Raising the awareness and importance of maintaining a healthy cholesterol level.
ABOUT NATIONAL CHOLESTEROL MONTH
Did you know that almost half of UK adults have elevated cholesterol levels? Having high cholesterol can increase the risk of heart and circulatory diseases, such as heart attack, stroke and vascular dementia. That's why this October, Heart UK is leading National Cholesterol Month - a campaign focused on raising awareness about the importance of managing cholesterol levels for heart health.
what is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty substance in your blood, which is produced naturally in your liver. Some of your cholesterol also comes from the food you eat, such as red meat and diary products. Cholesterol plays a vital role in how your body works - every cell in your body uses it. Cholesterol is carried in your blood by proteins. When cholesterol and proteins combine, they’re called lipoproteins. There are two main types:
High-density lipoproteins (HDL cholesterol)
It takes cholesterol that you don’t need back to the liver where it is broken down to be passed out of your body. This is known as ‘good’ cholesterol because it gets rid of ‘bad’ cholesterol from your blood vessels.
Non-High-density lipoproteins (Non-HDL (LDL) cholesterol)
It delivers cholesterol from the liver to cells around your body. This is known as ‘bad’ cholesterol because it contributes to the buildup of fat deposits in your arteries. Having too much of this cholesterol makes it harder for blood to flow through, which can cause a heart attack or stroke
Your blood also contains a type of fat called triglycerides. This is stored in the body's fat cells. Being very overweight, eating a lot of fatty and sugary foods or drinking too much alcohol can make you more likely to have a high triglyceride level. Triglycerides can also contribute to the narrowing of the artery walls. You can have a normal level of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol but still have a high triglyceride level.
Cholesterol is essential for staying healthy, however when the cholesterol level in your blood becomes too high, it can cause serious and life-threatening problems.
"Cholesterol is misunderstood by many. It’s usually seen as a negative thing; but, actually, it’s vital for our good health in order to make cell membranes, various hormones, certain vitamins and bile salts, which help to digest the fat we eat. The problems occur when we have too much so-called ‘bad’ cholesterol in our blood."
CAUSES OF HIGH CHOLESTEROL
Anyone can get high cholesterol and it is often caused by a number of factors. This includes lifestyle habits such as:
a diet that’s high in saturated fat
not being active enough
being overweight or obese
drinking too much alcohol
smoking
High cholesterol can be sometimes caused by a condition that runs in your family called familial hypercholesterolaemia. This means you may have a very high cholesterol level, even if you are young, slim, and have a healthy lifestyle. Other health conditions may cause high cholesterol too. These include kidney or liver disease, as well as an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism). Also, some medicines can affect the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood, such as corticosteroids, diuretics or retinoids.
SYMPTOMS OF HIGH CHOLESTEROL
There aren't usually any typical signs that you have high cholesterol which is why it's so important to get it checked out. It's a hidden risk factor which means it happens without us knowing until it's too late. However, if you have familial hypercholesterolaemia, you may have visible signs of high cholesterol. These can include:
Tendon xanthomata - swellings made from cholesterol on the knuckles of your hands, knees or the Achilles tendon at the back of your ankle
Xanthelasmas - small, yellow lumps of cholesterol near the inner corner of your eye
Corneal arcus - a pale white ring around the iris, the coloured part of your eye
HEALTH CONSEQUENCES
Excessive amounts of cholesterol can be laid down in the walls of your arteries – the large blood vessels that carry blood around your body. Fatty areas can form and become harder with time, making the arteries stiffer and narrower. If your arteries become clogged up with blood fats, this puts a strain on your heart because it has to work harder to pump blood around your body. This can lead to a number of diseases of the heart and blood vessels, such as coronary heart disease, angina, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, mini strokes (TIAs), peripheral arterial disease (PAD), as well as vascular dementia.
LOWERING YOUR CHOLESTEROL
A few small changes to your diet can make a big difference to your cholesterol level
You should cut down on foods high in saturated fat and replace them with food high in unsaturated fat like vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, avocado and oily fish. Also, eating plenty of fibre helps lower your risk of heart disease and some high fibre foods can help lower your cholesterol. To make sure you get enough fibre aim for five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, switch to wholegrain varieties of bread, cereals, pasta and rice, as well as choose other high fibre foods such as pulses and oats. The Association of UK Dieticians has a food fact sheet on how eating better can help to lower cholesterol levels and Heart UK prepared some heart-healthy, low-cholesterol recipes, which have all been reviewed by a qualified Dietetic Advisor. You can also take the quiz to find out how heart-healthy your lifestyle is and get tips and advice that are tailored for you.
