September is Heart Awareness Month and Mopani Pharmacy White River’s Responsible Pharmacist, Susan de Jager, explains how you can “heart your heart”, by looking after your cholesterol levels.
Tell us about cholesterol?
“We all need cholesterol in our lives, but too much of a good thing is sometimes bad, especially for your heart”, Susan explained.
Cholesterol is important because it:
- Builds the structure of cell membranes
- Makes hormones like oestrogen, testosterone, cortisol and adrenaline
- Helps your metabolism work efficiently; cholesterol is essential for your body to produce vitamin D
- Produces bile acids, which help the body digest fat and absorb important nutrients
“Supplements may work to lower cholesterol, but slowly. The main drawback of supplements is that they must be taken daily, and they don’t work overnight, but cholesterol-lowering medications such as statins work faster.”
What is high cholesterol?
“You may be diagnosed with high blood cholesterol if you consistently have high levels of bad cholesterol (LDL or lipids) in your blood lipogram result. This test can be performed at your nearest doctor or the Mopani Pharmacy Wellness Clinic. One out of every three adults have high cholesterol”, she explained.
“Untreated, high LDL can lead to the build-up of plaque in the blood vessels, called atherosclerosis. Plaque build-up increases your risk for heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery disease. The most common cause of LDL is genetics and an unhealthy lifestyle can also contribute to this”
How do we prevent high cholesterol?
- Adopt heart-healthy lifestyle changes
- Eat healthy and aim for a healthy weight
- Be physically active
- Quit smoking
You only have one heart, and you should not be the one to break it. Speak to your Mopani Pharmacist to recommend a supplement and advise on how to take them. Supplements may contra-indicate other supplements and medications. You can visit any of our Clinics, without an appointment as well.
What supplements can be taken to help lower bad cholesterol?
Article Supplied by Mopani Pharmacy.