How to lower cholesterol levels: Experts explain why your diet or exercise routine isn’t working

Wellness

How to lower cholesterol levels: Experts explain why your diet or exercise routine isn't working

You lot've washed everything to lose weight by going to the gym, avoiding wagyu beefiness and going on one of those trendy diets. Turns out, y'all might be sabotaging your efforts. Experts explicate why it's backfiring on you lot.

20 Jan 2022 07:14AM (Updated: 20 Jan 2022 07:14AM)

Cholesterol. You know it as the waxy fat or lipid that exists in your blood. High cholesterol levels are a cause for concern as they are an established risk gene for atherosclerosis (the thickening or hardening of the arteries) and coronary artery disease (the build-up of plaque in the arteries). Depending on where the cholesterol pools, it can also lead to stroke.

The gameplan is to keep your cholesterol levels equally low as possible. But what if the opposite seems to exist happening to you over the years?

You aren't alone because the likelihood of dyslipidemia does increment with age. It is a condition referring to the unhealthy levels of ane or more kinds of lipids in your claret (including high-density lipoprotein or HDL; low-density lipoprotein or LDL; and triglycerides).

"Human being beings are born with low cholesterol levels, which increment with age and eating habits," said Professor Tan Huay Cheem, a senior consultant with the Department of Cardiology at National University Eye Centre, Singapore.

Have, for instance, the LDL or "bad" cholesterol level of newborns. Information technology starts at between 30mg/dL and 70mg/dL but typically rises in a higher place 100mg/dL by historic period 20, added Prof Tan.

Every bit a basis, the LDL level should be kept below 130mg/dL. However, the average LDL level among those newly diagnosed with high blood cholesterol in Singapore was 186mg/dL for 2022 to 2020, according to the recent National Population Health Survey 2019/2020.

THE CHOLESTEROL NUMBERS TO KEEP TO

It is recommended that you beginning screening for high cholesterol from the age of 40, said Dr Ian Phoon, a family doctor and the clinical atomic number 82 for the Cardiovascular Health Workgroup at SingHealth Polyclinics.

"Even so, starting time screening from historic period 30 if you accept other take chances factors such as a family history, obesity, associated diabetes and/or hypertension, sedentary lifestyle and a diet rich in saturated or trans fat," he said.

Prof Tan goes even further and suggested screening from every bit young as eighteen years of age if y'all accept the in a higher place risk factors. "Patients who are born with genetically high cholesterol conditions (more on familial hypercholesterolemia afterwards) can even develop coronary avenue disease in their teenage years," he explained.

On the whole, the Health Promotion Lath recommends keeping your cholesterol numbers to the following:

Total cholesterol	Less than 200mg/dL
HDL cholesterol	Greater than 40mg/dL
LDL cholesterol	Less than 130mg/dL
Triglycerides	Less than 150mg/dL

You should consult a doctor if your LDL cholesterol level is college than 160mg/dL, said Prof Tan.

WAYS Y'all COULD Exist SABOTAGING YOUR EFFORTS

Your trunk does demand some cholesterol to be healthy. "Information technology is an essential component of every cell in your trunk, giving cell membranes forcefulness and flexibility," said Prof Tan. "It plays of import roles in the production of hormones, vitamin D and bile necessary for digesting fats." Even and then, you'll only demand less than 300mg a day as recommended by the Ministry of Health.

So when it comes to lowering your cholesterol levels, keeping your weight nether command is likely your MO. You might follow a sure diet, eat less of certain foods and exercise more. Yous may fifty-fifty be put on statins (cholesterol-lowering medicines) by your doc to help you manage.

But despite the efforts, the numbers aren't quite coming downwardly as you'd look. What could be going incorrect and how do you rectify it? Here'due south a look:

Following the keto diet to lose weight

The keto diet is a high fatty, moderate protein and low sugar diet, which tin can consequence in significant weight loss, especially amidst people with obesity, said Prof Tan.

He added: "Nevertheless, the long-term health consequences of this diet are uncertain and at that place is no evidence to suggest that information technology improves cardiovascular health. Some people with genetically high triglyceride levels tin even develop serious complications such every bit pancreatitis from high fatty consumption".

Furthermore, saturated fats are not restricted in the keto diet, which volition likely increment the LDL level, said Dr Phoon. Saturated fats – found in foods including crimson meat, ghee and butter – are bad news as they increase LDL levels. But because carbs are omitted in the keto diet, y'all'll need a substantial corporeality of fat to meet your daily energy needs, he said.

Not only that, existence on such a restrictive diet may also hateful a lack of fruit and vegetable intake, and along with it, a lack of vitamins, minerals and fibre, added Dr Phoon. "This may cause constipation and fifty-fifty piles. It is besides hard to maintain such a diet for the long term."

