10 Risky Cholesterol Mistakes To Avoid If You're Over 50

Despite serving multiple purposes in the body, such as building new cells or producing hormones, cholesterol has gained a bad rap due to its potentially harmful effects on health, even though cholesterol itself isn't inherently bad. This is because, being a fatty, waxy substance, high cholesterol levels in the blood can lead to fatty deposits that build up in your arteries. Over time, this can lead to atherosclerosis, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other heart conditions, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). High cholesterol is defined as having a total cholesterol level of 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher. Yet, since cholesterol problems can also happen when the levels of other cholesterol fractions are off, you should aim towards having your total cholesterol at around 150 mg/dL, your LDL (bad) cholesterol around 100 mg/dL, your HDL (good) cholesterol over 40 mg/dL in men and 50 mg/dL in women, and your triglycerides under 150 mg/dL.

Fortunately, nowadays, you can count on several treatment options and lifestyle adjustments to help keep your cholesterol under control. Unfortunately, aging may have an unexpected effect on your cholesterol, often without any obvious symptoms, even if you've had normal cholesterol in your younger years. This means you may need to be particularly mindful of your habits. From poor sleep and unmanaged stress to alcohol overuse and skipping regular health check-ups, this article reveals 10 risky cholesterol mistakes to avoid if you're over 50. The good news? With the right information, these mistakes are easy to avoid.

According to the CDC, about 86 million American adults live with high blood cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia), which showcases how common this condition can be. Skipping regular cholesterol screenings is likely one of the riskiest mistakes you can make if you're over 50. This is because high cholesterol usually has no symptoms. Therefore, routine blood tests are essential for early detection and prevention of heart disease, as they keep you from living with dangerously elevated levels without realizing it. In addition, being older itself is a risk factor for unhealthy cholesterol levels. Plus, when you consider that age brings other common health conditions that further increase the risk of heart disease, such as obesity or type 2 diabetes, you'll find that staying on top of your cholesterol check-ups is something you won't want to overlook.

The CDC recommends that healthy adults have their cholesterol levels checked every 4 to 6 years. Nevertheless, in some cases, such as when there's a diagnosis of heart disease or diabetes or when high cholesterol runs in your family, guidelines suggest you get tested more often. However, some health experts even advise getting more frequent monitoring, either yearly or every couple of years, once you turn 45, regardless of whether you have any additional risk factors for heart disease. Moreover, besides tracking your cholesterol levels, routine screenings can also tell you how your body is responding to treatment, allowing you to make informed decisions about your health.

For years, the notion that eating well, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight has been drilled into our heads, making it easy to assume that if you have that covered, cholesterol isn't something you need to worry about. Yet, this might not always be the case, which might lead to some people discovering that despite their best efforts, they can still get an unhealthy cholesterol diagnosis. For some, genetics can be blamed, seeing that high cholesterol can be inherited instead of earned when you have a condition known as familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), per Medical News Today. If one parent has FH, their children have a 50-50 chance of getting it, too.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), people with FH can have high LDL cholesterol levels since birth, and their numbers just keep increasing with age. Per the CDC, FH happens due to hereditary genetic mutations that keep your body from effectively removing this type of cholesterol from your blood. This highlights the need to stay on top of cholesterol screenings after turning 50, even if you live a "clean" lifestyle, seeing that in those with FH, the risk of heart disease skyrockets 20-fold when untreated (via the AHA). Plus, having FH means that you may need to take extra steps and start on cholesterol medications, as a healthy lifestyle may not be enough to manage cholesterol levels on its own. In short, while good habits are powerful heart protectors, they're not a substitute for knowing your numbers, especially when genetics dealt you an unfavorable hand.

If you've been prescribed cholesterol-lowering medications, it may be tempting to stop taking them once your numbers improve. However, doing so without your doctor's guidance can be a risky move, as cholesterol levels can quickly rebound, undoing months or even years of progress and significantly increasing your risk of heart attack or stroke. There are numerous types of cholesterol-lowering drugs available on the market. Yet, statins are the most commonly prescribed ones due to their high efficacy at lowering both LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while helping increase HDL cholesterol (via the AHA). However, they're also known for potentially causing unwanted side effects.

According to a 2018 article in Medicina Clínica, some of them may include muscle pain or fatigue and an increased risk of diabetes and brain bleeds. Nevertheless, the article states that they occur in fewer than 1% of patients and that even the most unexpected cholesterol medication side effects are often outweighed by the life-saving benefits of treatment. Moreover, these symptoms can be managed through dose adjustments, switching to a different cholesterol-lowering drug, or diving deeper into them, which might reveal an underlying cause that is not related to your meds. Thus, be sure to talk with your healthcare provider before making any rash decisions that might lead to long-term health setbacks, as they'll be able to help you make the most out of your treatment or plan for a controlled discontinuation if needed.

When it comes to managing cholesterol, most people zero in on saturated fats and dietary cholesterol, but ignoring the impact of sugar and refined carbs can also be a major mistake. A 2017 study published in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases explains that while it is widely known that a high intake of unhealthy fats can lead to unhealthy blood cholesterol levels, not many are aware that replacing saturated fats with these kinds of carbs can also have detrimental effects on heart health, namely by increasing total and LDL (bad) cholesterols and triglycerides and dropping HDL cholesterol levels. Plus, increasing your sugar intake also raises additional metabolic risk factors that further increase your risk of heart disease, meaning that you'd get stuck in a lose-lose situation.

