Heart disease is the UK’s biggest cause of death - and having high cholesterol puts you at significant risk. But as there are no obvious symptoms, a heart attack is often the first warning sign of the condition.
Don’t let this happen to you. Take our quick cholesterol quiz to identify whether you may have the condition - and how to slash your risk…
1. How old are you?
a) Under 24 (-1)
b) 25-44 (0)
c) 45-65 (+1)
d) Over 65 (+2)
Why it matters: Cholesterol increases with age. Only 26 per cent of men and 31 per cent of women under 25 have high cholesterol, but by the age of 50 those figures shoot up to 81 per cent of men and 79 per cent of women. “We don’t exercise as much as we get older and we tend to eat more fat,” explains Ellen Mason, cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation.
Whatever your age simple lifestyle changes can turn things round fast. Just adding a handful of walnuts a day to your diet can slash levels of harmful LDL cholesterol by 10 per cent in up to six months, while eating 100g of beans daily can reduce it by 20 per cent in three weeks.
2. Do your relatives have high cholesterol? Or have any close male relatives had a heart attack before 50, or any female ones before the age of 55?
a) Yes (+2)
b) No (0)
c) I have no idea (+1)
Why it matters: “Family history is definitely a risk factor for cholesterol,” says Dr Robert Finnie, a trustee for the cholesterol charity Heart UK.
“If a sibling or parent has high cholesterol you have a 50 per cent greater chance of having it yourself.” The reason is that genes can determine how your body makes and processes cholesterol. If, for example, you inherit an under-performing version of a gene called APOE-4, you won’t transport cholesterol out of your body as well as other people.
Fortunately, gene behaviour can be changed. According to Dr Jack Challam, author of Feed Your Genes Right (Wiley Books), healthy levels of vitamin E in the diet help boost APOE-4 activity. Consider taking a supplement.
3. Which of these sounds most like your exercise regime?
a) I don’t do any (+2)
b) I do my 10,000 steps throughout the day (+1)
c) I exercise for 20 minutes at least three times a week (0)
d) I exercise for more than 20 minutes at least three times a week (-1)
Why it matters: “Exercise triggers the release of enzymes that break down the harmful LDL form of cholesterol that collects in your arteries,” says Dr Marie Murphy, head of the School of Exercise Sciences at the University of Ulster. Any movement triggers this enzyme release - in Dr Murphy’s trials simply walking up stairs for two minutes up to eight times a day slashed LDL levels by seven per cent in eight weeks. But longer sessions of formal exercise create a greater effect.
Aim to do a 40-minute workout three to four times a week.
4. Which of these do you eat more than three times a week?
a) Red or processed meats (+1)
b) Butter, cheese, full fat milk (+1)
c) Cakes, biscuits, chocolate, crisps (+1)
d) Deep-fried foods (+1)
Why it matters: All of these are high in saturated fat. “This is basically the raw material your body needs to make cholesterol,” says nutritionist Dale Pinnock (www.dalepinnock.com).
Cut your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol levels fall.
A us study has shown that every one per cent of saturated fat you drop from your diet cuts your cholesterol by one per cent, too.
To cut down, limit all of the above and opt for low-fat versions. Grill, bake or steam foods and use heart-healthy sunflower or olive oil for frying.
5. How stressful is your life?
a) Very, I get stressed easily and it happens a lot (+2)
b) Very, but I do lots of relaxation/ exercise to fight it (+1)
c) I usually cope well with stress (0)
Why it matters: Dr Andrew Steptoe, at University College London, found that levels of “bad cholesterol” are three times higher in people who are stressed than those who remain cool under pressure. “Blood fats, including cholesterol, are released during stress as, in past times, we needed them to fuel our ability to flee the thing causing us stress. Today we tend not to run away from stresses so the fats are not used up and remain in our blood,” he says. Controlling stress is therefore important for controlling cholesterol levels.
6. How many of these do you have more than four times a week - tea, wholegrains, oats, beans, soy, olives, seeds, Benecol, nuts, apples?
a) None (+2)
b) 1-2 (0)
c) Over 2 (-1)
Why it matters: “These foods can all actively lower levels of cholesterol in your body,” says Dale Pinnock. High-fibre foods such as oats, wholegrains and beans absorb cholesterol in the intestine helping you pass it out of the system. Healthy fats in nuts, seeds and olives speed up how fast your liver breaks it down. Try to include one to two servings of cholesterol lowering foods every day.
7. How much coffee do you drink a day
a) Fewer than four cups (0)
b) Over four cups of espresso or cafetiere coffee (+1)
c) Over four cups of any other type (0)
Why it matters: “Cafestol, an oil in coffee beans, activates an enzyme that inhibits cholesterol breakdown,” says Professor David Moore, of Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. Drinking five cups of high-cafestol coffee - espresso or that made in a cafetiere - can raise cholesterol by up to eight per cent in four weeks. Fortunately for coffee lovers a sensible intake of under four cups a day won’t cause major issues.
8. Measure the area around your tummy. Is it over 37ins (men) or 32ins (women?
a) Yes (+1)
b) No (0)
Why it matters: The more you weigh, the higher your cholesterol is likely to be.
Denise Armstrong, at Heart Research UK, says: “People who are overweight tend to eat higher fat diets and do less exercise.”
Changing these things will reduce weight - and cholesterol.
9. How much alcohol do you drink a day?
a) Nothing (+1)
b) Up to two units a day for women, up to three for men (0)
c) More than two units a day (women) or three for men (+1)
Why it matters: Moderate alcohol intake actually boosts levels of healthy HDL cholesterol. Excess alcohol doesn’t raise cholesterol, but it does increase the amount of harmful fats called triglycerides which damage the arteries.
10. Do you smoke?
a) No (0)
b) Yes (+1)
Why it matters: Smoking doesn’t increase cholesterol but it also raises triglycerides in your body.
WHAT THE SCORES MEANS
Under 3: You are living a low-cholesterol lifestyle so chances are your levels are within the normal range. Keep it up.
4-10: You may have health issues. Ask your GP for a cholesterol test, or try a home test (Superdrug’s Self-Check Test is £9.99).
More than 11: You are at high risk of high cholesterol. See your GP for a test rather than trying a home one. If levels are very high, you may need a course of cholesterol-lowering drugs - as well as making lifestyle changes.
I got a wake-up call before it was too late
Sarah Wade, 34, lives in East London. She’s single and works for a design agency. She says:
“I was registering with a new GP so I asked him to give me an MOT.”
“Although I’d lost an uncle to heart disease and my mum has high cholesterol, I was still shocked when he said my levels were high, bordering on very high. I thought cholesterol only affected overweight people and at 9st I certainly wasn’t that.”
My doctor explained some simple changes I could make to lower it. Now, one Sunday a month, I cook loads of pasta, lean meat and oily fish dishes (the omega 3 fats help lower cholesterol) and freeze them in batches. I work long hours and used to rely on ready-meals and takeaways, which are packed with saturated fats, but now I have my own healthy ready-meals.
“I eat more fruit and veg and have replaced squashes with fresh juice, especially pomegranate juice, which is good at lowering cholesterol. I eat more fibre and take psyllium husk supplements, a natural source of dietary fibre. I also run three times a week and have reduced my alcohol intake.”
“Thankfully my cholesterol is now normal. I’m just grateful I had a wake-up call before it was too late.”
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