Beacon family doctor offers tips on managing your cholesterol during the holidays and year-round

The allure of delightful special dishes and desserts at holiday gatherings can make it challenging to stick to a healthy diet and regular exercise routine. Research, in fact, has shown that our levels of bad cholesterol, which are influenced by our holiday eating choices, tend to increase between November and January.

Dr. James Handtke

But many people have trouble with LDL, or what we commonly refer to as “bad cholesterol,” year-round.

We spoke with Dr. James Handtke, family doctor at Beacon Medical Group Middlebury, about cholesterol, what your numbers mean and what you should know to have a healthy approach to the cholesterol in your life.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is carried in your blood and present in every cell of your body. The body uses cholesterol to help with several important jobs: making repairs; building new tissue; assisting with digestion; producing certain hormones; and producing vitamin D.

Your liver actually creates all the cholesterol you need, and your body gets extra amounts from foods you eat.

There are two main kinds of cholesterol, named for the proteins that carry them around the body:

• LDL (low-density lipoprotein) carries cholesterol throughout the body.
• HDL (high-density lipoprotein) carries cholesterol back to the liver for elimination. That’s why HDL cholesterol is called the good cholesterol; it helps remove the excess from our blood vessels, where too much can cause damage.

When does cholesterol become a concern?

When there is too much cholesterol in the blood, it begins sticking to the inside of blood vessels, forming areas of buildup called plaques. Over time, plaques can cause damage a couple of different ways.

One problem is that the body sees plaques as an injury and responds with inflammation. This contributes to hardening of the arteries, or heart disease. Plaques can build up so much that blood vessels become dangerously narrow, reducing or blocking blood flow.

A complete blockage causes a heart attack, and if a piece of the plaque breaks off or a blood clot forms, that can cause a stroke.

High cholesterol doesn’t cause any noticeable symptoms. In fact, the first sign of trouble is often a heart attack or stroke. So it’s important to get your cholesterol levels checked regularly with a cholesterol test. Exactly how often to get checked depends on your age, medical history and risk factors, so talk to your Beacon provider about the schedule that’s best for you.

How can you keep cholesterol at healthy levels?

Usually when people are concerned about their cholesterol levels, it’s because their LDL cholesterol is too high or their HDL cholesterol is too low. Click here for information from Mayo Clinic about the national healthy cholesterol guidelines and how to interpret cholesterol test results.

Dr. Handtke said there are several ways to reduce LDL cholesterol and increase HDL cholesterol, including:

• Exercising regularly. Consider taking lunchtime walks or joining an exercise group.
• Avoiding tobacco products.
• Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.
• Limiting or avoiding foods that are high in simple carbohydrates like white bread, sweets, pasta, and potatoes. Also try to limit foods that are high in saturated fats, including fatty cuts of meat, cream, butter and many fried foods.

Some people can reach their target cholesterol numbers by making these lifestyle changes, but others may need to support their efforts with medication. Talk to your Beacon family doctor can help you find an approach that fits your needs.

“If you do find out your cholesterol numbers aren’t where they should be, all of these changes can be overwhelming to try to tackle at once,” Dr. Handtke said. “The good news is, there is time to make slow and steady changes. Try making small changes first.”

Start taking walks outside to enjoy our unseasonably warm temperatures. Pick only one night during the week to eat dessert. Use an air fryer instead of deep fryer.

“Once you incorporate one small change into your routine, then try making another change,” Dr. Handtke said.

“If you worked on making changes to the food you ate last time, try out a new exercise next,” he said. “These small changes are a lot easier to make part of your routine and can really add up over time. You’ll be amazed what you can accomplish for your health in a year by doing little changes at a time.”

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No matter your need or age, our primary care doctors are here to treat your medical needs. If you’re looking for a new family doctor, Beacon Health System is here to serve you. Click here to find a physician.