know your numbers

High blood cholesterol quietly clogs arteries and restricts blood flow, causing damage without symptoms and leaving many people unaware they’re at risk for circulatory and heart disease.

Cholesterol level checks have largely become a routine part of annual physicals, allowing doctors to measure patients’ low-density lipoproteins (LDL), which cause cholesterol buildup and artery blockage, and high-density lipoproteins (HDL), which help prevent cholesterol buildup.

The goal is to lower levels of both total and “bad” LDL cholesterol while raising “good” HDL cholesterol. Total cholesterol higher than 200mg/dL, LDL cholesterol higher than 100 mg/dL, and/or HDL cholesterol below 60 mg/dL may be cause for concern, especially if you have other risk factors, such as diabetes, obesity, or a family history of heart disease.

Healthy cholesterol numbers are associated with lower intake of saturated fat, higher intake of soluble fiber, maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising regularly, monitoring blood pressure levels, and not smoking.

Supplements also show promise in helping to keep cholesterol numbers in a healthy range:

Plant sterols, which are a compound found naturally in many plants, may help to lower cholesterol when included in the diet or as a supplement. Stanols, another plant compound, offer similar heart benefits and are also available as supplements.

Ginger and curcumin are two herbs that may help to decrease total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol while increasing HDL cholesterol.

Another supplement to consider is a compound called beta glucan, found in yeast, medicinal mushrooms, and oats. Beta glucan binds with cholesterol in your body and gets rid of it.

To keep cholesterol levels in a healthy range, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends minimizing sugar and red meat intake and eating more of these healthy foods: ✔ Green vegetables ✔ Root vegetables ✔ Fresh fruit ✔ Whole grains ✔ Low-fat dairy products ✔ Poultry ✔ Fatty fish ✔ Olive oil ✔ Nuts ●

SELECTED SOURCES “11 foods that can help lower your cholesterol,” Harvard Health Publishing, www.Health.Harvard.edu, 8/1/20 • “Effects of . . . ginger consumption on markers of glycemic control, lipid profile, oxidative stress, and inflammation in Type 2 diabetes patients” by P. Azimi et al., Review of Diabetes Studies, 2014 • “The effect of oat betaglucan on LDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol, and apoB for CVD risk reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomizedcontrolled trials” by H.V. Ho et al., 10/16; “LDL-cholesterol-lowering effect of plant sterols and stanols across different dose ranges: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies” by R.T. Ras et al., 7/28/14, British Journal of Nutrition • “High blood cholesterol: What you need to know,” National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, www.nhlbi. gov • “LDL-cholesterol lowering of plant sterols and stanols . . .?” by E.A. Trautwein et al., Nutrients, 9/18 • “Plant sterols and plant stanols in the management of dyslipidaemia and prevention of cardiovascular disease” by H. Gylling et al., Atherosclerosis, 2/14 • “Spices and herbs may improve cardiovascular risk factors” by S.G. West and A.C. Skulas-Ray, Nutrition Today, 11/15 • “What is cholesterol?” American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, www.EatRight.org, 4/21

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