How to deal with your cholesterol

By Injil Abu Bakar

NEW YORK (JP): Shrimp is full of cholesterol. But the real cholesterol danger lurks in the slyly packaged "cholesterol-free" cookie. You see, shrimp contains very little of the saturated fat that makes that cookie taste so good. And it's the saturated fat in food -- not the cholesterol -- that has the greatest effect on your cholesterol level.

No wonder people are confused. Here's your guide to understanding what it all means, because what is clear is the link between high cholesterol in your blood and heart disease.

Here you'll find out whether you need a cholesterol test and what "good" cholesterol is, along with quick tips for creating heart-healthy diet.

What you won't find is a recipe for those cookies.

Cholesterol, a white, waxy fat found naturally in your body, is used to build cell walls and make certain hormones. Too much of it, though, can clog your arteries and eventually choke off the supply of blood to the heart, which is the reason high cholesterol is a leading risk factor for heart disease. Other factors that put you at risk include high blood pressure, smoking, a family history of heart disease, being male, diabetes and obesity.

Putting cholesterol to the test

Who should be tested? Everyone aged 20 and older, according to the American National Cholesterol Education Program, although some studies and medical economists believe this may be overcautious. Their advice: Men with no risk factors can wait until age 35 to be tested. Similarly, women, until age 45.

When? Once every five years.

By whom? Preferably by your doctor, who can measure LDL as well as total cholesterol. If you use an outside service, check to see that testers are doctors, nurses or medical technicians; get a written copy of your results to show to your doctor.

What does it means? The test measures the total amount of cholesterol in your blood: the HDL or "good" cholesterol, which cleanses arteries; plus the LDL or "bad" cholesterol, which builds up and clogs arteries. Here are guidelines for reading your test results.

If your cholesterol level places you in the borderline group and you have two or more of the risk factors listed above, you're actually at high risk for heart disease.

Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise three or four times a week may be all you need to raise the level of beneficial HDL in your bloodstream. Working out also helps control weight, lower blood pressure and reduce stress.

Suggestions: brisk walking, running, swimming, cycling, dancing, jumping rope, skating, aerobics.

Following a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet can usually reduce your blood cholesterol by about 10 percent to 15 percent, thus lowering your risk of heart disease by 20 percent to 30 percent. Individual results will vary, depending on genetic makeup and past eating habits.

Here are tips on how to change the fat content of your meals.

Reduce saturated fat, which raises the level of harmful LDL cholesterol in your blood (butter, whole milk, cheese, ice cream, red meat, palm oil, palm kernel oil, coconut oil, hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils). How to do it:

* Cut out meat products high in fat (hamburger, bacon, sausage).

* Read labels carefully, and beware of foods that contain large amounts of hydrogenated vegetables oils, cocoa butter, coconut and palm oil, beef fat or lard.

* Remove the skin from poultry, trim the fat around meat, and eat lean beef, pork or veal.

* Prepare at least one meatless meal a week.

* Snack on pretzels, air-popped popcorn and fruit instead of candy, nuts and chips.

* Drink skim or low-fat milk, and be aware that cream substitutes are made with tropical oils.

* Eat low-fat cheese, such as part-skim mozzarella.

Reduce cholesterol (eggs, meats, butter, whole milk).

* Cook with egg whites instead of whole eggs.

* Avoid commercially prepared cookies, cakes and pies.

* Limit portion sizes of lean meat, fish and poultry to no more than six ounces a day, or about the size of two decks of cards.

* Eliminate organ meats (liver, brain, kidney) from your diet.

* Eat more water-soluble fiber, such as oat bran, legumes and fruit, which may help lower cholesterol levels when made part of a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.

Eat unsaturated fats. Polyunsaturates lower your total blood cholesterol level -- both LDL and HDL (corn oil, sunflower seed oil, safflower oil). Monounsaturates lower LDL levels but leave the beneficial HDL intact (olive oil, canola oil).

* Cook and bake with vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, corn, soybean and olive.

* Make your own salad dressing.

* Use soft margarine.

-- The writer, injila@hotmail.com, is a general practitioner based in Denpasar, Bali.