Here at MummyPages, while our children's health is our number one concern, we also need to make sure mummy and daddy are healthy so we can run around after our little ones. We need to mind our hearts and high cholesterol is a well-known cause of heart disease.
New research, conducted by Avonmore Heart Active Milk, shows that many parents in Ireland are now consuming cholesterol reducing products as a method of managing cholesterol, with almost 70% of over 40s consuming them. However, only 36% of these people are using the products as recommended, and so are not receiving the full benefits. In order to get the full benefits of plant sterols, the recommended amount of between 1.5g and 2.4g should be consumed every day.
According to Dr. Nina Byrnes, GP and RTE health expert: “Plant sterols and stanols are naturally occurring substances found in plants. Studies show that plant sterols can reduce bad cholesterol by up to 10% without affecting good cholesterol levels. However, in order to get the full benefit of plant sterols, you should consume the recommended amount of 1.5g to 2.4g of plant sterols daily.”
Avonmore is now making it easier to put plant sterols into your daily routine, with the introduction of Avonmore Heart Active Milk with added plant sterols. By consuming just 2 to 3 X 250ml glasses of Avonmore Heart Active every day for 2 to 3 weeks you can reduce your cholesterol by 7 – 10%. So by simply switching to Avonmore Heart Active Milk, whether it’s for your tea, coffee, cereal, or for cooking, you can reduce your cholesterol without compromising on taste.
Dr. Nina Byrnes explains why we need to mind our cholesterol levels; “High cholesterol is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is Ireland’s number one killer, causing approximately 10,000 deaths per year. Cholesterol levels start to rise from our twenties and continue to do so into late adulthood. In those with other risk factors for heart disease such as obesity or genetic factors this can occur even earlier in life. High cholesterol doesn’t give any symptoms so it is recommended that all those over 20 have their cholesterol checked at least once every five years and more often if levels are high”.
The good news is that cholesterol levels can be modified by improving your diet and leading an active lifestyle.
Dr. Nina’s Top Five Tips to reducing your cholesterol
- Reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet. These are the fats we find in animal meats, butter, cream, high fat cheese and lard.
- Exercise daily to help increase your HDL (good cholesterol) and lower LDL (bad cholesterol).
- Maintain healthy weight, obesity increases cholesterol.
- Introduce cholesterol lowering plant sterols into your diet and increase your intake of fruit and vegetables. Drink 2-3 glasses of Avonmore Heart Active Milk every day to bring plant sterols into your diet.
- Avoid smoking or excess alcohol as these can both lead to increased cholesterol levels
Foods containing added plant sterols are exclusively produced for people with raised cholesterol. These foods may not be nutritionally suitable for pregnant and breast feeding women or children under 5 years old.
