You can encourage healthy cholesterol levels through a few simple steps. Being overweight means your heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body, putting strain on your blood vessels and arteries. Incorporating exercise into your daily lifestyle and maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best ways to help lower LDL (bad cholesterol) and raise HDL (good cholesterol) levels.

In conjunction with regular exercise, eating a well-balanced diet will provide the body with essential nutrients and lower cholesterol levels.  It is recommended that you reduce your saturated fat intake, which is found in foods like butter, coconut oil and cream and instead replace it with healthy unsaturated fats, for example, fish, olives, nuts and seeds. Eating more fibre and vegetables lowers cholesterol levels too.

Smoking damages the walls of your arteries, and cholesterol can accumulate in these affected areas. This prevents the body from sending cholesterol back to the liver to be stored or broken down. Smoking also causes your heart rate to increase, your blood vessels to narrow, and your blood to thicken and become less able to carry oxygen. Quitting smoking can reverse these effects and help you get your cholesterol levels under control.

Having healthy cholesterol decreases your risk of heart attack and stroke, allowing you to live a longer, healthier life. If lifestyle changes do not bring your cholesterol to healthier, manageable levels then your doctor may decide that you need to take prescribed medication. We are here to help you monitor your cholesterol, provide nutritional advice, and everything in between.