Healthy diet, physical activity and fortified foods help reduce heart disease and stroke risk
Do you have elevated cholesterol, one of the primary risk factors for heart disease and stroke? Adopting a healthier diet with plant sterol-fortified foods and incorporating more activity into your life can help get you back on track.
A healthy diet
Lowering LDL cholesterol starts with a healthy lifestyle, including a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fats, says Wendy Shah, a clinical dietitian at the Diabetes, Hypertension & Cholesterol Centre in Calgary.
Foods high in soluble fibre – such as oats, barley, psyllium cereal, chickpeas, beans, flax seeds, apples, grapes, strawberries and citrus fruits – should be part of the daily diet, she says.
"Limit your intake of trans and saturated fats found mainly in red meat and high-fat dairy products, commercial baked goods, hard margarine, and foods made with hydrogenated fat or shortening. Healthy fat choices include liquid vegetable oils, nuts and seeds," says Ms. Shah.
Foods fortified with plant sterols
"In plants, plant sterols perform a function similar to that of cholesterol in human or animal cells," says Dr. Peter Jones, Canada Research Chair in Nutrition and Functional Foods, and director of the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals at the University of Manitoba. "They're chemical cousins to cholesterol that, in the human gastrointestinal tract, compete for the mechanisms that carry cholesterol from the intestine into our bloodstream."
In 2010, Health Canada authorized the addition of plant sterols to food in Canada. "At levels of around two grams per day, plant sterols substantially block the absorption of cholesterol," says Dr. Jones.
Increase your physical activity
To reduce cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, adopt a healthy diet and get active, says cardiologist Dr. Greg Curnew. "Aim for 10,000 steps per day and seven hours of activity each week. Reduce the amount of TV you watch and get outside with your family."
Dr. Curnew's father has heart disease, as did his father, so he's made it his life's work to stay healthy and help his patients do the same. "I eat a healthy diet, wear a pedometer to ensure I take 10,000 steps each day, and play squash to get my seven hours of activity each week. With these measures, I believe I'll live a long and healthy life."