What
are lipids?
Fats in the blood are
called lipids. Lipids join with protein in your blood to form lipoproteins.
Lipoproteins make energy for your body, so they're important to the cells in
your body.
Three kinds of
lipoproteins, (also called cholesterol), re in your blood:
(1) High-density (also
called HDL, for short) cholesterol,
(2) Low-density (also
called LDL) cholesterol and
(3) Very low-density (VLDL) cholesterol.
ร HDL is sometimes
called the “good cholesterol” because it keeps cholesterol from buiding up in
your arteries.
ร LDL can be
thought of as the “bad” cholesterol because high LDL levels can increase your
risk of heart attack or stroke.
ร What is a normal
total cholesterol level
ร A normal total
cholesterol level is 200 mg per dL or less.
What
is a normal LDL level?
A normal LDL level is
130 mg per dL or less. When the LDL level is higher than 130, fat can build up
in the walls of your blood vessels. This fat can plug up your arteries and keep
the blood from flowing through them. If an artery going to your heart gets
blocked, you might have a heart attack. If an artery going to your brain gets
blocked, you might have a stroke. A high LDL level causes heart disease,
stroke, poor circulation and kidney disease.
What
causes high levels of fat in the blood?
Most people have high
levels of fat in their blood because they eat too much high-fat food. Some
people have high fat levels because they have an inherited disorder. High lipid
levels may also be caused by medical conditions such as diabetes,
hypothyroidism, alcoholism, kidney disease, liver disease and stress. In some
people, certain medicines, such as birth control pills, steroids and blood
pressure medicines can cause high lipid levels.
Are
there any signs of high cholesterol levels?
•
Often there are no signs. Without a
blood test, you may not know you have high levels of fat in your blood until
you have a heart attack or a stroke. Some people with high lipid levels have
yellowish, fatty bumps on their skin.
What
is the treatment for high lipid levels?
The first ways to
reduce your lipid levels are
(1) Eat less fat,
(2) Exercise regularly and
(3) Lose weight if you weigh too much. If you
smoke, stop smoking. If these steps don't lower your LDL level enough, your
doctor may have you take medicine to take the fat out of your blood.
What
are some ways to cut down on fat in my diet?
•
Don't eat fried foods or high-fat
sauces.
•
Instead of frying meat, broil it or
grill it.
•
Don't eat egg yolks. You can eat egg
whites or egg substitutes.
•
Use low-fat dairy products, such as skim
milk or 1% milk, low-fat frozen yogurt, low-fat ice cream and low-fat cheeses.
•
Don't use whole milk, full-fat ice
cream, sour cream, cheese or milk chocolate.
•
Put more fiber in your diet. Fruits and
vegetables are good sources of fiber. Eat three to five servings of vegetables
a day and two to four servings of fruits.
ร What
about exercise
ร Aerobic
exercises, such as walking, running, bicycling and swimming, are a good way to
lower your blood cholesterol. Exercise also lowers your blood pressure, your
blood sugar level and your stress level. If you weigh too much, aerobic
exercise helps you burn calories. That will help you lose weight. Aerobic
exercise should be done on a regular basis: work up to exercising for 30
minutes at a time four or five times a week. You can also exercise for a
shorter time, such as 10 to 15 minutes. But if you exercise for only 10 to 15
minutes at a time, you need to exercise more often than four or five times a
week.
What
about cholesterol-lowering medicine?
ร Medicines
to lower your cholesterol level may be used if you are at high risk for heart
disease or if your lipid levels don't drop after you have eaten a low-fat diet
for a couple of months.
ร There
are different kinds of medicine that lower cholesterol. You may need to take
just one medicine or you may need to take more than one, depending on how high
your cholesterol is. Your doctor will take blood tests every so often to check
on your cholesterol level and find out if the medicine is working.
Focus
on Monounsaturated Fats
ร As
opposed to saturated fats, unsaturated fats have at least one double chemical
bond that changes the way they are used in the body. Monounsaturated fats have
only one double bond.
ร Although
some recommend a low-fat diet for weight loss, a study of 10 men found a
6-week, low-fat diet reduced levels of harmful LDL, but also reduced beneficial
HDL.
ร In
contrast, a diet high in monounsaturated fats reduced harmful LDL, but also protected
higher levels of healthy HDL.
ร Here
are a few great sources of monounsaturated fats. Some are also good sources of
polyunsaturated fat:
•
Olives and
ร olive
oil
•
Canola oil
•
Tree nuts, such as almonds, walnuts,
ร pecans,
hazelnuts and cashews
•
Avocados
2.
Use Polyunsaturated Fats, Especially Omega-3s
ร Polyunsaturated
fats have multiple double bonds that make them behave differently in the body
than saturated fats. Research shows that polyunsaturated fats reduce “bad” LDL
cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease.
ร Polyunsaturated
fats also seem to reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
ร Omega-3
fatty acids are an especially heart-healthy type of polyunsaturated fat.
They’re found in seafood and fish oil supplements (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted
Source).
