Cholesterol, despite its essential roles in the body like building cells and producing hormones, often gets a bad reputation due to its potential to harm health. This is because high cholesterol levels in the blood can result in fatty deposits accumulating in your arteries over time. This can lead to atherosclerosis, increasing the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other heart conditions, as noted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). High cholesterol is defined as having a total cholesterol level of 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or more. Since issues can also arise when other cholesterol fractions are imbalanced, it’s recommended to aim for a total cholesterol level around 150 mg/dL, LDL (bad) cholesterol at about 100 mg/dL, HDL (good) cholesterol above 40 mg/dL in men and 50 mg/dL in women, and triglycerides under 150 mg/dL.
Today, various treatment options and lifestyle changes are available to help manage cholesterol levels. However, aging can unexpectedly affect cholesterol, often without clear symptoms, even if your levels were normal in your younger years. Therefore, being mindful of your habits is crucial. This article highlights 10 risky cholesterol mistakes to avoid if you’re over 50, including poor sleep, unmanaged stress, excessive alcohol use, and skipping regular health check-ups. Fortunately, with the right information, these mistakes are easy to avoid.
Ignoring routine cholesterol screenings
The CDC reports that approximately 86 million American adults have high blood cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia), highlighting how widespread this condition can be. Skipping regular cholesterol screenings is one of the riskiest mistakes for those over 50, as high cholesterol usually has no symptoms. Routine blood tests are crucial for early detection and prevention of heart disease, preventing dangerously elevated levels from going unnoticed. Additionally, age itself is a risk factor for unhealthy cholesterol levels. Given that age brings other common health conditions like obesity or type 2 diabetes, which further increase the risk of heart disease, staying on top of your cholesterol check-ups is crucial.
The CDC recommends that healthy adults have their cholesterol levels checked every 4 to 6 years. However, in cases of heart disease or diabetes diagnosis, or when high cholesterol runs in the family, more frequent testing may be advised. Some health experts even suggest more frequent monitoring, either yearly or every couple of years, starting at age 45, regardless of additional heart disease risk factors. Besides tracking cholesterol levels, routine screenings can show how your body responds to treatment, allowing for informed health decisions.
Thinking you’re too healthy to worry
The belief that eating well, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight eliminates cholesterol concerns can lead some individuals to discover an unhealthy cholesterol diagnosis despite their efforts. Genetics can sometimes be the cause, as high cholesterol can be inherited through a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), as noted by Medical News Today. If one parent has FH, their children have a 50% chance of inheriting it.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), individuals with FH can have high LDL cholesterol levels from birth, with numbers increasing with age. The CDC states that FH is due to genetic mutations that prevent the effective removal of this cholesterol type from the blood. This highlights the importance of cholesterol screenings after age 50, even with a “clean” lifestyle, as untreated FH increases heart disease risk by 20-fold (via the AHA). Having FH may require additional steps, including starting cholesterol medications, as a healthy lifestyle may not suffice for managing cholesterol levels. While good habits are powerful heart protectors, they don’t substitute for knowing your numbers, especially when genetics are unfavorable.
Stopping medication without a doctor’s approval
Stopping prescribed cholesterol-lowering medications without your doctor’s guidance can be risky, as cholesterol levels can rebound quickly, undoing progress and significantly increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke. Various cholesterol-lowering drugs are available, but statins are the most commonly prescribed due to their effectiveness in lowering LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing HDL cholesterol (via the AHA). However, they may cause unwanted side effects.
According to a 2018 article in Medicina Clínica, side effects may include muscle pain or fatigue and an increased risk of diabetes and brain bleeds. These occur in fewer than 1% of patients, and even unexpected side effects are often outweighed by the life-saving benefits of treatment. Symptoms can be managed through dose adjustments, switching to a different drug, or further investigation, which might reveal an unrelated underlying cause. Consult your healthcare provider before making decisions that could lead to long-term health setbacks, as they can help maximize treatment benefits or plan for controlled discontinuation if necessary.
Underestimating the role of sugar and refined carbs
Managing cholesterol often focuses on saturated fats and dietary cholesterol, but ignoring the impact of sugar and refined carbs can be a significant mistake. A 2017 study in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases explains that a high intake of unhealthy fats is widely known to affect blood cholesterol levels. However, replacing saturated fats with these kinds of carbs can also detrimentally impact heart health by increasing total and LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides while lowering HDL cholesterol levels. Additionally, increased sugar intake raises metabolic risk factors that heighten heart disease risk, creating a lose-lose situation.
Understanding the difference between whole and refined carbs is crucial. Whole carbs, found in foods like oats, quinoa, fruits, legumes, and vegetables, provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals that regulate blood sugar and improve cholesterol profiles. Refined carbs, such as white bread, pastries, soda, and processed snacks, lack most nutrients and fiber, leading to rapid absorption and increased fat storage. To improve cholesterol, don’t just cut fat; also reduce added sugar and processed carbs. Limit sugar intake to nine teaspoons per day for men and six teaspoons for women (via the AHA).
Skipping strength and cardio exercises
Exercise is not just about weight loss; it significantly impacts cholesterol and heart health. The AHA recommends prescribing exercise as a first-line treatment for adults with mildly high cholesterol levels. Physical activity can reduce LDL cholesterol by up to 6 mg/dL and lower heart disease risk by 21%. Both cardio exercises and resistance training have beneficial effects, so aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and two strength training sessions per week.
