High cholesterol: Nutritionist reveals top prevention tips
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High levels of low-density lipoprotein – also known as “bad cholesterol” – are dangerous because they latch onto the walls of the arteries and trigger the release of inflammatory substances that increase the risk of having a heart attack. Signs of trouble typically appear when the condition has caused irreversible damage. As the lipids narrow the passageways carrying blood, certain sensations may arise in the feet and legs. These symptoms, however, may disappear when sitting down.
It is worth noting that as a condition, high cholesterol does not produce symptoms, but only emergency events.
These events typically occur once high cholesterol has been left to its own devices for too long, leading to a build-up of plaque in the arteries.
Other symptoms hinting at PAD may include angina, or pain in the chest, nausea, extreme fatigue, shortness of breath and pain in the neck.
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is one of the most common complications to arise from high cholesterol.
READ MORE: High cholesterol: Five of the best foods to improve ‘protective good cholesterol’ levels
It occurs when a build-up of fatty deposits contribute to the formation of plaque on the walls of the blood vessels. As the arteries in the legs become narrower, the limb gets insufficient blood flow, even when at rest.
This can lead to a cascade of symptoms.
The legs and feet may become cool, pale, or numb, as a result of depleted blood flow, and pain and tingling could disrupt sleep.
While sleeping, people with PAD may get cramps or spasms, typically the heel, forefoot, or toes, said Darren Schneider, MD, Director the Centre for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Centre.
The website Health adds: “The pain can often be relieved by dangling the food off the best or sitting in a chair, which allows gravity to assist blood flow to the feet.”
Harvard Health adds that dangling the legs over the edge of the bed and standing up could relieve pain caused by PAD.
Those with a family history of high cholesterol, high blood pressure and peripheral vascular disease are at greater risk of PAD.
Because the risk factors for PAD are generally the same for coronary heart disease, smoking and excessive drinking should be avoided at all costs.
How to lower high cholesterol As a general guide, the NHS recommends keeping cholesterol levels at 5mmol/L or below for healthy adults.
In the UK, however, three out of five adults have total cholesterol levels of 5mmol/L or above, with average levels at about 5.7mmol/L.
At this stage, cholesterol becomes a risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease and other fatal complications.
Thankfully, some simple lifestyle tweaks could go a long way to avert trouble.
Diets that emphasise saturated fats increase cholesterol levels, which in turn brings on cardiovascular complications.
Fat has often been vilified as the standalone culprit behind high cholesterol, but increasing studies question this orthodoxy.
In fact, some health bodies suggest that replacing saturated and trans fats with polyunsaturated vegetable oils can offer real change to cholesterol levels.
Dietary soluble fibre is exceptionally helpful as well because it binds to lipids inside the digestive tract and drags them out of the body.
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