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Suffering From High Cholesterol? Ways To Manage LDL Levels In Winter
Winter is the time when you may eat and drink freely, but it also has dangerous repercussions with a significant rise in bad cholesterol levels, which if not regulated can give you serious complications like heart attacks and stroke. Hence, you need to follow some simple tips to live a healthy life even when it's cold.
Updated Dec 9, 2023 , 03:17 PM IST
It is important to achieve and maintain healthy and balanced cholesterol levels by making some changes in your diet
New Delhi: Winter can create havoc with your cholesterol levels.
According to experts, in the cold weather, you may often find yourself increasing the intake of unhealthy foods high in saturated and trans fats, reducing physical activity which causes changes in medication absorption. These factors also contribute to elevated cholesterol levels and increase the risk of cardiovascular complications.
With high levels of LDL or bad cholesterol, you can develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels which eventually grow, making it difficult for enough blood to flow through your arteries. These deposits can break suddenly and form a clot that causes a stroke, heart attack angina pain, or high blood pressure issues.
And to avoid that happening, you can take note of the following tips:
Maintain a healthy diet
It is important to achieve and maintain healthy and balanced cholesterol levels by making some changes in your diet, especially in winter. Make sure to:
- Avoid eating foods high in saturated and trans fats like junk and processed foods
- Increase the intake of lean sources of protein like chicken and fish for non-vegetarian and legumes and beans for vegetarians
- Eat high-fibre foods like fresh fruits and vegetables
- Eat lots of baked and roasted foods that taste well in the cold weather
Stay active
Even though it is difficult to maintain a regular workout and exercise regime in the cold weather, it is imperative to do so for the sake of your heart health.
Regular movement and an active lifestyle help to eliminate the dangerous, fatty LDL cholesterol by increasing HDL cholesterol. Apart from toning your body, exercise also helps you lose weight, which considerably shoots up HDL.
Doctors advise going for brisk walking, jogging, and aerobic exercises which are repetitive and work multiple muscle groups, as the best exercise to reduce cholesterol.
Get enough vitamin D
Winter is the time when sun basking not only helps you accumulate lots of vitamin D but also gives you energy.
According to experts, vitamin D regulates calcium metabolism and increases intestinal calcium absorption, thereby reducing intestinal fatty acid absorption. 1
It helps lower cholesterol levels with a reduction in intestinal fat absorption. 2
You can get vitamin D by sitting out in the sun for at least an hour, as long as you don’t have sunscreen on. Sunscreens block the skin’s absorption of the vitamin.
Manage your stress
Cortisol levels may increase in cold weather, raising your body’s blood glucose level, which in turn creates more triglyceride production. Higher triglycerides then create higher cholesterol levels.
And so, it is important to keep your stress response under control as a great way to manage cholesterol levels for the long term. 3
Many studies have also concluded that while stress itself isn't the only culprit, how an individual reacts to and manages stress is also important. Those who manage stress in unhealthy ways - hostility, social isolation, or self-blame, tend to have lower levels of HDL cholesterol.
Limit consumption of alcohol
In winter, you may want to drink more with more socializing with family and friends. And so, drinking alcohol raises the triglycerides and cholesterol in your blood. 4
If your triglyceride levels become too high, they can build up in the liver, causing fatty liver disease and other health issues as well. Experts say your liver cannot work as well as it should and will not be able to remove cholesterol from your blood, so your cholesterol levels rise.
According to current recommendations from experts, moderate alcohol intake would mean one drink per day or less for females and two drinks per day or less for males. However, if you fall into the heavy drinking category, just stop drinking at all to significantly reduce your risk of heart disease.
Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.
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