For a long time it was assumed that a restructuring of the menu would make a decisive contribution to lowering high cholesterol levels. Apparently this is not the case: the diet seems to have little effect on the cholesterol level. Because blood lipid levels are often genetically determined. If they are permanently increased, this can lead to calcification of the arteries and even trigger a heart attack or stroke.
The body needs cholesterol
Cholesterol doesn’t just have its downsides. According to Johannes Wechsler, President of the Federal Association of German Nutritional Medicine (BDEM), a healthy amount of the fat-like substance plays an important role for the human body. We need cholesterol, for example, for cell building, for the formation of vitamin D or for the production of the female hormone estrogen. The body either makes the substance itself or absorbs it through food.
Two types of cholesterol
Nevertheless, a distinction must be made between “good” and “bad” cholesterol. One speaks of HDL (the “good” high density lipoprotein) and LDL (the “bad” low density lipoprotein). Since the former transports excess fat in the blood to the liver, it has a protective function for the arteries. LDL in turn ensures that fat particles adhere to the cells. As a result, vessels can become blocked and the risk of a heart attack increases. “LDL cholesterol should not be above 150 mg / dl if there is a single additional risk factor for cardiovascular diseases,” explains Wechsler. If there are other pre-existing conditions, the LDL should not exceed 100 mg / dl, in some cases even 70 mg / dl. In order to keep an eye on the values, it is important to have them checked once a year.
Change of diet without much influence
So far it has been assumed that a change in diet can counteract increased cholesterol levels. But in people with inherited hypercholesterolemia, diet has little impact. “Because of a genetic defect, it is difficult for you to take cholesterol from the blood into the liver. Your cholesterol level rises, ”explains Professor Ulrich Laufs, cardiologist at Leipzig University Hospital. Experts suspect that a certain diet can only successfully lower LDL levels by between five and 30 percent. Nevertheless, healthy eating and physical activity do no harm. You can prevent a heart attack or stroke.
It is worth a try…
If people with high cholesterol levels still want to take care of their diet, Antje Gahl from the German Nutrition Society (DGE) suggests the following: “The right choice of fats should be paramount: vegetable oils, margarine, nuts and fatty fish are preferred . “It is also important to eat more unsaturated fatty acids instead of saturated fatty acids, for example from animal foods. Processed foods can quickly become a fat trap. In combination with regular exercise and not using alcohol and nicotine, nutrition can at least make a small contribution to lowering cholesterol. In the case of genetically determined hypercholesterolemia, only medication helps.
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