News and Events

Health Headlines

Diet, exercise key to lowering cholesterol

High cholesterol is the best known of the many threats to a healthy heart.  At normal levels, cholesterol in the bloodstream is an essential material used by the body to build cell walls and produce certain hormones.  But at higher levels, and when excess amounts of this fat-like substance build up along the walls of the arteries, there is a dramatically higher risk of blockage of the arteries, which can lead a heart attack or stroke.

Cholesterol is carried through the bloodstream attached to proteins, forming complexes called lipoproteins. There are two major types of lipoproteins: the low-density lipoproteins (LDL) commonly known as “bad” cholesterol, and the high-density lipoproteins (HDL) usually called “good” cholesterol. It’s the “bad” LDL cholesterol that tends to form deposits on the artery walls.

Steven Cherry, MD, a physician at the Gales Ferry Backus Health Center, advises his patients to limit their intake of fatty foods and increase exercise and physical activity as a way to lower their bad cholesterol.

“Unfortunately, genetic factors are also a cause of high cholesterol,” Dr. Cherry said.  “It is important for people to know their family history and have their cholesterol checked in early adulthood.  Prevention is important because once high cholesterol is diagnosed and treatment begins, the damage to the arteries is already done.”

To lower cholesterol, Dr. Cherry stresses the importance of a healthy, low-fat diet and plenty of exercise.  “At each meal, half of your plate should be non-starch vegetables, one quarter should be lean protein such as chicken or fish, and the other quarter can be starchy vegetables or carbohydrates,” he said.  “Exercise increases the good (HDL) cholesterol and decreases the bad (LDL) cholesterol, so it is very important to incorporate physical activity into a healthy lifestyle as well.”