High cholesterol can affect anyone. It's also very common, according to Heart UK, a charity trying to prevent early disease and deaths from cholesterol and other blood fat conditions.
As the charity explains: "There is cholesterol in every cell in your body. It plays vital roles in how your body works, and it's especially important in your brain, nerves and skin."
There's an important distinction between HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, though. Heart UK explains: "LDL cholesterol is often called ‘bad cholesterol’ because too much of it can clog up your arteries and lead to health problems later on, such as heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. You do need some LDL cholesterol in your blood. It’s when there’s too much that it’s a problem."
As per the NHS, you are more likely to get high cholesterol if you're over 50, a man, you've been through menopause, or you're of South Asian or sub-Saharan African origin. High cholesterol can also run in families.
Other causes include eating fatty food, not exercising enough, smoking, and drinking alcohol. As cholesterol can block blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart problems and stroke, managing cholesterol is key.
It's possible to lower your cholesterol by exercising more and eating a healthy diet; in some cases, people may need to take medicine. As with all health concerns, it's important to speak to your GP about any worries you may have and follow their advice.
The NHS also shares guidance for people looking to lower their cholesterol by making dietary changes. On the NHS website, it says the 'number one' step you can take to reduce high cholesterol is to cut out fatty food.
The NHS states: "To reduce your cholesterol, try to cut down on fatty food, especially food that contains a type of fat called saturated fat. You can still have foods that contain a healthier type of fat called unsaturated fat. Check labels on food to see what type of fat it has in it."
As such, the experts advise cutting back on certain foods. Sharing tips for cutting down on fat and saturated fat in your diet, Heart UK recommends checking food labels to see how much fat they contain, comparing similar products as they may contain different amounts of fat, and baking, steaming, grilling or boiling foods instead of frying them.
As the experts explain: "About a third of our energy should come from fat. That’s about 70g for a woman and 90g for a man per day. Saturated fats should make up no more than a third of this. That’s 20g for women and 30g for men." More advice is available on the charity's website and the NHS website.
Aim to do at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of exercise a week. Some good things to try when starting out include: walking – try to walk fast enough so your heart starts beating faster, swimming and cycling. It says: "Try a few different exercises to find something you like doing. You're more likely to keep doing it if you enjoy it."
Smoking can raise your cholesterol and make you more likely to have serious problems like heart attacks, strokes and cancer. If you want to stop smoking, you can get help and support from: your GP and the NHS Stop Smoking Service – your GP can refer you or you can ring the helpline on 0300 123 1044 (England only). The service can give you useful tips and advice about ways to stop cravings.
In terms of alcohol, try to avoid drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week, have several drink-free days each week and avoid drinking lots of alcohol in a short time (binge drinking). Ask your GP for help and advice if you're struggling to cut down.
