Cholesterol is a fat found in the blood that plays an essential role in building cells, producing hormones, and supporting many other vital functions. However, when blood cholesterol levels become too high, it becomes a silent danger to cardiovascular health.
Many people do not realize they have high cholesterol, because the condition often does not cause obvious symptoms in the early stages. Over time, excess cholesterol, especially “bad” LDL cholesterol, can build up in the artery walls, forming plaques and narrowing blood vessels. This increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases.
More worryingly, some people with normal overall cholesterol levels are at high risk due to the presence of small, dense, harmful cholesterol particles that are not detected by conventional testing. So understanding and controlling cholesterol properly not only helps protect your heart but also helps maintain overall health and prolong life.
How to optimize your cholesterol?
Here are 6 steps to help you control your cholesterol effectively:
1. Get a proper cholesterol test
You must check the particle size and particle count by asking your doctor for a particle size test. Other cholesterol tests are outdated. Regular cholesterol tests will not reveal particle size. The tests to do are the NMR Lipid Panel from LabCorp or the Cardio IQ Test from Quest Diagnostics. Ask for one of these tests. This is the only way to know what is really going on with your cholesterol. You want to see results that show a lot of safe, light, fluffy, and large cholesterol particles. You do not want to see small, dense, artery-damaging cholesterol particles.
2. Check for metabolic syndrome or obesity diabetes
If you have small LDL and HDL particles or high triglycerides (over 100), you may have metabolic syndrome. If your triglyceride/HDL ratio is over 2, you may also have obesity diabetes. Ask for a glucose-insulin challenge test or insulin response test. Most doctors do not do this test to look for insulin; they only check for glucose. This test is done by checking your glucose and insulin after fasting. You then drink a 75-gram glucose drink and your insulin and blood sugar are remeasured every 1 and 2 hours. You should also ask your doctor to check your hemoglobin A1C, which is a measure of your blood sugar over the past six weeks. If it is greater than 5.5 percent, you may have metabolic syndrome.
3. Eat a healthy diet with good fats
Choosing healthy fats is key to improving cholesterol levels and protecting your heart. Instead of eliminating fat completely, you should prioritize using good fat sources such as avocados, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, wild fatty fish, nuts and seeds. These foods help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol, increase “good” HDL cholesterol and limit the risk of plaque buildup in the arteries, thereby bringing long-term benefits to heart health.
4. Eat a low-glycemic diet
In addition to healthy fats, focus on a high-fiber, plant-based diet rich in phytonutrients and omega-3 fats. Include plenty of non-starchy vegetables. Eat plenty of good-quality protein found in beans, seeds, nuts and high-quality, sustainably raised or grass-fed animal proteins.
This diet not only helps reduce cholesterol but also stabilizes blood sugar, controls weight and improves overall health.
5. Exercise regularly to improve cardiovascular health
Exercise is the golden medicine that nature gives you to help optimize your cholesterol levels safely and sustainably. When exercising, the body will stimulate fat metabolism, thereby reducing “bad” LDL cholesterol and increasing “good” HDL cholesterol.
You don’t have to spend hours in the gym or run dozens of kilometers every day. Just persisting in simple activities such as walking briskly for about 30 minutes a day is enough to bring positive changes to the cardiovascular system. For those who are used to exercising, combining weight training or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) will help increase efficiency, significantly improve cardiovascular health and stabilize blood lipid levels in the long term.
The important thing is to maintain regularity and make exercise an indispensable habit in daily life. Just a little effort every day will always keep your heart firmly protected.
6. Quality sleep
Few people realize that sleep also plays an equally important role in controlling cholesterol and protecting cardiovascular health. When you do not get enough sleep or poor quality sleep, your body will easily fall into a state of hormonal imbalance, especially stress hormone (cortisol), which leads to blood sugar disorders and negatively affects the process of blood fat metabolism.
A deep and adequate sleep of 7 to 8 hours every night is a great “recovery medicine” to help rebalance the nervous system, improve cardiovascular activity and keep cholesterol levels within safe limits. To achieve quality sleep, you should limit the use of phones, televisions or electronic devices at least one hour before going to bed. Instead, create a quiet, relaxing space for yourself, read a book lightly or listen to soothing music so that your body gradually enters a state of rest. Sleep is not only a time for the body to rest, but also a golden time for your heart to recover and protect against potential damage caused by high cholesterol.
