Keeping a Check on Cholesterol

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

Cholesterol travels around the body in our blood and it is present in our cells. We all need some cholesterol to stay healthy, but high levels of cholesterol can increase our risk of heart disease. Nearly half of all adults in the UK are estimated to have high levels of cholesterol in their blood. Many people are unaware that their cholesterol is high because there are usually no symptoms.

In this healthy heart tip, we explain what cholesterol is and we provide some tips for keeping your cholesterol levels healthy. WHAT IS CHOLESTEROL?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance made in the liver and it is present in foods, such as eggs, liver and prawns. Cholesterol is needed in the cells of our body. It helps to make vitamin D and some hormones which keep our bones, teeth and muscles healthy. Cholesterol also helps our digestive system process the fats we eat. Having too much cholesterol in your blood can lead to a build-up in your arteries, which puts you at a higher risk of having a heart attack.

There are two main types of cholesterol

Low density lipoprotein (LDL) more commonly known as “bad cholesterol” and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) more commonly known as “good cholesterol”. Too much “bad” LDL cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease. The role of “good” HDL cholesterol is to transport excess cholesterol back to the liver. Therefore, it is important that you have enough “good” HDL cholesterol and not too much “bad” LDL cholesterol in your blood. WHAT CAN I DO TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY CHOLESTEROL LEVEL?

The cholesterol we eat in food has little impact on the level of cholesterol in our blood. Making some simple changes to your lifestyle can help reduce your cholesterol.

Reduce the amount of fatty foods you eat

Saturated fat increases the amount of “bad” LDL cholesterol in your blood. Saturated fat is found in foods, such as meat pies, sausages, cakes, biscuits, butter, lard, hard cheeses (e.g. cheddar), and foods containing palm or coconut oils. Replace foods that are high in saturated fat with foods containing unsaturated fats such as, olive oil, rapeseed oil, nuts, seeds and oily fish (e.g. salmon and mackerel). Aim for at least one portion of oily fish each week.

High fibre foods can reduce your risk of heart disease and help lower the amount of “bad” LDL cholesterol in your blood. Good sources of fibre include fruit and vegetables (eat at least five portions every day), brown rice, wholemeal bread, oats, beans and pulses.

Get active

Aim to do 150 minutes of moderate exercise (e.g. brisk walking, swimming or cycling) or any activity which gets your heart beating faster. Active people have increased levels of “good” HDL cholesterol meaning their bodies are good at removing the “bad” LDL cholesterol away from the arteries.

Stop smoking

Smoking reduces the levels of “good” HDL cholesterol in your blood and this can result in higher levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol. If you would like to stop smoking, you can get help from your GP or the NHS Stop Smoking Service. It is recommended that men and women avoid drinking more than 14 units of alcohol each week. Information on alcohol units can be found on the OneYou website: www.nhs.uk/oneyou/for-your-body/drink-less/know-youralcohol-units/

Take a test

It is recommended that adults over the age of 40, or anyone at high risk of heart disease should get their cholesterol levels checked. If you want a cholesterol check, you should speak to your GP. Anyone can have high cholesterol and it is very common. There are usually no symptoms so, unless you get a test, you may be unaware of your risk of developing heart disease.

You can find more healthy tips, recipes and advice at: heartresearch.org.uk

WHAT TO DO IF HAY FEVER IS AFFECTING YOUR SLEEP

BY AIRBORNE ALLERGENS EXPERT, MAX WISEBERG

If you’re finding that your hay fever is affecting your sleep and impacting on work, study or school, a simple prevention strategy and night time routine could be the answer to your dreams. It’s actually quite easy to get out of this cycle of poor sleep and feeling worse the next day, on top of debilitating hay fever symptoms. Here’s how…

Common hay fever symptoms can lead to tiredness, fatigue and exhaustion in many people. The condition can also affect how we sleep, cause sleep disturbance and make it difficult to get to sleep in the first place. These symptoms can in turn zap your energy levels, leaving you feeling low and sluggish.

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE Preventing pollen getting into the bedroom and into your body, together with a simple night time routine could lessen your symptoms and help improve your sleep. DON’T LET THE POLLEN IN! A good start is to keep your bedroom windows and door closed to prevent pollen blowing into the room. If this makes the room too hot, consider using an air filter/purifier with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particle Arresting) filter to capture the pollen and dust particles, and cool and circulate the air. Z Vacuum the bedroom regularly, including the bed, curtains and other fabrics to remove pollen particles. Pollen grains come indoors and stick to bedding. So frequent washing, covering the bed with a sheet – which is carefully folded and stored away from the bed during the night, before you get into bed – and turning pillows just before you get in, can help. Damp dust surfaces; damp dusting removes pollen particles without dispersing them into the air where

