Cholesterol, a fatty substance mostly made by the liver and used by the body to build cells and produce hormones, has become a heart-health bogeyman. There are several types, but high levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Often labelled \u201cbad\u201d cholesterol, LDL builds up over time on artery walls, narrowing them and restricting blood flow.<\/p>\n
High LDL cholesterol is not confined to people who are overweight. \u201cGenetics are the main driver of higher LDL cholesterol levels,\u201d says Naveed Sattar, professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow. \u201cDiets have smaller effects and it\u2019s not necessarily the total calories that count; it\u2019s the amount of saturated fat.\u201d (Found in cakes, biscuits, chocolate and many ultra-processed foods, saturated fat can raise LDL levels.) All of this means someone relatively lean can still have high cholesterol, either because of their genetic profile or dietary pattern.<\/p>\n
double quotation markCardiovascular risk is not just about LDL \u2013 factors such as blood pressure, diabetes and weight all play a part<\/p>\n
\u201cObesity per se has minimal effect on LDL cholesterol levels,\u201d says Sattar. \u201cBut it affects other blood lipids [types of fatty substances, including cholesterol] much more.\u201d In particular, excess body fat is linked to higher levels of triglycerides and remnant cholesterol, both of which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Obesity is also closely tied to conditions such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, which can also make LDL more harmful.<\/p>\n
Worried about cholesterol? From the age of 40, people in the UK are eligible for an NHS health check, which includes a cholesterol test. \u201cYour GP can easily assess your overall cardiovascular risk,\u201d says Sattar. \u201cBecause it\u2019s not just about LDL \u2013 factors such as diabetes, weight and blood pressure all play a part.\u201d Before then, it\u2019s worth finding out if you have a family history of early heart disease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cholesterol, a fatty substance mostly made by the liver and used by the body to build cells and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":540756,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[59,102,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-540755","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-gb","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/540755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=540755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/540755\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/540756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=540755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=540755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=540755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}