Eat, drink and be merry! A traditional Christmas feast can help lower LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol.

Fed up hearing dire warnings about cholesterol and alcohol over Christmas? Finally, a leading testing expert says there’s good news about our favourite Christmas feast. A turkey meal can actually lower your LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol levels while moderate wine consumption could reduce the risk of heart disease.

This year, you can tuck into your Christmas dinner without worrying about cholesterol, reveals a leading blood testing expert. New research into cholesterol levels has led to a rethink about which food and drink could be harmful, and that means a full roast turkey meal, with all the trimmings, is back on the table.

A number of our favourite ‘naughty but nice’ Christmas foods, from roast spuds to some (fortified) dairy products, can actually help achieve a better balance of cholesterol. Dr Avinash Hari Narayanan (MBChB), Clinical Lead at London Medical Laboratory, says: ‘This Christmas, it’s time to reassess cholesterol levels and  welcome back some previously frowned-on foods to our menu.

‘It’s only LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, often known as “bad” cholesterol, that does the damage. LDL transports cholesterol to your arteries. It can lead to a build-up of plaque, resulting in poor blood flow. In general, the higher your LDL cholesterol levels, the higher your risk for coronary heart disease.

‘On the other hand, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol can be called “good” cholesterol. Think of HDL as a vacuum cleaner for cholesterol. When HDL is at healthy levels in your blood, it removes extra cholesterol and plaque build-up in your arteries and then sends it to your liver. Your liver then expels it from your body. This helps reduce your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

The turkey: ‘There are plenty of foods popular during the festive season that can help lower your LDL levels, which improves your HDL to LDL ratio. The great news is that this includes turkey, that perennial Christmas favourite, along with several other festive foods such as chicken breast and salmon.

‘That’s because research shows that fatty fish, chicken breast and turkey are good natural sources of niacin. Niacin is also known as vitamin B3. It can help lower cholesterol and other fats in your blood. Niacin helps raise HDL good cholesterol, lowers LDL cholesterol and also lowers another type of fat in your body called “triglycerides”.

The veg: ‘A 2016 study published in the journal Nutrients showed that an antioxidant-rich diet raised good cholesterol HDL levels in relation to triglycerides. Antioxidants can also help you stay healthy by preventing cell damage in the body. High antioxidant foods include beets, purple cabbage, kale and spinach. But what about that Christmas staple, Brussels sprouts? Brussels sprouts rank high in antioxidants, just after kale and spinach. Just a half-cup of cooked Brussels sprouts will give you almost half of your daily recommended amount of vitamin C.

Roast spuds: ‘No Christmas meal would be complete without roast potatoes. The good news is that the spud has zero fat and cholesterol and it is low in sodium. It’s also rich in antioxidants and vitamins that help our body function properly. Admittedly, roasting isn’t the healthiest way to prepare potatoes, especially if you are using lard or goose fat. Using unsaturated cooking oils such as olive oil is more heart-healthy. So, too, are low-fat sunflower cooking sprays and rapeseed oil. Rapeseed oil is particularly high in sterols. Sterols and stanols are plant chemicals that are absorbed into the bloodstream. They actually stop some cholesterol from being absorbed, lowering the levels in your blood.

Dessert: ‘While mince pies and yule logs are still off the menu, traditional winter favourites such as baked apples or pears help lower overall cholesterol levels.  Berries, another popular sweet treat, are also high in antioxidants. Sadly, you may not be able to enjoy them with cream as it contains unhealthy saturated fat. However, there are now companies producing milks and yoghurts containing sterols and stanols.

Wine: ‘A paper published in the journal Molecules reveals that several studies show evidence that light–moderate wine consumption is associated with a higher level of HDL good cholesterol. It also helps prevent artery damage from high levels of LDL bad cholesterol. Red wine may also improve the function of cells lining the blood vessels, keeping blood circulation flowing smoothly. The paper concludes that “a moderate intake of red wine may produce cardioprotective effects”.

‘Obviously, there’s a catch! The key word when talking about the consumption of food and wine over the holidays is “moderation”. Every benefit we’ve mentioned is counteracted by too much LDL or alcohol.

‘If people are concerned about their cholesterol levels as we approach Christmas, it’s best to get them checked. With GP surgeries extremely busy at this time of year, it’s important to recognise that there are alternatives. London Medical Laboratory’s revolutionary and convenient home finger-prick Cholesterol Lipid Profile test measures total cholesterol, LDL bad cholesterol, HDL good cholesterol, non-HDL (a newly adopted, more accurate measure) and other key markers. It can be taken at home through the post, or at one of the many drop-in clinics that offer these tests across London and nationwide in over 120 selected pharmacies and health stores. For full details, see: https://www.londonmedicallaboratory.com/product/cholesterol-profile