Understand the Causes and Improvements of High Cholesterol
17/01/2023
Many people think that high cholesterol only encountered by obese or middle-aged people, and mostly young people feel that it has nothing to do with them. However, Hong Kong people generally like to "eat well" and eat a lot of high cholesterol foods inadvertently. In addition, due to the influence of unhealthy living habits or genetic factors, general public may have high cholesterol problems at any time without knowing it, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in result.
What is the cause of high cholesterol? How to improve high cholesterol? Read the article to know more!
Main Causes of High Cholesterol
1.Eating habits
Excessive Consumption of High Saturated Fat and Trans Fat
Food contains High Saturated Fat
Animal fat
Coconut oil, palm oil
Animal oil products (cakes, cookies etc.)
Whole milk and its products (ice cream, cheese etc.)
Food contains High Trans Fat
Margarine, vegetable shortening,
hydrogenated vegetable oil and their products
(vegetable butter, fried fries, egg roll etc.)
2.Unhealthy lifestyle habits
Smoking: Lower ‘good’ cholesterol level (HDL-C), lower the ability of removing ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL-C) of liver
Alcoholism: Increase liver burden and risk of high cholesterol
3.Genetic factor
Have family history of high cholesterol, or family members with premature cardiovascular disease
Improvements of High Cholesterol: "Eating right" is more important than "eating well"
1.Consume food that helps lower cholesterol
Foods containing soluble fiber, unsaturated fat, or isoflavones can help lower cholesterol
Soluble Fiber
Oats
Blond psyllium
Okra
Cloud ear fungus
Beans
Fruit with rich pectin
(apple, citrus, banana etc.)
Unsaturated Fat
Avocado
Abyssal fish (salmon, mackerel etc.)
Seeds (flaxseed, chia seed etc.)
Nuts (walnut, pine nut etc.)
Vegetable oil (olive oil, canola oil etc.)
Isoflavones
Soybean and its products
(Tofu, soy milk, fresh beancurd etc.)
2. Consume less foods contain high saturated fats and trans fats
3. Remove skin and visible fat when consuming meat
Improvements of High Cholesterol: Cultivate healthy lifestyle habits
1.Exercise more
Aerobic exercise can help increase the level of ‘good cholesterol’ and remove the ‘bad’ cholesterol in the blood vessels
At least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week is recommended
2. Quit smoking and alcohol
Quitting smoking can help increase good cholesterol levels
Quitting alcohol can reduce the burden on the liver and help remove bad cholesterol
The major cause of high cholesterol is related to eating habits. After improving dietary and lifestyle habits for a period, cholesterol levels will usually gradually decrease. However, if the above improvement methods are not effective, it may be caused by familial hypercholesterolemia.
Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a hereditary hypercholesterolemia disease, with an average of one out of every two hundred people suffering. Different from general high cholesterol, FH patients have impaired cholesterol recycling function, in which their cholesterol level is way higher than the normal high cholesterol people. The risk of having cardiovascular disease of FH patients is 20 times higher than normal people. Even with improved dietary and lifestyle habits, cholesterol level in FH patients remains high. Medication is the only way to control cholesterol levels in such patients.
GemVCare FH9 Test: Accurately determine whether you have FH
Genetic testing is the most reliable method for diagnosing FH. It does not require blood examination but simply collects saliva to extract genes for analysis. GemVCare FH9 test strategically detects the latest 9 genes that associated with FH. By effectively identifying the genetic variation that causes FH, FH9 test helps formulate a personalized treatment plan to reduce low-density cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of early cardiovascular diseases.
If you find your cholesterol level continuously exceeding the normal level even with improvement of dietary and lifestyle habits, or if there are family members with high cholesterol levels or premature cardiovascular disease (men before the age of 50; women before the age of 60 ), GemVCare FH9 test is recommended. When a disease-causing gene mutation is found, we will provide a discount on testing the same gene mutation to other family members to support the needs of you and your family.
References：
自細已患高膽固醇？控制飲食未必見效 基因問題增心血管致死風險 | 香港01 https://www.hk01.com/article/793993?utm_source=01articlecopy&utm_medium=referral