High Cholesterol. The enemy of the arteries.

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 nuts.

Fruit and vegetables are also basic foods that would help to control cholesterol levels.

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