According to a 2013 review in Sports Medicine, exercise benefits cholesterol in two ways. It improves muscles’ ability to use fats as fuel, reducing free cholesterol in the bloodstream, and increases HDL cholesterol levels, which help transport bad cholesterol back to the liver for recycling, keeping arteries clean. A 2022 article in the Journal of the American Heart Association notes that exercise also reduces inflammatory markers, further lowering heart disease risk. Think of exercise as a drug-free tool for enhancing heart health.
Forgetting to manage your stress levels
Efforts to control cholesterol often focus on diet, exercise, and medication, but neglecting stress management can undermine your progress. Chronic stress affects mental well-being and heart health, including cholesterol levels. Stress triggers hormone release, such as cortisol and adrenaline, preparing for a “fight or flight” response. Though helpful in certain situations, these hormones can lead to high LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Other theories suggest stress causes hemoconcentration, potentially resulting in higher cholesterol levels in test results, or that fatty acid and glucose release during stress leads to similar outcomes.
A 2023 review in Cureus states that stress also influences behaviors that indirectly affect cholesterol, like emotional eating, smoking, drinking, or skipping workouts, worsening cholesterol profiles over time. Fortunately, stress management approaches like mindfulness, relaxation techniques, regular exercise, therapy, or biofeedback can improve stress levels and reduce cardiovascular risk. Making time for rest and relaxation is a powerful way to care for your mind and heart.
Smoking or not quitting soon enough
Smoking or delaying quitting after age 50 risks heart health. While smoking is often linked to lung cancer, it also harms the heart, affecting blood cholesterol levels. Cigarette smoke can lower HDL cholesterol and increase LDL cholesterol. This imbalance makes HDL less effective at removing excess LDL cholesterol, raising atherosclerosis risk and, consequently, heart attack and stroke risk. Tobacco smoke chemicals damage blood vessel linings and increase blood cell stickiness, making them more susceptible to cholesterol deposits and dangerous clots.
Fortunately, though delaying quitting is risky, it’s never too late to make a change, and positive effects may appear quickly. HDL levels can begin to recover within weeks of quitting, and smoking-related blood vessel damage can repair within the first year (via GoodRx). After one year as a non-smoker, heart disease risk drops by 50%, and after 15 years, risk is as if you never smoked, especially when quitting is combined with a heart-healthy lifestyle. Don’t wait for a health scare to make the change — quit smoking and take back control of your heart health.
Neglecting sleep
Sleep deprivation doesn’t just leave you tired; it disrupts your body’s ability to regulate cholesterol. Sleeping less than the recommended seven to nine hours per night is linked to high triglyceride levels and low HDL cholesterol levels. In contrast, a full eight-hour sleep cycle offers heart-protective effects by increasing HDL levels. Sleep deprivation can elevate cortisol levels, resulting in an unhealthy cholesterol profile.
A 2020 study in Frontiers in Genetics proposes another theory linking cholesterol and lack of sleep: sleep deprivation reduces an enzyme in the liver responsible for converting cholesterol into bile acids, resulting in high cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. The study highlights that hepatic cholesterol metabolism is regulated by sleep-wake cycles. Poor sleep can lead to unhealthy habits like late-night snacking or skipping morning workouts due to fatigue, which negatively affect cholesterol levels, especially in women. Other common sleep mistakes include inconsistent bedtimes, excessive screen time before sleep, and consuming caffeine or alcohol too late in the day. Addressing these habits could be key to achieving high-quality sleep and better heart health.
Failing to recognize the link between menopause and cholesterol
Many women are surprised to learn that cholesterol levels often worsen after menopause, even when diet, weight, and activity levels remain the same. Understanding the changes your body undergoes during menopause is crucial for heart health management after 50. A 1996 article in Circulation states that women can expect cholesterol levels to steadily rise around a year after natural menopause or sharply increase when estrogen levels drop abruptly, such as after surgical menopause. Regardless, the article notes an inverse association between blood cholesterol and estrogen levels, linking low estrogen to higher cholesterol counts and increased heart disease risk in postmenopausal women. Estrogen provides heart-protective effects that help keep cholesterol in check.
Ignoring this link can delay diagnosis and treatment. Fortunately, various treatment options are available to manage cholesterol shifts. Lifestyle changes like following a high-fiber diet, increasing omega-3 fatty acid intake, incorporating more soy-based products, reducing saturated fat intake, staying active, and quitting smoking become crucial for managing cholesterol. A 2002 review in Drugs and Aging lists hormone replacement therapy and nicotinic acid as effective pharmacological interventions for hormone-induced cholesterol control, depending on individual risk factors. If you’re over 50 and postmenopausal, consult your doctor to ensure a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs.
Assuming alcohol is always heart-healthy
You’ve likely heard that a glass of red wine a day is good for your heart, but assuming alcohol is always heart-healthy is a mistake. The connection between alcohol and heart health is more nuanced. Some evidence suggests that the antioxidant resveratrol in red wine may help raise HDL cholesterol and reduce LDL cholesterol. However, these perks apply only when drinking moderately, defined as up to one drink per day for women and two for men. Exceeding these limits can negate benefits and raise health risks.
Excessive alcohol intake can increase LDL and triglyceride levels, raising heart-related condition risks. Additionally, some cholesterol medications, such as statins, may have adverse effects when mixed with alcohol, emphasizing caution when drinking. If you want to include beverages in your heart health strategy, focus on those that naturally lower cholesterol, like pomegranate, beet, tomato, and pineapple juices, and oat milk. Moderation is key with alcohol, but it shouldn’t be your primary heart health solution. In most cases, skipping alcohol altogether may be the better choice.
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