Healthy lifestyle: lowering cholesterol naturally

Elevated cholesterol levels can trigger arteriosclerosis and thus cardiovascular disease. To prevent this, you should keep your cholesterol levels at a healthy level. General measures such as a healthier diet and more exercise are often enough to improve your heart health. If you are thinking of doing without and spending endless hours in the gym, you are wrong - because "healthy" can be very tasty and fun.

Doctors recommend four basic measures to protect against cardiovascular disease:

• Eat a healthy and varied diet
• Get plenty of exercise
• Reduce your weight
• Do not smoke

A diet that is low in so-called saturated fatty acids but high in unsaturated fats can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. You should not avoid fats altogether, as they are not only important as flavor carriers, but are also needed by the body. Instead, it makes sense to replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats wherever possible - in other words, eat more plant-based foods and fish than meat and high-fat dairy products. At the same time, eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, pulses and nuts. This type of diet is also known as "Mediterranean"; you can find cookbooks with delicious recipes under this heading in any bookshop, and you can also search for them on the internet. To learn more about heart-healthy diet you can explore Heartuk.org.uk.

Whether lipid metabolism disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes or obesity - physical activity can have a positive effect on many risk factors, including cholesterol levels. It has been proven that regular exercise increases the "good" HDL cholesterol, which protects the blood vessels. The "bad" LDL cholesterol, on the other hand, is not automatically influenced. However, if physical activity contributes to weight reduction, LDL cholesterol can drop significantly under certain circumstances. So every kilo counts here.

Across the UK and Ireland, patients recovering from heart conditions can take part in medically supervised cardiac rehabilitation programmes. These programmes are led by qualified professionals and typically include exercise, stress management, healthy eating, and weight management support.

You can access cardiac rehabilitation either in person or from the comfort of your home. The British Heart Foundation offers a comprehensive guide to home-based cardiac rehabilitation, which includes tailored exercise plans, lifestyle advice, and emotional support.

To find out more and get started, visit the British Heart Foundation’s  page on Cardiac Rehabilitation at Home.

Quitting smoking generally reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and also improves life expectancy in other respects - regardless of the cholesterol level. It is therefore worth giving up smoking in any case, even if it does not reduce an elevated LDL cholesterol level. In addition, quitting smoking increases the "good" HDL cholesterol. In other words, pure heart protection.

In the UK and Ireland, there are a range of free, evidence-based resources to help you quit smoking. These services offer personalised support, expert advice, and access to stop smoking aids such as nicotine replacement therapies and prescription medications.

In the UK, the NHS Better Health – Quit Smoking campaign provides a wide range of tools, including the free NHS Quit Smoking app, personal quit plans, and access to local stop smoking services. You can find more information and support at Better Health Quit Smoking.

In Ireland, the HSE’s Quit Programme offers a free 12-week plan, one-to-one support, group programmes like We Can Quit, and free stop smoking medicines. You can sign up or speak to a Quit advisor by visiting HSE Quit Smoking or We Can Quit.

You can also speak to your GP or pharmacist, who can help you choose the best method for quitting and refer you to local services. According to Public Health England, combining behavioural support with stop smoking aids makes you up to three times more likely to quit successfully

If a change in lifestyle alone is not enough, sometimes medication has to be used. You can read about the treatment options available in the article "Blood lipids: statins and co."