You eat healthy, exercise, and even take medication, but your cholesterol is still too high. There may be sneaky culprits you don’t know about.
Here are some culprits:
1. You Have Genetics
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a genetic disorder you can inherit from one or both parents, prevents your body from processing cholesterol the way it should.
If you have FH, you’re born with it. That means you start with high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and it continues to rise. You may not have symptoms as an adult.
Because you can’t get rid of cholesterol, it builds up in your arteries. This creates pus that makes it harder for your blood to flow and makes your blood vessels stiffer. Over time, this can lead to heart disease. In fact, people with FH are 20 times more likely to develop heart disease than people without the condition.
Cholesterol can also build up in other parts of your body when you have FH.
It can appear in the following parts of your body:
- Stomach. Cholesterol plaques can form on your hands, feet, knees, or the skin around your eyes.
- Liver. Your Achilles tendon and some tendons in your hands may become thicker.
- Eyes. You may notice a white or gray ring around the colored part of your eye (the iris).
2. You’re Eating Hidden Fat
You may think that eating foods labeled cholesterol-free is good for your heart. But it’s equally important to pay attention to the amount of saturated fat and trans fat in your food. Consider saturated fat, trans fat, and the total calories in a serving.
To do this, limit red or processed meats and whole-fat dairy products, and avoid foods high in sugar or sodium and fried foods. Choose those with fats and oils near the end of the ingredient list, or better yet, stick to foods you know are heart-healthy.
These foods may include:
- Skim milk, low-fat or fat-free dairy products
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Whole grains
- Poultry
- Fish
- Nuts
- Non-tropical vegetable oils
3. Adjust your exercise
Assess your physical activity. Are you doing enough of the right types of healthy movements? Do repetitive exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once and get your heart pumping for at least 30 minutes, 5-7 times a week. Overtraining, especially when your body is not used to it, can lead to injury, making it difficult to exercise for long periods of time.
Try these cholesterol-lowering exercises:
- Brisk walking
- Cycling
- Swimming
- Yoga
4. Your medications
Check with your doctor to see if any of the medications you’re taking could be causing your cholesterol to rise. Some medications for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and connective tissue disorders can raise your cholesterol.
And if you’re drinking a glass of grapefruit juice in the morning along with your cholesterol-lowering statin, you may need to choose a different juice. Grapefruit juice contains a chemical that can interfere with the enzymes in your digestive system that break down statins. Ask your doctor how much grapefruit is safe for you to drink.
5. You’re still smoking
Cigarette smoke contains thousands of chemicals that damage blood vessels and raise cholesterol. A chemical called acrolein prevents HDL from carrying cholesterol away from fatty deposits and toward the liver. The liver is where cholesterol is converted into waste so it can leave the body. When this process is disrupted, cholesterol can build up, leading to narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
