The liver produces cholesterol, which is a waxy, fatty substance found in the blood. The body uses cholesterol for many things, but too much can be a problem.
The main cause of high cholesterol levels in the blood is eating foods that don’t fit into a heart-healthy eating pattern. Following a heart-healthy eating pattern allows you to eat in a way that is naturally low in unhealthy fats and high in healthy fats.
Types and levels of cholesterol
Two main types of cholesterol include:
- Low-density Lipoprotein (LDL), also called ‘bad cholesterol’, can increase the risk of coronary artery disease by increasing plaque buildup (fatty deposits).
- High-density Lipoprotein (HDL), also known as “good” cholesterol, can protect you from coronary heart disease.
How does cholesterol measurement work?
Many people with high cholesterol are symptom-free and have no symptoms.
You can visit your GP and get a blood test to determine your cholesterol levels. If your bad cholesterol is high, you should know what to do.
You can get your cholesterol tested by your GP if you are over 45.
If you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, you should get your cholesterol tested. This is recommended starting at age 18.
What causes high cholesterol levels?
High cholesterol can be caused by:
- Foods high in saturated fats or trans fats, such as deep-fried foods, take-out food, and commercially baked products (such as pies, buns, and pastries), are to blame.
- Healthy fats are good for you. Avocado, nuts, seeds and olives are all good sources of healthy fats.
- Reduce your intake of fibre-rich foods, especially those high in soluble fibre. Choose vegetables, fruits and whole grains as well as legumes, nuts, seeds, and legumes to include in your daily diet.
- Low levels of physical exercise and activity.
- Obesity and being overweight are both characterized by excess body fat in the midsection.
- Smoking can cause high cholesterol levels.
- Your family history can affect your cholesterol levels. Some families may have several members diagnosed with heart disease or high cholesterol at an early age (men under age 55 and women under 65). This type of pattern can be caused by genetics, including a genetic condition called familial hypercholesterolaemia. If you suspect you may be affected, it’s important to consult your doctor immediately.
Too much alcohol consumption can raise your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. High cholesterol can be caused by certain medical conditions, including kidney disease, liver disease, and hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland). High cholesterol is common in people with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes. Certain medicines taken for other health conditions can also increase cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol, healthy food and eating
The food we eat can affect our cholesterol and reduce our risk of developing disease. The Heart Foundation recommends a heart-healthy eating pattern. This means eating fresh, unprocessed food and limiting highly processed foods such as takeaway, baked goods, and chocolate. This helps to maintain a balanced and healthy diet and provides the body with essential nutrients.
Heart-healthy food includes:
- Vegetables, fruits and whole grains in abundance
- A variety of protein-rich foods, such as fish, seafood, and legumes, such as beans and lentils, are also available. Also, nuts and seeds. Eggs and lean chicken can be eaten in smaller amounts as part of a heart-healthy eating pattern. Red meat should be lean and should only be consumed one to three days a week.
- Unflavoured milk and yoghurt. Reduced fat is best for people with high cholesterol.
- Healthy fats and oils. Use olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados and avocados for cooking.
- Instead of salt, use herbs and spices as flavourings to enhance food.
This type of eating also contains a lot of fibre. A high intake of fibre in the diet can reduce bad cholesterol levels in the blood.
Be mindful of the amount you eat. Over the years, portion sizes have increased, and we are eating more food than necessary. This can lead to an increase in cholesterol and heart disease.
Ideal healthy plates would contain 1/4 healthy protein, 1/4 whole grain, and 1/2 colourful vegetables.
The serving size can be adjusted depending on the age, gender or specific nutritional needs.
Tips for healthy eating to lower cholesterol
Try these tips for managing your cholesterol, along with a healthy and varied diet:
- The Heart Foundation suggests that people adopt a heart-healthy eating pattern based on eating mostly plant-based food. Eating more plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, and nuts, improves heart health.
- Include beans (such as haricot, kidney, or baked beans), legumes (such as split peas, chickpeas and lentils), and bean mixes (such as bean mixtures) at least twice a week. Choose products with the least sodium.
- You can also snack on hummus and vegetable sticks with beans as an alternative to meat. You can also add legumes to stews, soups, curry, and pasta sauces.
- Stir-fries or curries can be made with tofu, lentils or other legumes in place of meat.
- Choose wholegrain cereals, pasta, rice, and noodles.
- Nuts and fruit are great snacks.
- Spreads containing unsaturated fats such as olive, canola or sunflower oil are healthier than those containing saturated fats like butter, coconut or cream.
