4 Everyday Foods A Doctor Wants You To Swerve If Your Cholesterol's Up

<div><img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/68f63c03180000f307e8eb85.jpg?ops=scalefit_630_noupscale" alt="" data-caption="" data-credit-link-back="" data-credit="AzmanL via Getty Images" /></div><div class="content-list-component text"><p><a href="https://www.news-medical.net/news/20231028/Experts-warn-of-silent-epidemic-of-high-cholesterol-in-the-UK.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">More than half of UK adults</a> are thought to suffer with high cholesterol – yet they might not even know it. </p><p>Cholesterol is a natural fatty substance found in your blood. If you have higher levels of it (above the recommended healthy limit of 5mmol/L) it can <a href="https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/high-cholesterol" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.</a></p><p>Yet you probably wouldn’t know if you have higher levels, as it doesn’t usually cause any symptoms. The main way to tell if they’re high is to have a blood test.</p><p>Certain groups are more at risk of high cholesterol, including the over-50s, men, postmenopausal women, and people of South Asian or sub-Saharan African origin.</p><p>The issue can also run in families, which is why experts recently stressed how <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/talk-to-grandparents-about-their-health_uk_68ef601ce4b0a6936a12c9c3">crucial it is to ask the older generations about their health.</a></p><p>Another major risk factor is lifestyle – per the NHS, high cholesterol can be caused by eating fatty food, not exercising enough, being overweight, smoking, and drinking alcohol.</p><p>On the topic of diet, <a href="https://www.acibadem.com.tr/doktor/meh