WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?

Cholesterol is a type of fat made in the liver and found

in animal foods.

CHOLESTEROL IS NEEDED FOR

IMPORTANT BODY FUNCTIONS. Such as...

•Building cell walls•Protecting nerves•Making hormones.

THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF CHOLESTEROL.

• THE GOOD. (HDL or High Density Lipid)

• THE BAD and the UGLY!! (LDL or Low Density Lipid.)

A higher level of HDL is needed to carry

LDL from the BLOOD back to the LIVER to be ELIMINATED from

the body.

If there is a higher level of LDL cholesterol in the

BLOOD this may:

• Cause high blood pressure!• Raise your risk of heart attack!• Raise your risk of stroke!• Cause the kidneys to fail!

HOW ??

Cholesterol is broken down into LDL which is

needed by the body cells. Once the cells are satisfied the unused LDL remains to become what is known as

blood cholesterol.

The main danger of high blood cholesterol is that fatty

plaques may form which will decrease the diameter of

blood vessels. This leads to a restriction of the flow of blood and oxygen to the tissues of

the body.

• If an artery supplying blood to the HEART becomes blocked you may have a heart attack!

• If an artery supplying blood to the BRAIN becomes blocked you may have a Stroke!

• If an artery supplying blood to the kidney becomes blocked you may suffer kidney failure.

WHAT CAUSES HIGH BLOOD

CHOLESTEROL?

The main causes are:• Eating too much high saturated

fat. i.e. fat found in butter and dairy products, cakes, biscuits and take away foods.

• Being overweight.• Not exercising.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO LOWER

YOUR CHOLESTEROL?

YOU CAN ……eat more:

• Fruits and vegetables.• Fibre rich foods, e.g. oats and wholemeal bread.

YOU CAN…. eat less• Fried, take away, fast foods.• High fat dairy products and

eggs.• Non - Veg….• Saturated fats and oils.• Biscuits, cakes and pastries.

YOU CAN... USE

• Unsaturated oils (olive oil) instead of lard.

• Low fat cooking methods: steaming, grilling and microwaving.

YOU SHOULD…

•Make exercise a part of your day. (Walking is good).

•No smoking•Drink more water.

THE LINK BETWEEN BLOOD

CHOLESTEROL LEVELS AND

HEART DISEASE IS CLEAR.

STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT IF AN AVERAGE MAN CAN

REDUCE HIS BLOOD CHOLESTEROL BY ONLY 10% HE CAN REDUCE HIS RISK OF

HEART ATTACK BY UP TO 50%!!

Start NOW to make the changes because…..

YOUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING ARE

IMPORTANT

TO YOU AND TO US!!