Question : I AM in my mid-fifties. A recent blood test showed my total cholesterol as 7. How can I reduce my total cholesterol level naturally?

Answer : DIET and physical activities play an important role in regulating total cholesterol level. A sedentary lifestyle is a risk factor for high cholesterol level and subsequently heart disease. Regular exercise can help to control your blood cholesterol levels.

It is best to avoid or limit high cholesterol foods which include red meat, chicken with skin and fat, and egg yolks.

Try to reduce the intake of food rich in saturated fats such as ghee, coconut milk, butter and dairy products.

Use unsaturated oil in small amounts for cooking. Limit your intake of prawns, crabs, squids and shellfish.

Instead, choose fibre-rich whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, oat bran and peas that are high in soluble fibre.

Supplementing your diet with red yeast rice may help you manage high cholesterol levels.

Red yeast rice extract contains monacolins that lower cholesterol and promote an overall healthy serum lipid levels by inhibiting activity of the enzyme hydroxymethyglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase.

Cholesterol-lowering medications such as statins can reduce the levels of coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant produced by the heart and other tissues to protect cells from damage.

Therefore, you should also supplement yourself with coenzyme Q10.

Besides red yeast rice extract, lecithin may also help maintain healthy cholesterol levels as it has the ability to emulsify cholesterol into smaller particles to be utilised by individual cells, thus maintaining healthy cholesterol levels in the blood.

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