ร Omega-3
fats are found in high amounts in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring and
deep sea tuna like bluefin or albacore, and to a lesser degree in shellfish
including shrimp .
ร All
polyunsaturated fats are heart-healthy and may reduce the risk of diabetes.
Omega-3 fats are a type of polyunsaturated fat with extra heart benefits.
3.
Avoid Trans Fats
ร Trans
fats are unsaturated fats that have been modified by a process called
hydrogenation.
ร This
is done to make the unsaturated fats in vegetable oils more stable as an
ingredient. Many margarines and shortenings are made of partially hydrogenated
oils.
ร This
is why food companies have used trans fats in products like spreads, pastries
and cookies — they provide more texture than unsaturated, liquid oils.
ร HEALTHLINE
RESOURCES
ร Find
the diet that’s right for you with our free diet quiz
ร Our
free assessment ranks the best diets for you based on your answers to 3 quick
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4.
Eat Soluble Fiber
ร Soluble
fiber is a group of different compounds in plants that dissolve in water and
that humans can’t digest.
ร Soluble
fiber can also help increase the cholesterol benefits of taking a statin
medication.
ร Some
of the best sources of soluble fiber include beans, peas and lentils, fruit,
oats and whole grains. Fiber supplements like psyllium are also safe and
inexpensive sources.
5.
Exercise
ร Exercise
is a win-win for heart health. Not only does it improve physical fitness and
help combat obesity, but it also reduces harmful LDL and increases beneficial
HDL
ร These
women exercised three days per week with 15 minutes each of aerobic activity
including walking and jumping jacks, resistance-band training and low-intensity
Korean dance.
ร While
even low-intensity exercise like walking increases HDL, making your exercise
longer and more intense increases the benefit Ideally, aerobic activity should
raise the heart rate to about 75% of its maximum. Resistance training should be
50% of maximum effort.
ร Any
type of exercise improves cholesterol and promotes heart health. The longer and
more intense the exercise, the greater the benefit.
6.
Lose weight
ร Dieting
influences the way your body absorbs and produces cholesterol.
ร Over
these two years, “good” HDL increased while “bad” LDL did not change, thus
reducing the risk of heart disease.
ร Weight
loss reduces total cholesterol, in part by decreasing the creation of new
cholesterol in the liver. Weight loss has had different, though generally
beneficial, effects on HDL and LDL in different studies.
7.
Don’t smoke
ร Smoking
increases the risk of heart disease in several ways. One of these is by
changing how the body handles cholesterol.
ร Smoking
appears to increase bad lipoproteins, decrease “good” HDL and hinder the body’s
ability to send cholesterol back to the liver to be stored or broken down.
Quitting smoking can reverse these effects.
8.
Use alcohol in moderation
ร When
used in moderation, the ethanol in alcoholic drinks increases HDL and reduces
the risk of heart disease.
ร 1–2
drinks per day may improve HDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of clogged
arteries. However, heavier alcohol use increases heart disease risk and harms
the liver.
9.
Consider plant sterols and stanols
ร Multiple
types of supplements show promise for managing cholesterol.
ร Plant
stanols and sterols are plant versions of cholesterol. Because they resemble
cholesterol, they are absorbed from the diet like cholesterol.
ร Plant
stanols and sterols in vegetable oil or margarines compete with cholesterol
absorption and reduce LDL by up to 20%. They are not proven to reduce heart
disease.
10.
Try supplements
There is strong
evidence that fish oil and soluble fiber improve cholesterol and promote heart
health. Another supplement, coenzyme Q10, is showing promise in improving
cholesterol, although its long-term benefits are not yet known.
Fish oil
Fish oil is rich in the
omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).
Psyllium
ร Psyllium
is a form of soluble fiber available as a supplement.
Coenzyme
Q10
ร Coenzyme
Q10 is a food chemical that helps cells produce energy. It is similar to a
vitamin, except that the body can produce its own Q10, preventing deficiency.
ร Even
if there is no deficiency, extra Q10 in the form of supplements may have
benefits in some situations.
ร Fish
oil supplements and soluble fiber supplements like psyllium improve cholesterol
and reduce the risk of heart disease. Coenzyme Q10 supplements reduce total
cholesterol levels, but it’s unclear whether this prevents heart disease.
ร The
bottom line
ร Cholesterol
has important functions in the body, but can cause clogged arteries and heart
disease when it gets out of control.
ร Low-density
lipoprotein (LDL) is prone to free radical damage and contributes most to heart
disease. In contrast, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) protects against heart
disease by carrying cholesterol away from vessel walls and back to the liver.
ร If
your cholesterol is out of balance, lifestyle interventions are the first line
of treatment.
ร Unsaturated
fats, soluble fiber and plant sterols and stanols can increase good HDL and
decrease bad LDL. Exercise and weight loss can also help.
ร Eating
Trans fats and smoking is harmful and should be avoided.
ร If
you’re concerned about your cholesterol levels, have them checked by your
doctor. A simple blood draw, taken after an overnight fast, is all that’s
required.
