In a previous article on CVRA (cardiovascular risk assessment), you were encouraged to complete a heart check on the Heart Foundation website to ascertain your risk of heart disease or stroke. If you have done this and found your numbers or risk to be a little higher than expected you may be looking at ways to reduce that risk. Elevated cholesterol levels are one part of the risk so if you don’t know your levels you will need to ask your doctor for a blood test.
Cholesterol or lipids are the fatty substances in your blood that can stick to the walls of your arteries and over time clog up or narrow the pipes. These blockages then calcify into plaques and cause a condition called atherosclerosis. Left untreated they may eventually completely block the artery, or the plaque may rupture causing a blood clot to block the artery.
Blockages in the heart cause heart attacks or if in the brain will cause a stroke. These blockages can begin to form from an early age and can be prevented with a healthy diet and lifestyle. Be aware that even skinny people can be fat on the inside so don’t assume because you are a healthy weight that you are not at risk.
Once you have had your blood test you should ask the doctor or nurse to explain the result to you. Cholesterol results can be confusing to understand, it’s all about the balance of fats in your blood so while one type of fat may be high, another type of fat might balance things out. The result gives you a total number, then breaks it down into three types of cholesterol: Triglycerides (Tg’s), High-density lipids (HDL’s) and Low-density lipids (LDL’s).
Another number will give you the ratio between good and bad fats. Put simply, the bad fats are the LDL’s. These are the heavy fats that block your arteries. Triglycerides store and transport the fat in your blood. The HDL’s are the good ones that are nice and light and bounce along your arteries. If you have more of the good ones, they will help move the heavy ones along and stop them from blocking things up. While your total cholesterol may be high this could be because you have lots of good fats. Therefore, the ratio might give you a more accurate idea of the balance of fat in your blood.
So how do you get the balance of fats right? This can be done through diet and exercise, but some people who have a genetic or family history of high cholesterol may require medication to reduce their levels. For long-term health, some fats are better than others. Good fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Bad ones include industrial-made trans fats. Saturated fats fall somewhere in the middle.
Foods that will increase your good fats (HDL) include monounsaturated fat like oily fish, olives, nuts and seeds, avocado, coconut and olive oils.
The worst fats that could increase your risk of heart disease are trans fats found in fried foods (french fries, doughnuts, deep-fried fast foods), margarine, vegetable shortening, packaged baked goods (cookies, cakes and pastries), and processed snack foods (crackers, microwave popcorn).
The New Zealand Heart Foundation recommends a diet rich in fruit & vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and legumes to help reduce your risk of high cholesterol and heart disease.
For more information about a healthy heart diet, talk to your GP or nurse or visit the NZ Heart Foundation and their Lower cholesterol with our 7-day meal plan.
Source: Barbara Bos, Registered Nurse, RNZPC Health Clinic