Yes, you should pay attention to borderline high cholesterol (around 200-239 mg/dL total), not for immediate panic, but as a warning sign to implement lifestyle changes and monitor it closely with your doctor, as it indicates an increased risk for future heart disease, especially with other risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, or family history. It's an opportunity to act early by improving diet, increasing exercise, managing weight, and potentially quitting smoking to prevent it from becoming high and causing plaque buildup in arteries.
Try to make the following healthy changes:
Having a borderline high cholesterol level doesn't necessarily mean you're at immediate risk of a heart attack or stroke. However, it can indicate an increased likelihood of developing cardiovascular problems over time, especially if other risk factors are present.
The body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells. But high levels of cholesterol can raise the risk of heart disease. With high cholesterol, fats and other substances can build up in blood vessels called arteries. This buildup is called plaque.
Less than 5% doesn't get any medicine. Then 5% to 7.5% is borderline risk and we talk to the patient about what their risks are and whether we recommend medicine or not.” For a risk of “7.5% to 19%, we really think they need a medicine, and we'll try to recommend that.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.
If your risk is very low, you probably won't need a statin, unless your LDL is above 190 mg/dL (4.92 mmol/L ). If your risk is very high — for example, you've had a heart attack in the past — a statin may be helpful even if you don't have high cholesterol.
It can also be caused by eating fatty food, not exercising enough, being overweight, smoking and drinking alcohol. You can lower your cholesterol by eating healthily and getting more exercise. Some people also need to take medicine.
Can you have high cholesterol and still be healthy? Yes, you can have a low risk of heart disease with higher-than-average cholesterol, according to Dr. Cannon. If you don't have any other risk factors, your overall risk for cardiovascular problems may be very low even if you have high cholesterol.
There are usually no symptoms of high cholesterol. But if left untreated, it can lead to heart attack and stroke. It's often a hidden risk factor which means it can happen without us knowing until it's too late.
What are the worst foods for high cholesterol?
Borderline high: 200-239. High: 240 or higher.
Other Warning Signs of High Cholesterol: Body & Systemic Symptoms
Stress. Stress doesn't directly raise your cholesterol but it can lead to unhealthy ways of coping which can raise your cholesterol and your risk of heart disease. For example, you might want to eat unhealthy food such as pizza and takeaways, drink more alcohol or smoke. Stress can affect your health in other ways too.
High intake of foods containing unhealthy fats (saturated fats and trans fats) – such as fatty meats and deli-style meats, butter, cream, ice cream, coconut oil, palm oil and most deep-fried takeaway foods and commercially baked products (such as pies, biscuits, buns and pastries).
To remove cholesterol from your body, adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle by eating more soluble fiber (oats, beans, fruits) and healthy fats (olive oil, fish), exercising regularly (30 mins most days), losing excess weight, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol, as these changes lower bad LDL cholesterol and raise good HDL cholesterol, with some people needing medication for more severe cases.
Oatmeal, oat bran and high-fiber foods
Oatmeal has soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol. Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, apples and pears.
Instead of saturated fats, switch to foods with healthier fats, such as lean meat, nuts, and unsaturated oils like canola, olive, and safflower oils. Limit foods with cholesterol. If you are trying to lower your cholesterol, you should have less than 200 mg a day of cholesterol.
Other medicines for high cholesterol
Other medicines may be used if statins do not work or you do not want to take statins. These include: other tablets – such as ezetimibe, fibrates, bile acid sequestrants (also called resins) and bempedoic acid. injections – such as alirocumab, evolocumab and inclisiran.
Your weight. Being overweight or obese may contribute to increasing your cholesterol levels. Excess weight can disrupt the balance of fats in your body and affect your LDL cholesterol, regardless of your diet.
“The body creates cholesterol in amounts much larger than what you can eat, so avoiding foods that are high in cholesterol won't affect your blood cholesterol levels very much.” About 85% of the cholesterol in the circulation is manufactured by the body in the liver.
A few changes in your diet can reduce cholesterol and improve your heart health:
Numbness and tingling: Yes. Narrowed arteries caused by high cholesterol can restrict blood flow to the arms, legs, hands, or feet, leading to these sensations. Joint pain: Indirectly. High cholesterol contributes to inflammation, which may worsen existing joint discomfort, especially in patients with arthritis.
Making simple changes in your lifestyle is often enough to bring borderline cholesterol levels down to the normal range. Some people may also need to take medicine for it. And keep in mind that other things, like diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking, also affect your heart health; it's not just about cholesterol.
Consuming high-fat or full fat dairy products or sugary foods can temporarily elevate cholesterol and triglyceride levels, giving a misleading picture of your lipid profile. This occurs because the body metabolizes fats and sugars into lipids, which circulate in the blood.