- Healthy oils are good for cooking. Some of the best include olive, sesame, peanut, sesame, sunflower and soybean oils.
- The Heart Foundation recommends that people with a high risk of developing heart disease consume 2-3 grams of plant-sterol-enriched food every day. (For example, margarine, yoghurt and milk enriched with plant sterols.
- Enjoy fresh fish at least twice a week.
- The majority of people do not need to limit their egg consumption each week. People with high cholesterol levels, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease should limit their weekly egg intake to seven. Choose lean meats (meat trimmed from fat and poultry without skin), and limit red meat unprocessed to 350g per week.
- Select unflavored milk, cheese and yoghurt. Reduced fat products are best for people with high cholesterol and heart disease. Be sure to check the label for added sugar. You can also have non-dairy yoghurts and milk. Just make sure they don’t have any added sugar.
- Avoid or limit processed meats such as sausages, deli meats and bacon.
For specific advice, you can also contact an Accredited Practising dietitian.
Visit the Heart Foundation’s website to find a variety of delicious, simple recipes, including vegetarian dishes and recipes that use plant-based protein sources such as lentils or chickpeas.
Dietary fiber
Eating foods high in dietary fibre (especially soluble fibre) can lower bad cholesterol (LDL) in your blood.
Increase your fibre intake through:
- fruit
- vegetables
- Legumes (such as chickpeas as well as lentils, beans, and bean mixtures)
- Wholegrains, such as oats or barley
- Nuts and seeds
Dietary Fats
A healthy diet low in trans and saturated fats, as well as a balanced diet, can lower cholesterol.
Replace unhealthy saturated and trans fats with healthy fats.
Unhealthy fats
Some foods high in saturated fats (unhealthy) include:
- Processed or deli meats (such as ham, bacon, and salami).
- Deep-fried fast food
- Processed foods (such as biscuits and pastries).
- Takeaway food (such as pizza and hamburgers)
- Fat on meat and chicken skin
- Ghee, lard, and copha
- Coconut oil
- Cream and ice cream with palm oil (also called vegetable oil by some products).
- Butter.
Some foods high in trans fats (unhealthy) include:
- Deep fried foods
- Baked goods (such as pies, pastries and cakes)
- Takeaway food
- Butter
- Foods that list “hydrogenated oil” or “partially hydrogenated vegetable oils” on the ingredient list.
Healthy Fats
Foods that are high in polyunsaturated (healthy) fats include
- Canola, soybean, sunflower and safflower oils, as well as margarine spreads, are made using these oils.
- Pine nuts, walnuts, and Brazil nuts.
- Fish
- tahini (sesame seed spread)
- Linseed (flaxseed), chia seeds
Monounsaturated Fats are found in:
- Cooking oils are made of plants or seeds such as olive, canola and sesame.
- avocados
- Olives
- Nuts such as peanuts, almonds and cashews.
Triglycerides and your blood
Your blood contains cholesterol and triglycerides. These are stored as fat in your body. Hormones release triglycerides to provide energy in between meals.
Like cholesterol, triglycerides are essential for your body to function properly. There is some evidence that suggests people with high levels of triglycerides may be at an increased risk for heart disease and stroke.
You may have high levels of triglycerides if you regularly consume more energy than your body needs.
Lowering Triglycerides
Reduce triglyceride by:
- Stick to a healthy eating pattern by limiting salt, sugar and unhealthy fats.
- Choose water, tea, and coffee (without sugar) instead of sugary drinks (such as soft drinks, cordials, energy drinks, and sports drinks).
- Include foods that contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids (such as fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines).
- Reduce or limit alcohol consumption.
- Maintain a healthy weight and reduce the fat in your midsection.
Treatment of high cholesterol
It is important to make lifestyle changes and engage in regular physical activity. This will help you reduce your LDL (bad cholesterol).
- Move more. Regular physical activity can be beneficial to your heart. You can reduce your heart disease risk by increasing your physical activity to 30 to 45 minutes a day.
- Smoking can increase cholesterol and cause heart disease. Quitline is a great service that offers support and a combination of stop-smoking medicine (such as nicotine replacement therapy). Speak to your doctor as a first step.
- Alcohol has no health benefits. Alcohol is low in nutrition and contributes unnecessary energy (kilojoules). Alcohol is neither necessary nor recommended as part of a heart-healthy diet. To reduce the risk of alcohol-related harm, women and men who are healthy should limit their drinking to no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than four standard drinks in a single day.
- It may be necessary to take cholesterol-lowering medications (such as statins) to manage your cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of a stroke or heart attack. Speak to your doctor for the best treatment.
