Cholesterol What is

Cholesterol is a fatty substance, vital for good health. It helps

form cell membranes, various hormones, bile and vitamin D. We get
Management cholesterol? some cholesterol from our diet but most is made in our liver.

Understanding Why should I lower my How to improve your Nadia Malik

cholesterol cholesterol? cholesterol
Enjoy a varied diet: Be active more often Maintain a healthier Regular blood
Having too much cholesterol in your blood can weight pressure checks
Cholesterol and other blood fats are increase your risk of heart disease and can
carried in the blood by proteins. increase your risk of a heart attack, stroke or
There are two main types of cholesterol; angina.

If you have diabetes,

If you smoke, Keep alcohol to sensible If you are prescribed
keep it under good
give up! limits a medicine, take it
control
Low density High density
lipoprotein (LDL)- lipoprotein (HDL)-
often called often called
“bad cholesterol” “good cholesterol”

Why am I being advised to Medication

lower my cholesterol? Losing weight, being more active and having a healthier diet can help educe cholesterol but
you may need to take medication to help reduce your cholesterol.
Anyone can have high cholesterol, even if they are slim, eat well and are physically You may have read bad press about statins but don’t get put off by talk of headaches and
active. Most people won’t notice any tell-tale signs of high cholesterol. Your health muscle pains, these are often caused by something other than your medication.
care professional may have advised you to lower your cholesterol because: If you don‘t get on with a statin, there are other medications you can try.
Above the normal High risk of heart disease
level Statins are the most common medicine for high cholesterol. They reduce the amount of
cholesterol your body makes.

Ezetimibe- helps stop your body taking in cholesterol from food.- It usually lowers
cholesterol levels within 2 weeks. Ezetimibe is often prescribed alongside a statin because
they work in different ways, so the effects add up to lower your cholesterol further.

Bempedoic acid- lowers cholesterol in the blood by reducing the production of cholesterol
Your risk also increases as you get older and if you have other risk factors: in the liver. It can be used when statins are not suitable and ezetimibe is not working well
enough on its own.
Type 2 Too much fat High blood You smoke South Asian
diabetes around your middle pressure origin
Further information
https://patient.info/heart-health/high-cholesterol
https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/publications/heart-conditions/understanding-cholesterol
https://www.heartuk.org.uk/downloads/health-professionals/publications/understanding-cholesterol.pdf