Cholesterol
is a substance that is necessary for our organism to guarantee that it
functions properly, but it can be harmful when it surpasses normal levels.
The
World Health Organisation (WHO) conducted in 2011, the biggest study about
cholesterol, and showed that a large population from Germany, USA, England,
Japan, Jordan, Mexico and Thailand did not know that high cholesterol could be
treated with medication. With 78% of the population in Thailand not being diagnosed
and 53% of suffers in Japan being diagnosed but not treated. As well as finding
that 47% of the Spanish population did not know whether they had high
cholesterol or not and finding that Bulgaria was one of the countries in
Eastern Europe to have the highest number of people with cholesterol. The
figures were found to be similar in Latin America.
According
to the World Health Organisation (WHO) this is a health disaster of a global
scale, as the main consequences of high cholesterol are cardiovascular diseases
such as heart attacks, strokes, ischemic pathology in the legs, etc.
The
recommended levels of cholesterol are below 200 mg or below 3 miliosmoles,
keeping in mind the two segments which make up the total result which are HDL
Cholesterol named ‘good cholesterol’ which helps to cleanse the arteries, and
LDL Cholesterol named ‘bad cholesterol’ which obstructs them.
How
can we lower it?
Having
a healthy diet and undertaking regular exercise in accordance to your age, etc.
The
following guidelines should be followed when conducting a healthy diet that aids
in lowering the levels of cholesterol:
Avoid
saturated fats such as, butter, sausages, palm oil, trans fats such as
industrial pastries, ready-made meals, etc.
Eating
healthy fats such as those found in fish, olive oil, and eating fruit and
vegetables would also help to decrease levels of cholesterol.
Pasta
and whole grains, such as porridge, would carry cholesterol making it easier to
eliminate it while foods that have been fortified with derivatives from the
‘plant sterol’, have shown to decrease up to 20% the level of LDL cholesterol
or ‘bad cholesterol’.
Eating
a handful of nuts such as walnuts, almonds, etc. daily can also decrease levels
of cholesterol by 5% and eating legumes such as white beans, chickpeas,
lentils, etc. would also aid in doing so.
Experts
recommend ingesting dairy skimmed products in order to decrease another source
of cholesterol.
Physical
Exercise
It
has been shown that walking for an hour at a brisk pace increases the levels of
good cholesterol making it beneficial for cardiovascular health.
Treatment
Statins
have revolutionised the world of treatments for high cholesterol, which added
to having a healthy diet, helps to reduce the large number of deaths in men and
women and most importantly in ages where they are in at the peak of life.
Dr.
J. Hurtado Martínez
Medical Director of HealthSalus
Medical Director of HealthSalus
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