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About high cholesterol
High cholesterol is a major cause of disease burden in both the developed and developing countries. It presently leads to 2.6 million deaths worldwide.4 Based on the Malaysian National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015, the prevalence of dyslipidaemia in Malaysians above the age of 18 years was 47.7% (9.6 million).5
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty substance important for proper functioning of the body.1 Cholesterol is mainly produced in the liver, but can also be found in various animal-derived foods. Having an excessively high level of cholesterol in your blood can have negative effects on your health.
What are the different types of cholesterol?
Cholesterol is carried in your blood by means of special packages called lipoproteins.1,2 Most cholesterol is transported in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
High cholesterol and its consequences
High cholesterol is a major cause of disease burden in both the developed and developing countries. It presently leads to 2.6 million deaths worldwide.4 Based on the Malaysian National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015, the prevalence of dyslipidaemia in Malaysians above the age of 18 years was 47.7% (9.6 million).5
High cholesterol is usually asymptomatic, but it increases your risks of:
How does high cholesterol cause Heart attack and Stroke?
High levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis, which is the deposition of plaques of fatty material in the inner artery walls.
Atherosclerosis that occurs in the heart may lead to heart attack, whereas atherosclerosis that occurs in the brain may lead to stroke.
Are you at risk of high cholesterol?
Your risk can be assessed through a lipid profile, which is a series of blood tests that serves as a broad screening tool for unusual abnormalities in your cholesterol and triglyceride levels.3 The lipid profile shows all four cholesterol numbers—low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides and total cholesterol—that explains the good ranges, along with risk zones pertaining to each type of cholesterol.6–9
Proper diet for healthy cholesterol levels
Cholesterol is not an essential nutrient.10 Your body can make what it needs. Therefore, there is no recommended intake for this type of fat. You should consume as little cholesterol as possible while still enjoying a healthy diet.
Lower your BAD cholesterol by reducing the amount of foods with high fat content:
Fatty cuts of meat
Poultry skin
Fried food
Boost your GOOD cholesterol by adding the following to your diet11:
Whole grains (eg, oatmeal, oat bran and whole-wheat products)
Nuts (eg, walnuts, almonds and brazil nuts)
Food rich in omega-3 fatty acids (eg, fish, fish oil supplements, flaxseeds and flaxseed oil)