You think y'all're fine by avoiding wagyu beef, pork belly and fried chicken

Yes, animal products such as fatty meat, organ meat, skin, seafood and total-fat dairy products are known sources of saturated fat. But here's the matter: The bad fat is also present in trans fat (it is manufactured by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil to solidify it at room temperature) as well equally kokosnoot and palm oils, said Prof Tan.

And trans fat is pervasive; it can be found in myriad commercial foods ranging from bread to margarine, instant noodles, ice cream and frozen pizza.

"Singapore has banned the utilise of trans fatty since June 2021," said Prof Tan. Only you might still run into some foods that contain it. Look out for "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil" in the ingredient list.

Restricting saturated fatty and cholesterol intake may sound perfectly logical to lower your cholesterol levels (you are what you lot eat, right?). Only in that location's a catch: Such measures can lower claret cholesterol levels by up to 20 per cent at best, said Prof Tan.

"The balance of your blood cholesterol comes from your liver's own production. Therefore, it is not surprising that 1 will have to rely on a combination of lifestyle change and medications," he said.

Relying on do alone

At that place are good and bad news when information technology comes to the effects of practise on cholesterol levels. Kickoff, the bad: The impact of regular exercise on LDL level is really very limited, said Prof Tan. "Exercise tin improve the lipid profile (such as reduce the triglyceride level and increase HDL level) by causing weight loss, but the magnitude of the consequence is also small."

He added: "However, in obese persons, this may still exist useful in that a subtract in LDL concentration of 8mg/dL can be observed for every 10kg of weight loss".

A man tracking his fitness. (Photo: iStock)

Now, the good: Exercise may increment the HDL or "skilful" cholesterol level modestly. "An increase of the HDL level past 6mg/dL may be accomplished with 25km to 30km of brisk walking per calendar week," he said.

Doing the wrong blazon of do

When information technology comes to lowering your cholesterol levels, those musculus-building reps at the gym or whatever other forcefulness-building workouts may not be as effective as aerobic practise such every bit jogging, brisk walking, cycling and swimming, co-ordinate to Dr Phoon.

"Aerobic do tends to move big muscle groups, and raises the eye and breathing rates for about twenty to xxx minutes. It is considered a 'full body do' as compared to other exercises that focus simply on some musculus groups," he said.

The recommendation is to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity practice (you should be able to talk simply not sing) a week, he advised. "The practise can be divide into several days, such as 30 minutes per day, over v days a week."

You aren't enlightened your trunk tin can't regulate bad cholesterol

Your genes account for fourscore per cent of your blood cholesterol; diet makes up the rest, said Prof Tan. So when you're diagnosed with a genetic disposition such as familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), which causes the liver to be ineffective at removing backlog "bad" or LDL cholesterol, it tin be a double whammy.

In Singapore, there are about 20,000 such patients, which means i in 300 people has the defective factor, said Prof Tan. "Withal, more than 90 per cent are unaware of this condition and remain undiagnosed," he said.

Co-ordinate to Prof Tan, if left untreated, men with FH have a 50 per cent adventure of having center affliction past age fifty; women run a 30 per cent take chances by historic period of sixty.

Patients with FH have extremely high levels of cholesterol from adolescence, said Dr Phoon. "They may fifty-fifty show skin deposits of cholesterol nether their optics or back of their hands."

Other signs of FH, said Prof Tan, include:

Adults with LDL levels of 190mg/dL.
Children with LDL levels of more than than 155mg/dL.
A family history of high cholesterol.
Premature coronary avenue disease and stroke below age 55 for men and below historic period 65 for women.

"Such patients will ever need medications to control their cholesterol levels and survey their health weather condition closely," said Prof Tan.

You're expecting results besides soon

Information technology has been a couple of weeks since you've given up kway chap and taken up cycling. But at your last medical check-upwardly, the numbers nonetheless aren't budging. What gives?

It can take betwixt 3 and six months to see lower LDL numbers through just diet and exercise, according to Prof Tan. "LDL levels can exist lowered past ten per cent to 20 per cent through lifestyle modifications. With medications, the reduction may be observed before at two months."

The doctor's conclusion to put you lot on statin (cholesterol-controlling medicine) is non fabricated lightly, said Dr Phoon. What is your risk of getting a eye set on in the next 10 years? Would diet and lifestyle changes already work if your adventure is low or moderate?

"If nothing improves later on 12 weeks of these changes, statin should exist started to lower one's gamble of a middle attack or stroke," he said.

How to lower cholesterol levels: Experts explain why your diet or exercise routine isn’t working

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