LOWERING YOUR CHOLESTEROL.

PRESENTED BY RASGAS MEDICAL CENTRE

WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?

Cholesterol is a type of fat made in the liver and found in animal

foods.

CHOLESTEROL IS NEEDED FOR

IMPORTANT BODY FUNCTIONS. Such

as...•Building cell walls•Protecting nerves•Making hormones.

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF

CHOLESTEROL.

•THE GOOD. (HDL or High Density Lipid)

•THE BAD and the UGLY!! (LDL or Low Density Lipid.)

A higher level of HDL is needed to

carry LDL from the BLOOD back to the

LIVER to be ELIMINATED from

the body.

If there is a higher level of LDL cholesterol in the BLOOD this may:

•Cause high blood pressure!•Raise your risk of heart

attack!•Raise your risk of stroke!•Cause the kidneys to fail!

HOW ??

Cholesterol is broken down into LDL which is

needed by the body cells. Once the cells

are satisfied the unused LDL remains to become what is known as blood cholesterol.

The main danger of high blood cholesterol is that fatty plaques may form which will decrease the

diameter of blood vessels. This leads to a restriction

of the flow of blood and oxygen to the tissues of

the body.

• If an artery supplying blood to the HEART becomes blocked you may have a heart attack!

• If an artery supplying blood to the BRAIN becomes blocked you may have a Stroke!

• If an artery supplying blood to the kidney becomes blocked you may suffer kidney failure.

WHAT CAUSES HIGH BLOOD

CHOLESTEROL?

The main causes are:•Eating too much high

saturated fat. i.e. fat found in butter and dairy products, cakes biscuits and take away foods.

•Being overweight.•Not exercising.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO LOWER

YOUR CHOLESTEROL?

YOU CAN ……eat more:

•Fruits and vegetables.•Oily fish (tuna, mackeral and herring).

•Skinless chicken.•Fibre rich foods, e.g. oats and wholemeal bread.

YOU CAN…. eat less

•Fried take away fast foods.•High fat dairy products and

eggs.•Saturated fats and oils.•Biscuits, cakes and pastries.

YOU CAN... USE•Unsaturated margarine instead of

butter.

•Unsaturated oils (olive oil) instead of lard.

•Low fat cooking methods: steaming, grilling and microwaving.

YOU SHOULD…•Make exercise a part of your day. (Walking is good).

•Not smoke•Drink more water.

THE LINK BETWEEN BLOOD

CHOLESTEROL LEVELS AND

HEART DISEASE IS CLEAR.

STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT IF AN AVERAGE MAN CAN REDUCE HIS BLOOD CHOLESTEROL BY ONLY

10% HE CAN REDUCE HIS RISK OF HEART ATTACK BY

UP TO 50%!!

Start NOW to make the changes because…..

YOUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING ARE

IMPORTANT

TO YOU AND TO US!!