Supporting your workforce in managing high cholesterol

High levels of LDL cholesterol can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, by causing a build-up of fatty deposits inside the walls of blood vessels. A high proportion of UK adults are affected by high cholesterol, with heart and circulatory diseases affecting over 7.6 million people in the UK, and high cholesterol being one of the major contributing risk factors.

High cholesterol may be a silent health issue currently impacting your workforce. So, what can you do to help address it?

What causes high cholesterol?

Multiple factors can contribute to high cholesterol levels. Some of these factors are non-modifiable, like genetics, age, or ethnicity, which means there’s nothing that can be done to change them.

However, other factors can be changed, so you can support your employees to take proactive steps to help reduce their cholesterol levels. These include:

Encouraging healthier foods and office snacks

A high intake of foods containing saturated and trans fats, like fatty meats, butter, cream, ice cream, palm oil, fried foods, and lots of ultra-processed foods like commercially baked goods can raise LDL cholesterol.

To support your employees to increase their HDL levels (‘good cholesterol’ which helps remove LDL cholesterol) you could look to encourage your employees to eat more healthy snacks such as avocados, nuts, seeds, olives and fish.

If you provide snacks at the workplace, making this switch and encouraging healthier snacking rather than crisps and cereal bars is an easy way to look after your employee's health.

Fruit and vegetables are also very important in managing cholesterol, as they have a range of nutrients and are a good source of both insoluble and soluble fibre, which can help reduce cholesterol levels.

Similarly, you could also explore other healthier eating initiatives such as partnering with a local cafe or restaurant to offer discounts to your employees on healthier meal options.

Encourage exercise

People who do not exercise regularly are more at risk of weight gain which can lead to higher levels of LDL cholesterol. Additionally, being overweight tends to increase the levels of LDL cholesterol circulating in the blood and decreases levels of HDL cholesterol.

It’s recommended to aim for 30 minutes of exercise a day, 5 days a week. However, this can sometimes feel daunting. Why not encourage your employees to start small with bursts of 15 minutes a day and build from there?

There are so many ways you could encourage your workforce to get moving and incorporate exercise into their working day, here are some ideas:

• Incorporate active breaks into the working day – a 5-minute break to walk around the block for example. This is something that is especially important when you have a remote or hybrid workforce

• Walking meetings – these can be a simple but effective way to get moving if your workforce find themselves getting tied to your desk

• Standing desks - If you work in an office environment, you could look to introduce standing desks to encourage movement throughout the work day

• Team challenges – make it competitive! From step-count competitions to inflatable obstacle courses, there’s so many ways to engage your workforce with fun activities

• Share knowledge – promote any local wellness and fitness events that might be happening that your workforce could get involved in

Another option is to explore offering discounts on gym memberships or other sporting facilities and equipment to encourage your employees to regularly exercise.

How can I support my workforce to understand their cholesterol levels?

At Bluecrest Wellness, our cholesterol test is a quick, easy, and accurate way to gain insights into the levels of different types of cholesterol circulating in the blood. The tests are included as standard in our business health assessment packages to give comprehensive insights into general health.

However, cholesterol levels are not static and may change drastically over time. The best way to maintain healthy cholesterol levels is by having regular cholesterol blood tests to empower your employees to make proactive changes to help reduce their levels if they start creeping up.

If you do not offer health assessments to your workforce and would like to know more, you can contact us here.