Nutritional expert Susannah Olivier, explains how to lower cholesterol levels by incorporating the right foods into your diet
Healthy cholesterol levels are important for reducing the risk of heart disease. Along with checking for high blood pressure, a family history of heart disease and smoking, your doctor is likely to check your blood cholesterol when assessing your cardiovascular risk.
Actually, not all cholesterol is 'bad' and we actually make the majority of cholesterol in our body where it is used to make hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids which aid digestion. But when there is an imbalance in the body between 'good' HDL and 'bad' LDL then problems can occur. A doctor will want to see a ratio of less than 4.2:1 total cholesterol to HDL, or less than 2.5:1 LDL to HDL. But even if your doctor is not checking your cholesterol, we can all benefit from eating healthily to maintain optimum cholesterol levels.
Certain foods have potent cholesterol-lowering effects when consumed regularly. It is not just a case of cutting out foods which raise cholesterol levels, particularly saturated fats from red meat and full-fat dairy products, but also increasing amounts of food which influence how cholesterol is absorbed and how the body handles it.
There are three main categories of foods that help to normalise cholesterol levels:
- Healthy fats which counter the effects of unhealthy fats
- Dietary fibres which, simply put, mop up cholesterol
- Antioxidants which stop cholesterol from oxidising
Luckily these foods are common foods, and delicious, and easy to incorporate into a varied diet! These are the main ones:
Oats & Oat Bran
This grain is something of a cholesterol-lowering superfood. Oat Bran contains beta glucan, which is a soluble fibre that has been shown to have a positive effect on lowering blood cholesterol levels. Research shows that beta glucan acts to help lower LDL ('bad') cholesterol by binding to bile acids, preventing the re-absorption of cholesterol in the intestine and promoting the excretion of cholesterol from the body. Eating an oat-based breakfast cereal once daily, or eating oatcakes is a simple and easy adjustment to make.
Oily fish
The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish have the ability to reduce LDL cholesterol while raising healthy HDL cholesterol, as well as reducing blood thickness and inflammation (all very important for improving heart disease risk). It is recommended that we eat two portions of fish weekly, of which at least one should be oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, salmon, sprats or fresh tuna. Plus, eating fish twice a week helps to reduce the amount of red meat and saturated fat in your diet which is linked to a worsening of cholesterol levels.
Walnuts
Containing healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids it is established that eating walnuts daily helps normalize cholesterol levels and the FDA also allows this claim. In a study in 2000 those who incorporated walnuts into their diet reduced LDL cholesterol by 6 per cent and their risk of heart disease by 11 per cent. It is simple to eat a small handful as a snack, or chopped and added to breakfast cereal or yoghurt.
Garlic
Some trials using garlic have shown a reduction in cholesterol levels. One of the effects of garlic could be as an antioxidant protecting the 'oxidation' of LDL which makes it more damaging. It is important to incorporate regularly, so whenever you're making a meal or a dip as a snack, think about adding in some garlic. The useful compounds in garlic mature on contact with air, so chop the garlic and let it rest for ten minutes before cooking.
Blueberries
A Department of Agriculture trial suggests that pterostilbene in blueberries stimulates a compound in cells which helps to block cholesterol. It is likely that other dark red/blue berries, such as cranberries and blackberries, will have a similar effect. Fresh, frozen or canned, blueberries are delicious added to breakfast cereal, yogurts or smoothies.
Sterols and stanol-esters
These are complicated names for particular fibres found in foods and, believe it or not, in wood pulp! The Western diet is much lower in these compounds than the Asian diet where vegetarianism is more common. They have a similar structure to cholesterol but are different enough to not be absorbed and so compete with and block cholesterol absorption. For this reason these compounds have been included in several foods such as yogurts, margarines and drinks.
Avocados and olive oil
These are both rich in monounsaturated fats. Incorporating these foods into your diet, substituting them for less healthy fats such as butter or deep fried foods, helps to counter the effects of saturated fats and so improve cholesterol levels. Avocados make a great spread for toast, or an easy guacomole dip and olive oil can be used to dress salads and for cooking.