Asia worst for cholesterol amid diet and lifestyle changes – what you can do to lower yours
- You don’t want high cholesterol, especially of the bad kind – it can damage arteries, cause heart disease and increase the risks of stroke and heart attack
- An academic and father explains how he lowered his cholesterol by adopting a vegetarian diet. A doctor says to eat less red meat and do regular exercise
A study of global cholesterol levels, led by Imperial College London, uncovered a surprising development: while levels in Western nations have dropped sharply, Asia is now the epicentre of cholesterol dangers.
This result does not surprise Dr Michael Chan Pak-hei, an honorary consultant in cardiology at Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong, given the westernisation of behaviours in Asia, where people are consuming more fast food and taking fewer statins, drugs that lower cholesterol.
Guidelines on managing so-called “bad” cholesterol – or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol – from organisations such as the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) are not as well recognised in Asia, and statin prescriptions vary as a result, says Chan.
“[Research] shows statin use is less widespread in most [Asian] countries. Even in Chinese populations, doctors tend to be less aggressive in following recommended guidelines – instead of using high-intensity statins, they may try medium-intensity statins first for patients,” he explains.
According to Chan, US guidelines including those from the American College of Cardiology recommend that those with underlying coronary heart disease should aim for LDL cholesterol of less than 1.8 mmol/L (millimoles per litre of blood), or the ESC’s recommendation of 1.4 mmo/L. (He usually aims for the lower level for his high-risk patients).
