Cholesterol – what it is and how to control it

Most people know high cholesterol is bad for their heart, but few people understand what cholesterol is. Dr. Claire Haga, a Mayo Clinic family physician, explains why it’s related to heart problems.

“You do need cholesterol to help with healthy brain formation. However, there is bad cholesterol, and this is what actually builds the plaques in our arteries,” Haga said. “And that’s where we get concerned.

“Cholesterol is a waxy substance that’s found in the fats in your blood. When you have high cholesterol, you may develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels, which eventually could make it difficult for enough blood to flow through your arteries.

“So that bad cholesterol, when those plaques build, if they rupture, they can … cause a heart attack or even cause a stroke,” Haga said.

Haga says what you eat affects your cholesterol levels, so you have some power to control it.

“Examples of transfats, a lot of this is going to be your products that are prepackaged, sometimes things like doughnuts and cookies,” Haga said. “There are things that are made with shortening, fast foods, fried foods. (You should) really try … to eliminate those.”

You also want to cut back on saturated fats that often are found in animal products, such as bacon or butter.

Haga says you can lower your cholesterol when you take in more omega-3, which is the good fat found in fish, nuts and avocados. Getting more whey protein in your diet also can lower your cholesterol.