once this level has been reached, you'll need to continue with your healthy lifestyle so that it doesn't go up again.

Sometimes, changes to your lifestyle - especially diet and exercise - are enough to bring your cholesterol down to the target level. You should also quit smoking and reduce the amount of alcohol you drink.

If you need more help, your doctor will give you medication to lower your cholesterol. It is important that you take this regularly, and combine it with lifestyle changes for healthier living.