Office worker A (male, 35 years old) finds it difficult to have a meal with his family in his hometown ahead of Chuseok. This is because he was diagnosed with dyslipidemia as a result of a medical examination he had recently received at the hospital. Mr. A, who usually did not like to eat oily food and managed to maintain a normal weight, is thinking regarding canceling his visit to his hometown this year because of the oily and calorie-rich Chuseok food.
Dyslipidemia, also called hyperlipidemia, refers to a state in which total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides in the blood are increased or HDL cholesterol is decreased. Mostly it is caused by causes such as obesity, diabetes, and drinking, but genetic factors that increase specific lipids in the blood may also be the cause.
Like Mr. A, patients diagnosed with dyslipidemia try to find foods that have a bad effect on cholesterol and reduce their intake. However, there are many cases that do not improve despite efforts to improve the diet. In this case, it is highly likely that it is a problem of lifestyle, not food. Dyslipidemia was caused by frequent skipping lunches in busy work life, replacing meals with fruits, ice cream, and bread, or binge eating in the evening.
Cholesterol is an essential nutrient for maintaining life, but if there is a lot of bad cholesterol in the body, it accumulates on the inner wall of the arterial blood vessels and narrows the blood vessels, resulting in arteriosclerosis. should be considered important.
Most people mistakenly think that cholesterol is high in overweight or meat eaters. To control cholesterol, I think that dyslipidemia can be prevented and managed by careful intake of foods high in saturated fatty acids or cholesterol, such as meat with fat, animal fat products, milk, and ice cream.
This idea is not wrong, but cholesterol levels are not just a problem with food, but also due to primary causes such as diet, family history, lack of exercise, underlying diseases such as hypothyroidism, nephrotic syndrome, chronic liver disease, and secondary causes such as drug use and pregnancy. can occur Therefore, to prevent abnormal cholesterol in daily life, it is necessary to pay attention not only to food intake but also to lifestyle.
In addition to eating a lot of oily food at once, eating habits such as starving the next day following binge eating, eating irregularly, or skipping meals can raise cholesterol levels. When we starve or eat less than usual, our body recognizes it as a night-like state, increasing sugar absorption and making a lot of cholesterol in the liver. It is to store cholesterol in advance and increase body fat in case you do not get enough nutrients from food.
“Of course, it is important to reduce the intake of oily and high-calorie foods, but the foods we eat contain various nutrients, so how to eat is more difficult than not eating certain foods,” said Kim Soo-hyeong, head of Cardiovascular Center at Daedong Hospital. “More than anything else, regular eating habits can help not only cholesterol levels but also long-term health management, so it is necessary to correct irregular eating habits.”
In order to develop a regular eating habit, consider the daily calorie intake and distribute the nutrients evenly, and the insufficient nutrients should be consumed at least 2 times between meals, such as milk or fruit, within 200 kcal. When purchasing food, check the ingredients and nutrition label to avoid foods high in saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, and increase intake of high-quality protein and fiber such as lean meat, fish, eggs and soybeans.
Excessive drinking promotes lipid synthesis in the liver and can cause dyslipidemia, so avoid alcohol and avoid oily snacks when drinking. In addition, exercise is essential in order to consume the calories consumed, so choose an exercise that suits your physical strength and perform it consistently.