Check your cholesterol levels for the New Year ahead

Whether your New Year’s resolution is to look after your body better or to simply keep a check of it, making a doctor’s appointment to have your cholesterol levels examined should be a necessity and could potentially reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular disease.

If you are worried about taking time off work for an appointment and losing out on some much-needed cash, there is no need to be, as some pharmacies – including Lloyds Pharmacy – offer swift, ten to 15 minute cholesterol and heart check consultations that can easily be taken on a lunch break.

If you find that you do have high cholesterol levels, there are cheap ways to reduce it: regular exercise, taking de-stressing measures and a well-balanced diet, for example. Exercise converts “bad cholesterol” to “good cholesterol” and can help you keep fit, lose weight and relax your mind, body and soul – hopefully lowering your blood pressure in the process.

Cholesterol levels above the UK average of 5.4 is categorised as “high” and if yours measures seven or above, you may find that you need the support of cholesterol-lowering medicine – so-called statins – which can be prescribed by your doctor.