You are reviewing a 45-year-old man in clinic who suffered an NSTEMI 6 months previously. He has always led a healthy lifestyle, but when he was admitted he was found to have a cholesterol of 8.4 mmol/L. He is very concerned about his elevated cholesterol and is asking if there is anything he can do to help lower it.
You emphasize the importance of continuing with his statin medication, but which one of the following lifestyle measures would also be appropriate?
A. Consuming saturated fats in preference to unsaturated fatsFollowing a cardiac event patients should aim for a total cholesterol of <4 mmol/L and LDL cholesterol <2 mmol/L (<1.8 mmol/L according to ESC) or a reduction of LDL-C by 30%, whichever is greater. In addition to continuing any prescribed medications, patients with elevated cholesterol can be advised to stop smoking, take regular exercise, keep alcohol intake within recommended limits (<21 units/week for men and <14 units/ week for women), lose weight/reduce waist circumference, and maintain a diet low in saturated fat. It is important for diabetic patients to maintain their target HbA1c.