October is National Cholesterol Month. Heart UK sponsors this initiative and the aim is to increase people’s knowledge of what cholesterol is and how everyone can adjust their lifestyle to improve their chances of having a healthy cholesterol level. Healthy cholesterol levels are necessary to protect against developing serious, life shortening diseases. The challenge this year has been to do 100 miles of exercise across the month. This is because engaging in exercise can have a very positive effect on increasing good cholesterol levels; in fact, research has shown that just sweating during exercise can have a beneficial physiological effect in this way. This surprises many people because they tend to think that managing cholesterol levels is all about diet and taking medication.
Cholesterol is a fat, also known as a lipid. It is made in the liver. Cholesterol is used in the body to repair cell damage; in fact, it is in every cell in the body and it is necessary for it to be there. The cholesterol found in cells is not harmful to the body in any way. It is circulated round the body to where it is required by lipid carriers called Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL). If the level of LDL circulating in the blood exceeds what the body needs it collects on the walls of the blood vessels and forms lumps called plaques. When the plaques grow large, they can break which encourages the formation of blood clots round them. If a large clot develops that totally blocks a blood vessel, this will lead to serious disease, such as a heart attack, or stroke, or other cardiovascular problems.
Sometimes, abnormally high cholesterol is due to genetics; this is called Familial Hypercholesterolaemia. However, it is more common for raised cholesterol to stem from poorly managed lifestyle factors. Sedentary lifestyles which are prevalent in modern society are a major cause of this. Exercise creates another lipid carrier, High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) which mops up and clears LDL from the bloodstream which it then carries back to the liver for processing and elimination. That is the reason that Heart UK is emphasising the importance of exercise to assist with managing cholesterol levels.
There is a third type of cholesterol called triglycerides; this comes from fat that we eat in our food. If we have a diet that is over rich in saturated fats this can lead to unhealthy levels of triglycerides in the body which also leads to cardiovascular disease. That is how keeping to a healthy diet which is low in saturated fats can lead to better health. See the British Dietetic Association article below for more information on cholesterol and diet.
Follow the links below to find out more about cholesterol. Many people are treated for high cholesterol levels by medication called statins; there is a link to a YouTube video explaining how statins work in the body to lower cholesterol which some people might find interesting.
National Cholesterol Month 2020: Rebecca Johnson, University of Kent Health & Wellbeing Website
‘Cholesterol Facts’: Drs Dan Rutherford and Patrick Davey on netdoctor.co.uk
’10 Surprising Facts About Cholesterol’: by Tammy Worth reviewed by Dr Robert Jasmer on everydayhealth.com
‘Cholesterol: Food Fact Sheet’: on the British Dietetic Association website
‘What is Cholesterol?’: WebMD YouTube video
‘Heart Disease Risk Factors’: Heart Foundation NZ YouTube video
‘Familial Hypercholesterolaemia’: Microverse Studios YouTube video
‘Statins & Cholesterol’: Medicurio YouTube video