Heart Disease

High cholesterol and high blood pressure are major risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease – coronary heart disease, heart failure and stroke. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Australia and the risk factors can be greatly reduced by following a healthy diet and exercising regularly.

High blood pressure is particularly treatable with just a few small changes to most people’s diets. Although there is a genetic element with someone’s cholesterol level, often a few simple changes to their diet can see dramatic improvements to cholesterol and triglycerides levels.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a liver-produced fat essential to the body (in small quantities). In simple terms, the body has two types of cholesterol – LDL (or bad cholesterol) which can result in fatty deposits in our arteries; and HDL (or good cholesterol) which aids in removing excess cholesterol in our arteries.

High Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure

The build-up of LDL cholesterol in our arteries causes the blood vessels to narrow and often leads to higher blood pressure and if left untreated may lead to a blockage. This can result in a myocardial infarction (heart attack) or a stroke.

What to do

A Healthier You dietitian will:

• measure your body composition and understand your comprehensive diet history to help identify the sources of the high cholesterol.
• identify sources of saturated fat and reduce or replace them with sources of unsaturated fats based on your likes and dislikes
• identify ways to reduce salt in your diet
• identify ways to add fibre to your diet, which can help improve your cholesterol profile
• help you lose abdominal fat, which can reduce your overall cholesterol and the risk of heart disease
• improve other elements of your diet
• make suggestions regarding exercise and physical activity

Visit Healthier You to help reduce your high cholesterol and lead your life as a healthier you.