Being active is a major part of looking after your cholesterol levels and keeping your heart healthy
Getting your blood pumping by doing exercise will reduce your LDL cholesterol. Being active helps your body move the bad cholesterol to your liver where it can be removed out of your system. You should aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity every week and if you can do more that’s even better! Moderate intensity activity means you get your heart rate up and you're breathing harder. Brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling and dancing are all good choices. You can find out more about the health benefits of physical activity and get some ideas and tips on how to be more active on the NHS Better Health website.
Quitting smoking is one of the best things that you can do to improve your overall health
Quitting smoking will lower the levels of cholesterol and fats circulating in your blood, which will help to slow the build-up of new fatty deposits in your arteries. Stopping smoking isn't easy, but there are things you can do to improve your chances of success. Asthma+Lung has prepared a guide with some tips that can help you quit smoking and you can find further support through NHS stop smoking services.
Cutting down on alcohol is good for your overall health
When you drink alcohol, it’s broken down and rebuilt into triglycerides and cholesterol in the liver. So, drinking alcohol raises the triglycerides and cholesterol in your blood. Cutting down on alcohol will help your liver to work better at removing bad cholesterol. It may also improve your heart health in other ways by helping you lose weight and lower your blood pressure. To keep health risks from alcohol low, the UK Chief Medical Officers' (CMO) low risk drinking guidelines advise it is safest for men and women not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis. DrinkAware Digital tools can help you assess, track and set goals to reduce your drinking.
Although many people can achieve good cholesterol levels by making healthy food choices and getting enough physical activity, some people might also need medicines to lower their cholesterol levels. The most widely used medicine to lower cholesterol is a statin, however there are also other medicines available and some may only be prescribed in a specialist lipid clinic. Find out more about medicines used to lower cholesterol levels on the Heart UK website.
RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT CHOLESTEROL IN THE WORKPLACE
As NHS Health Checks are offered for people who are aged 40 and over, there's a chance that many of your employees have never had a cholesterol check and are completely unaware of their cholesterol levels. Employee Health Checks in the workplace can help to find staff with undiagnosed and uncontrolled high cholesterol so they can get the treatment and support they need to bring it under control. A cholesterol check, along with other simple tests including a blood pressure test, BMI or urinalysis, can give your employees a good idea of their general health and show them if they need to make any lifestyle changes or get a specialist advice from their healthcare professionals. Get in touch with us to book our Employee Health Checks to help your staff better understand their cholesterol levels and motivate them to live a healthier life.
Helping employees lower their cholesterol levels is not only beneficial for their health and wellbeing but it can also lead to a more productive and healthier workforce. Here's how you can also support your employees in managing and reducing their cholesterol levels:
Promote healthy eating - consider hosting a cookery workshop to help employees learn how to prepare nutritious meals or organise a session with a nutritionist who can help staff to create their own personalised, heart-healthy meal plans. You could also provide healthier food choices for company meetings and events, offer free fruit, provide nutrient-rich food options in the canteen, or add healthy food alternatives to vending machines and snack bars. Moreover, you could send out a monthly newsletter with healthy recipes and encourage staff to share their own recipes with colleagues.
Encourage staff to get more active - whether it’s through a cycle to work incentive scheme, a lunchtime walking or running club, a company's step challenge, a wellness app with exercise videos on-demand, discounted gym memberships, monthly onsite fitness classes, or the introduction of ‘walking meetings’, encourage employees to engage in regular physical activity. To motivate your staff, you could also consider incentives for reaching healthy achievements, for example offering a reward to the winning team of company's step challenge.
Offer webinars, workshops and materials about cholesterol – educating employees about the importance of cholesterol management and its impact on overall health will help them make healthier lifestyle choices. Even if you don't have a budget to organise a professional webinar or a workshop, you can still share valuable materials with your staff via email, intranet or noticeboards. There's plenty of valuable resources including posters, booklets, videos, and podcasts on the websites of British Heart Foundation or Heart UK.
By offering regular health checks, providing resources and organising various initiatives to help employees manage their cholesterol levels, you can create a positive workplace culture that prioritises the health and wellbeing of its workforce. This in turn can lead to a more productive, motivated and healthier team.
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