Having high cholesterol puts you at a greater risk of heart attacks and strokes
A cardiac nurse has shared two ways to lower your cholesterol levels in “two to three weeks”. Following her advice could therefore reduce your risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Having high cholesterol means you have too much of a fatty substance known as cholesterol in your blood. Over time this can harden and narrow your arteries, preventing proper blood flow.
Luckily there are steps we can take to help bring down our cholesterol levels. Writing for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), cardiac nurse Ruth Goss shared her insights.
She said: “Being told you have high cholesterol can be worrying, and you may be wondering how long it will take for your blood cholesterol to come back down to a healthy level. It’s important to lower high cholesterol because it can cause the build-up of fatty deposits in your blood vessels (arteries), which, over time, can increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
“And although lowering your cholesterol is not something you can do overnight, there are lots of things you can do to bring it down and possibly see results within two to three weeks.”
According to Ruth, the two “main” ways to reduce cholesterol are:
Lifestyle changes
Firstly Ruth recommended tackling your diet. Reducing how much saturated fat you eat and eating more fibre, as well as following a balanced diet like the Mediterranean diet, can “help reduce cholesterol levels by as up to 10 per cent typically by eight to 12 weeks”.
She added: “Making these changes to your diet for the long-term will not only help lower your cholesterol levels but will also help manage other risk factors for heart and circulatory disease.”
Exercising is also important for reducing cholesterol. She noted that 150 minutes of physical activity a week could help slash “bad” cholesterol.
Further to this, Ruth advised quitting smoking. This is because the habit can make cholesterol “stickier”, meaning it clings to your blood vessel walls more easily.
“It can also lower the amount of good cholesterol – called HDL-cholesterol – which helps to remove any cholesterol that’s stuck to your artery walls,” she said. “Both of these actions mean fatty deposits can build up in your arteries faster if you smoke, increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke.
“If you stop smoking, your blood becomes less sticky within two to three weeks and this helps reduce your bad cholesterol.”
Medication
If you have high cholesterol levels your doctor might prescribe certain medications. “For some people, lifestyle changes alone are not enough to lower cholesterol levels, and your doctor may advise you to start taking medicines to help manage it,” Ruth said.
“If you’re concerned about starting medicines, speak to your doctor about your options.” One of the most commonly used medicines to tackle high cholesterol is statins.
According to Ruth, these can make a difference to your cholesterol in three to four weeks. However, statins will not be suitable for everyone – in which case your doctor may prescribe something else.
If you are concerned about your cholesterol levels, you should speak to your GP.