Getting a grip on your cholesterol level has gotten more difficult over the years. At one time, all you needed to know was your total cholesterol number --- commercials showed people proclaiming their total cholesterol levels and how various foods helped them lower it. This would never fly today, because you now have to know your high-density lipoprotein, the so-called "good" cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, the "bad" cholesterol, and your triglyceride levels. Cholesterol has become more about the parts than the sum of the parts. Different factors affect different parts and in some cases, higher is better.
Heredity
High cholesterol or triglyceride levels may, literally, be in your blood. If you fall into the category, called dietary non-responders, changing your diet isn't enough to lower your LDL or triglyceride levels. You need to take medication such as statins or other cholesterol-lowering medications to bring your LDL and triglycerides down and your HDL up. One way to tell if you're a dietary non-responder is to get your cholesterol tested and then follow a strict diet low in saturated fats and refined sugar and high in unsaturated fats for 6 to 8 weeks. Then retest your cholesterol levels. If there's been no significant drop, you are most likely a dietary non-responder, registered dietitian Candyce Roberts reports, and will need medication.
Fats
Even if you're a dietary non-responder, you still need to eat healthily to keep your cholesterol levels from becoming even worse. That means cutting down on one of America's favorite additives: saturated fat. According to the American Heart Association, a diet high in saturated fats, found in animal protein as well as most processed foods, is the single largest dietary cause of elevated cholesterol. Trans fat, a type of man-made fat found in many processed foods, is the worst type of fat for your cholesterol levels and your heart. Substituting unsaturated fat for saturated fat can help lower LDL and trigylcerides and raise HDL, the AHA states.
Sugar
A study conducted by researchers from Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and published in the April 2010 issue of "JAMA" looked at the impact of refined sugar on cholesterol. The study, found that a rise in added sugar consumption correlated with a rise in triglycerides and a drop in HDL. For men, added sugar did not impact LDL levels; although for women, levels rose with sugar consumption. The study examined data from 6,113 people who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2006.
Lifestyle
Being overweight is a very large risk factor for high cholesterol. Fat is stored as triglycerides, so if you're overweight, you most likely have large amounts of fat circulating in your blood in the form of triglycerides. Losing weight can lower LDL and triglycerides levels and raise HDL. If you're a charter member of the couch potato generation, you're also more likely to have higher cholesterol than someone who stays active. Exercising for at least 20 minutes three times a week can help lower LDL levels and raise HDL levels, according to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.
References
- American Heart Association: Fat; 2011
- "JAMA;" Caloric Sweetener Consumption and Dyslipidemia Among US Adults; Jean Walsh, R.N. et al.; April 2010
- Smart Now; Cholesterol- Is It All in Your Genes?; Candyce Roberts, R.D.; 2008
- Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides; February 2008
