PRINCE KUMAR
Ranchi, April 25: Cholesterol has become a dreaded word because high levels can wreak havoc on your heart health, blood pressure, and may trigger a variety of lifestyle diseases.
However, our body needs cholesterol, a waxy substance found in the blood, to build healthy cells. But when the levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol, drastically increase in the body, one is at risk of developing fatty deposits in blood vessels, which disrupt blood flow in arteries and can even lead to clot formation, which may cause heart attack or stroke.
In an interview with lagatar24.com, Dr Vijayshree Prasad, senior consultant dietician at MEDICA shared, “Cholesterol plays an extremely important part in the body. The waxy substance found in the blood helps in building healthy cells.”
“However, there is a limit to the amount of cholesterol that our bodies should contain, High cholesterol can have adverse effects on the body. With high cholesterol, blood vessels develop fatty deposits, which further leads to an increase in the risk of heart disease. With a few lifestyle changes, bad cholesterol levels can be reduced,” she added.
Dr Vijayshree further said that high cholesterol often goes undetected as there are hardly any warning signs that your body exhibits. But if you are consuming foods rich in saturated and trans fats and leading an inactive lifestyle, you have an increased chance of developing high cholesterol. Managing cholesterol is, however, not a herculean task at all, and one only needs to let go of certain harmful habits.
Dr Vijayshree while sharing tips to manage cholesterol levels, says that being careless about eating may be doing great harm to your health, but modifying food habits, avoiding packaged products, exercising regularly and handling stress effectively can reverse the risk. She listed a few important tips to manage cholesterol levels:
- Eating excessive fatty foods like meat, dairy and sugar can escalate your overall cholesterol levels as it contributes to the fat deposits on your liver. You must include vitamin and fibre rich foods like seeds, nuts, leafy vegetables and whole grains in your diet to regulate your cholesterol levels.
- Be it preserved or frozen ready-to-cook food items, a large amounts of preservatives is added to the food to increase its shelf life which can increase your cholesterol levels when consumed. Always go for fresh foods instead of packaged food items to avoid having those preservatives.
- Lack of exercise can lead to excess fat, which adds to the fat deposits on your liver and increases your cholesterol. Regular exercise can keep your weight and cholesterol in check.
- Consuming alcohol, smoking, and high-stress levels play a major role in your cholesterol levels. These issues tend to increase the pressure on your heart and trigger anxiety. Reducing junk food, avoiding alcohol and smoking, can regulate your cholesterol levels to a great extent and give you the healthy lifestyle you aspire for.
