Contents:
- Medical Video: Lowering Cholesterol - Mayo Clinic
- Causes of elevated cholesterol levels during fasting
- 1. Not maintaining a diet
- 2. Metabolic syndrome
- 3. Taurine deficiency
- Prevents cholesterol levels from rising during fasting
Medical Video: Lowering Cholesterol - Mayo Clinic
A number of studies show that in the month of Ramadan, Muslims who practice fasting can control their cholesterol levels well. Fasting can help reduce cholesterol in the blood. However, some people complain of cholesterol rising during fasting.
Could someone's cholesterol level jump in the fasting month? What is the cause and how to prevent it? Relax, you can immediately listen to the full explanation below.
Causes of elevated cholesterol levels during fasting
Fasting in Ramadan does not mean you are free of cholesterol problems at all. Because the three things below are known to still be able to cause cholesterol levels to rise when fasting.
1. Not maintaining a diet
The biggest mistake people who risk high cholesterol levels is not maintaining a healthy diet during the fasting month. After holding back hunger and thirst throughout the day, many people feel confused when the time for dawn or breaking the fast arrives. There is a wrong understanding, that is because all day you don't eat any food that can make cholesterol levels rise, then when you are open you are more free to eat foods with high cholesterol levels.
Even though you fast all day, you are still not advised to eat foods with high cholesterol levels. So you have to maintain a low cholesterol diet even though you don't eat anything all day.
According to research by experts from the University of Chicago Department of Radiation and Cellular Oncology, eating an egg alone can make your cholesterol levels suddenly rise. Especially if you break fast with fatty dishes and coconut milk which is very high in cholesterol.
2. Metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a group of medical conditions that can increase the risk of heart disease. The conditions included include being overweight (especially in the waist and abdomen), high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and high triglyceride levels. Three of these conditions can occur during fasting, especially if an empty stomach all day is suddenly filled with various types of unhealthy foods when breaking fast.
For example, you break the fast with sweet dishes, followed by fatty dishes for dinner. You are also at risk of developing metabolic syndrome. This syndrome results in increased levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood.
3. Taurine deficiency
Taurine is a type of amino acid that functions to control bad cholesterol levels in the blood and liver (liver). When fasting, you may lack taurine. Taurine can be obtained from zinc (zinc) and vitamin A. High taurine food sources include vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and mushrooms.
Because you don't get zinc and vitamin A all morning to evening, your body becomes deficient in taurine and cholesterol levels become difficult to control.
Prevents cholesterol levels from rising during fasting
You need the right strategy to prevent cholesterol from rising during fasting. Here is a list of things you should pay attention to if you don't want cholesterol levels to soar.
- Sahur and breaking fast with a low cholesterol and low sugar diet
- Take cholesterol-lowering drugs (eg statins) at night
- Increase consumption of foods that can help control cholesterol levels when dawn and break fast, for example oatmeal and salmon
- Keep exercising regularly while fasting
- Maintain food portions at dawn and break fast
- If you are overweight or obese, try to control your weight during fasting
