Expert advice: lowering your cholesterol levels

Approximately 80 per cent of the cholesterol in our bodies is made in the liver. The remaining 20 per cent comes from our diet. Cholesterol is part fat, part steroid, and is used by the body in cell membranes, hormones, bile and some vitamins.

Cholesterol is carried through the blood by two different vehicles – low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL cholesterol is linked with heightened risk of heart disease, while HDL is linked with lower risk. LDL cholesterol binds to the walls of the arteries, forming plaque and making the arteries thinner – this is known as atherosclerosis. If the coronary arteries leading to the heart get clogged, the flow of blood to the heart slows and the amount of oxygen-rich blood in the body decreases, causing coronary heart disease. If the plaque ruptures and releases a sharp burst of cholesterol and fat into the blood stream, this can cause blood to clot, which can lead to a heart attack.

General practitioner

Dr Randall Phillips is a general practitioner at Synergy Integrated Medical Centre (04-3485452, www.synergyctrdubai.com).

He says: "Cholesterol is a necessary component for healthy cellular function. We get some from our diet, but our bodies also manufacture it.
"Studies have shown that there are good and bad cholesterols and that we should aim for a healthy amount of good (HDL) to balance against the bad (LDL) cholesterols. There are lifestyle and diet changes that can help this balance.

• Stop smoking. This reduces HDL levels.
• Lose weight.
• Exercise. Aerobic exercise, which raises and sustains an elevated heartrate, can raise HDL.
• Make dietary changes. Reduce saturated fat (animal fats and full fat cheeses), avoid egg yolks, organ meats and fried foods. Add fibre, such as oatmeal, oat bran, flaxseed, fruits and vegetables into your diet. Also, add Omega 3 fatty acids from oily fish and use olive oil, or canola oil for frying.
• Take supplements. Niacin has been shown to help, but only in large doses, which may mean side effects. Also, try Omega 3 supplements – capsules are absorbed better than tablets."

Nutritionist

Sandra Mikhail is a dietitian and nutritionist at The City Hospital (www.ehl.ae, 04-4359999).

She says: "The main nutritional cause of high blood cholesterol is eating too much saturated fat and too little soluble fibre. To reduce your intake of saturated fats, limit foods such as fatty cuts of lamb and beef, for example lamb chops; chicken cooked with its skin on, chicken skin and fat; duck meat; processed meats (sausages, salamis); prawns, calamari and octopus; full fat milks, yoghurts and cheeses; butter; chocolate; crisps; pastries and croissants; fried takeaway foods; palm oil and coconut (flesh, oil and milk). "Try to include healthier fats, such as canola, sunflower and olive oils. Also, consume oily fish, such as mackerel, tuna, salmon, trout, sardines, trevally and pilchards, which contain high amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids. Nuts and seeds, such as walnuts, almonds, sesame and sunflower seeds, are also beneficial.

"Also include foods rich in fibre – especially soluble fibre, which has a cholesterol lowering effect. Sources include legumes, fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, wheat bran, oats and barley."

Alternative therapist

Dr Heather Eade is a doctor of complementary and alternative therapies at The Dubai Mall Medical Centre (www. tdmmc.com).

She says: "While dietary changes are important, we must also look at the reasons why we might be producing too much cholesterol. Our body uses cholesterol to make cortisol, our stress hormone, and a powerful anti-inflammatory; to make sex hormones, like testosterone, and estrogen; to scavenge free radicals, which are produced from exposure to toxins like cigarette smoke; and to ‘repair’ areas of micro-damage to blood vessels, for example in people with elevated blood pressure.

"Therefore, if cholesterol is elevated in people who are over-producing cortisol, going through hormonal changes, smoking, exposed to other environmental toxins, or have high blood pressure, these factors need to be addressed along with diet.
"Cholesterol is eliminated from our bodies when our liver binds it to bile and excretes it in stool. Digestive problems, like chronic constipation, or intolerance of fatty foods due to low bile production, can also contribute to elevated cholesterol, and should be addressed as part of a cholesterol-lowering treatment regimen."

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