they can be breathed in. And keep blankets and cuddly toys in a cupboard to prevent the build-up of allergens on them. Pollen sticks to clothes, too, so taking clothes off and leaving them outside the bedroom can help. DRY WASHING INDOORS Dry your bed clothes indoors rather than on a clothes line to prevent pollen particles being blown onto the clothes by the outside wind (this also applies to your other clothes). If you do dry outdoors, then only put them out in the middle of the day when pollen counts are lowest. Z PETS CAN SPREAD POLLEN TOO If you own a pet then ensure that you keep it out of the bedroom. Keeping it well groomed and shampooed will remove pet allergens and pollen particles from its coat. DRINKS TO AVOID Don’t drink alcohol before bed. Beer, wine and spirits all contain histamine, the chemical that sets off allergy symptoms in your body. In addition to making you more sensitive to pollen, alcohol also dehydrates you, making your symptoms seem worse. And avoid Z WASH AWAY THE POLLEN Take a shower or bath before sleeping to remove pollen particles from your hair and body. This will also make you feel more relaxed, which will help you to sleep. GO BALMY Apply a small amount of HayMax organic drug-free allergen barrier balm (www.haymax.biz) around the nostrils and bones of the eyes before sleeping. HayMax has been proven to trap over a third of pollen before it enters the body [1]. Less allergen, less reaction. Keep a pot next to the bed so it can be re-applied as and when needed. I hope these ideas are helpful to you – do let us know. I’ll be back next month with more info. HAVE A GREAT MONTH! mucus-producing dairy drinks. Excess mucus is exactly what you don’t need if you suffer from hay fever; drink water, fruit tea, herb tea, or non-caffeinated tea instead.

REFERENCE:

[1] Chief Investigator: Professor Roy Kennedy, Principal Investigator: Louise Robertson, Researcher: Dr Mary Lewis, National Pollen and Aerobiology Research Unit, 1st February 2012.

Denise Mullen is a journalist, writer and entrepreneur.

FLIRTASTIC 50TH?

My husband Johnny ‘The Mongoose’ France had been contracting in Cornwall, projectmanaging an enormous dairy that was being refurbished, and working in temperatures of between 30-50 degrees, all in hairy socks, steel-toed boots and padded hi vis jacket. Grumpy . Doesn’t . Cover . It. I recall this interlude in our lives fondly.

I remember our chats. It appeared ‘the chafing’ was something for wifely debate during our long-distance calls. I would hear my mother’s voice as I advised him to wear cotton undies, eat plenty of fruit - and tried to talk him out of encasing his feet in some sort of industrial kilt-grade Harris Tweed. Actually I heard someone else’s mother; mine would just encourage him to hit the beer and chafing be damned.

Anyway, because of his furry-footed journey to Dante’s Cornwall, I was left to attend a good mate’s 50th bash solo.

As ever, terrific company, he and his lovely Mrs were putting on a great night. Knock out food, a bar from Lancashire’s own Spitfire Heritage Gin, lots of interesting folk to talk to, a few of whom I knew, so didn’t feel too shabby about being the one uncoupled middle-ager.

That is, until I was approached by a friend of said mate. I always look forward to a good chat with him at the bar of their local pub when J-t-m-F and I are in attendance as he always has something surprising to talk about. Usually the chat wanders hither and thither from wildlife and countryside issues to house clearance vintage finds. Surprising. I was not disappointed.

Having referenced the fact that my lovely husband was hot-foot (literally) in the very toe of England said mate-of-mate was straight in with a proposition that had nothing to do with birdlife.

He paid me a couple of compliments. OK, that’s fine. Unusual and out of our normal range of topics, but we were at a party, I was on my own, perhaps he’s just being nice I thought to myself.

Briskly moving on he offered a few scenarios that were completely left of field. One was going out to dinner. Apparently just the two of us. The other little gem was ‘no one needs to know’.

I could see my lovely mates’ eyes riveted on us. Looking after me bless ‘em.

I can remember a creeping feeling of, what I can only describe as ‘hoity toity-ness’ rising in a swathe. In fairness it may have been that second G&T, I can’t be sure. Drawing myself up to my full 5ft 6ins – a bit of shallow posturing in hindsight, the man himself is 6f 5ins – I reminded him that J-t-m-F, the man I’m married to, was still my husband. I did so thus. ‘He’s not dead, he’s just in Cornwall!’ his suggestion for alternative entertainment, I reminded him that I’m in the kind of marriage where the particular diversion he was suggesting is exclusively reserved for those who’ve signed ‘the contract.’ And that I didn’t recall a third signature on the marriage certificate. He then commenced shouting his mobile number at me. I hiked an eyebrow and announced, loudly: ‘I’m not making any effort to remember that, nor am I writing it down – duh!!’

He flounced out.

Having missed the bbq I was now officially squiffy. For some reason I decided to phone J-t-m-F. It was gone midnight. He was now hot – REALLY TIRED – and still grumpy. I didn’t mention the incident. Although in subsequent trips to our mates’ local, said lofty Romeo has endeavoured to hide behind various pillars.

I have an etiquette question though. When offered casual sex, does that mean no tie for the gentleman?