Cholesterol has a very bad reputation – but as so often, it depends on the right amount. For the human body needs the blood fat, for example, to build cells or to form vitamin D. Too high a cholesterol level, on the other hand, is considered unhealthy because it increases the risk of a heart attack. Statins are then often prescribed to lower cholesterol. But it is also possible without medication: With the right diet and regular exercise, cholesterol levels can be lowered naturally. We show you how it works!
What is cholesterol exactly?
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance, which is partly formed by our body itself and partly taken from food. This substance is very important for the function of the cells and contributes, among other things, to the formation of hormones and bile acid. However, too high cholesterol level is a common reason for the development of heart diseases. Of course, there are many factors that promote coronary heart disease – so it’s important to at least keep an eye on those you can influence and eliminate them if necessary. Among these is cholesterol levels.
Two types of cholesterol
There are two types of cholesterol, which is transported through the body as so-called lipoprotein (HDL or LDL):
- The “bad” LDL cholesterol, when in excess, can be deposited on the walls of blood vessels, promoting atherosclerosis, which can lead to stroke or heart attack.
- HDL cholesterol, on the other hand, is called “good” cholesterol. It collects the LDL cholesterol in the body so that it can be excreted via the liver – so it protects the vessels.
What cholesterol level is ideal?
To calculate the ideal cholesterol level, several factors are important: gender and age play a crucial role, as well as membership in certain risk groups. Medical experts believe that an average total cholesterol value of 200 mg/dl (milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood) should not be exceeded in healthy people between the ages of 35 and 65.
Cholesterol levels – when are they too high?
One speaks of a high cholesterol level from a limit value of 240 mg/dl, or an LDL value of 160 mg/dl. Good HDL cholesterol is ideally more than 40 mg/dl. However, the ratio of LDL to HDL is also crucial: it should not exceed 4 to 1. If the LDL value is too high, it is important to act as quickly as possible and ensure that the ratio is rebalanced. However, this is only possible to a limited extent if one tends to have an elevated cholesterol level for genetic reasons. However, one should still try to prevent cholesterol levels from rising even higher and further damaging the body.
Cholesterol-lowering foods
To lower one’s cholesterol level, one does not necessarily have to take medication. Often it goes also without medicines, if one simply pays attention to its nutrition. Because there are numerous foods, which can have a positive effect on our cholesterol level:
- A good choice are tomatoes, which contain the substance lycopene. He ensures that cholesterol can not settle in the blood vessels.
- Whole grain products score points for cholesterol-lowering fiber. These absorb liquid, including cholesterol-containing bile acid, and dispose of them in the normal digestive tract.
- Fruits and vegetables also contain dietary fiber. In addition, they themselves do not contain cholesterol, but antioxidant vitamins that prevent LDL cholesterol oxidizes and damages the vessels.
- Products with soy, such as tofu or soy milk, are also recommended as cholesterol-lowering agents. They contain sterols, which are special plant substances that reduce cholesterol levels.
- The same function is also performed by garlic, onions and leeks: they contain the plant substance allicin, which conducts LDL cholesterol from the body.
- Nuts are also recommended. Who takes around seven walnuts per day to himself, can reduce the cholesterol level by up to seven percent – researchers have also found this in the course of a study.
- Green tea can also lower blood lipids, because the tannins and saponins it contains inhibit the absorption of fats from food.
Special cholesterol-lowering products from the supermarket are enriched with phytosterols and can also lower cholesterol levels. However, you should take a maximum of three grams of them per day, because they make it difficult to absorb valuable carotenoids.
Beware of these foods
If you want to lower your LDL cholesterol, you should use animal fats sparingly. These are found, for example, in fatty meat, cream or butter. Better here are vegetable fats such as safflower oil, rapeseed oil or olive oil, which can even counteract the LDL cholesterol. Omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in nuts and fatty sea fish such as mackerel or salmon, are particularly beneficial. But beware: very high cholesterol are contained in eel, crustaceans or smoked fish.
Avoid trans fats and alcohol
You should also avoid so-called trans fatty acids, which can be formed during the hardening of vegetable fats. They can cause an increase in bad LDL cholesterol. Such trans fats are often found in fried foods, such as chips or French fries, greasy baked goods or cheap margarine. In addition, one should also avoid alcohol if possible, or reduce consumption to a minimum, because alcohol can also increase cholesterol levels in large quantities.
Do eggs increase cholesterol?
It is known that eggs contain a lot of cholesterol, however, it has not yet been conclusively scientifically clarified how they ultimately affect our health. So it is not yet known whether and to what extent eggs contribute to increasing cholesterol levels. Numerous factors play a role here, including genetic predisposition and the rest of the diet. Dutch and German researchers, for example, studied how cholesterol levels change when eggs are consumed together with buttermilk. The result of the study was that buttermilk may contain ingredients that inhibit the absorption of cholesterol from the intestines, preventing blood fat levels from rising.
Use exercise to raise HDL cholesterol levels
If one would like to lower its cholesterol value effectively, then it is important to move apart from an adapted nutrition also sufficiently. When swimming, jogging, tennis, walking or cycling, the heart rate increases and contributes to the fact that the HDL value in the body increases sustainably. Of course, one should not become an extreme athlete from one day to the next and overstrain the body – it is quite sufficient to move a little more than usual now and then, to go jogging for half an hour or to treat oneself to an hour in the swimming pool. Moderate endurance training performed two to three times a week for half an hour is ideal.
Integrate exercise into everyday life
It can also help to create small units in everyday life: Lunch time is ideal for taking a quick walk around the block. After dinner, a digestive walk is also a good way to get moving – and last but not least, it helps just as much if you leave the elevator or escalator to the left more often and take the stairs instead. This also helps you avoid excess pounds, which can also have a negative effect on cholesterol levels.
When is medication necessary after all?
If exercise and diet are not enough to lower elevated cholesterol, medications known as statins can be used. People who have an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis in particular should have their cholesterol levels checked regularly by a doctor. Risk factors for arteriosclerosis include smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure. However, through an appropriate diet and regular exercise, it is possible to lower cholesterol levels without statins even in such cases.