Understanding the difference between whole and refined carbs is crucial. Whole carbs, found in foods like oats, quinoa, fruits, legumes, and vegetables, come with fiber, vitamins, and minerals that help regulate blood sugar and improve your cholesterol profile. On the other hand, refined carbs, like white bread, pastries, soda, and processed snacks, are stripped of most of their nutrients and fiber, leading to rapid absorption and increased fat storage. Therefore, if you're trying to improve your cholesterol numbers, don't just cut fat; cut back on added sugar and processed carbs, too. One way to do so is by limiting your sugar intake to nine teaspoons per day for men and six teaspoons per day for women (via the AHA).

If you think exercise is just about weight loss, it's time to shift your mindset, especially when it comes to cholesterol and heart health. In fact, exercise can have such a positive impact on your cholesterol levels that the AHA suggests prescribing it as a first-line treatment for adults with mildly high cholesterol levels. Not only does increased physical activity lead to a reduction of up to 6 mg/dL in LDL cholesterol levels, but it also reduces the risk of heart disease by 21%. Plus, evidence suggests that both cardio exercises and resistance training can have beneficial effects. Therefore, it's wise to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise plus two strength training sessions per week.

According to a 2013 review in Sports Medicine, there are two ways in which exercise can benefit your cholesterol concerns. On the one hand, it seems to improve your muscles' ability to use fats as fuel, thereby reducing the amount of free cholesterol present in your bloodstream. On the other hand, regular exercise can increase HDL cholesterol levels, meaning that you'd have more of the healthy kind that helps transport bad cholesterol back to your liver for recycling, keeping your arteries clean. Moreover, a 2022 article in the Journal of the American Heart Association notes that besides increasing HDL cholesterol, exercise is also linked to reduced inflammatory markers, which adds to your heart disease risk reduction. Thus, it's time to start thinking about exercise as a drug-free tool for boosting your heart health.

When it comes to cholesterol control, efforts are usually directed toward diet, exercise, and medication. However, overlooking stress management can quietly sabotage your progress because, believe it or not, in addition to affecting your mental well-being, chronic stress can also negatively impact your heart health, including your cholesterol levels. One potential explanation for the link is that under stress, your body releases hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which prepare you for a "fight or flight" response. While helpful in specific situations, these hormones can trigger a cascade of effects that might lead to high LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Moreover, other theories suggest that stressful situations may lead to more concentrated blood, a phenomenon known as hemoconcentration, which could potentially result in higher cholesterol levels in test results. Similarly, the release of fatty acids and glucose for readily available energy during stressful periods might lead to the same outcome.

Lastly, a 2023 review published in Cureus adds that stress also influences multiple behaviors in ways that indirectly affect cholesterol. For example, many people cope with stress through emotional eating, smoking, drinking, or skipping workouts, all of which can worsen your cholesterol profile over time. Luckily, multiple stress management approaches, such as mindfulness, relaxation techniques, exercising regularly, talking to a therapist, or biofeedback techniques, can significantly improve your stress levels and reduce your cardiovascular risk, highlighting how making space for rest and relaxation is a powerful way to care for your mind and your heart.

If you're over 50 and still smoking or have delayed quitting, you might be putting your heart health at risk. This is because while most people associate smoking with lung cancer, it is just as damaging to your heart, seeing that it also affects your blood cholesterol levels. Among the lesser-known detrimental effects of cigarette smoke are its ability to lower HDL cholesterol and increase LDL cholesterol. When the balance between these two types of cholesterol gets thrown off like this, HDL has a harder time removing excess LDL cholesterol, increasing the risk of atherosclerosis and, consequently, of heart attack and stroke. In addition, chemicals in tobacco smoke can damage the lining of your blood vessels and increase the stickiness of blood cells, making them more vulnerable to cholesterol deposits and dangerous clots.

Luckily, while not quitting soon enough is risky, it's never too late to make a change, and the positive effects might appear faster than you think. For instance, your HDL levels can begin to recover within just weeks of quitting, and your body can repair smoking-related blood vessel damage within the first year (via GoodRx). Moreover, after your first-year mark as a former smoker, your risk of heart disease will have dropped by 50%, and after 15 years, your risk will be as if you never smoked, especially when quitting is combined with a heart-healthy lifestyle. Thus, don't wait for a health scare to make the change — quit smoking and take back control of your heart health.

The thing about sleep deprivation is that it doesn't just leave you tired — it can actually disrupt your body's ability to regulate cholesterol. In fact, sleeping less than the recommended seven to nine hours per night has been linked to high triglyceride levels and low HDL cholesterol levels. In contrast, completing a full eight-hour sleep cycle offers heart-protective effects by increasing HDL levels. This happens because sleep deprivation can lead to elevated cortisol levels, which in turn result in an unhealthy cholesterol profile.

In addition, a 2020 study published in Frontiers in Genetics proposes a second theory behind the link between cholesterol and lack of sleep, stating that sleep deprivation can significantly reduce the levels of an enzyme in your liver responsible for converting cholesterol into bile acids, resulting in high levels of cholesterol in your bloodstream. Thus, the study highlights the fact that hepatic cholesterol metabolism is regulated by the body's sleep-wake cycles. Lastly, poor sleep often leads to unhealthy habits, such as late-night snacking or skipping morning workouts due to fatigue, which have been shown to have detrimental effects on cholesterol levels, especially in women. Other common sleep mistakes that can raise your cholesterol include inconsistent bedtimes, excessive screen time before sleep, and drinking caffeine or alcohol too late in the day. While these habits may not seem serious, addressing them could be the key to achieving both high-quality sleep and better heart health.

Many women are surprised to learn that cholesterol levels often worsen after menopause, even when their diet, weight, and activity levels remain the same. Thus, understanding what happens to your body when you go through menopause is especially important for heart health management after 50. According to a 1996 article in Circulation, women can expect their cholesterol levels to slowly but steadily rise around the one-year mark after natural menopause or to sharply increase when there's an abrupt drop in estrogen levels (the main female sex hormone), such as when menopause is the result of surgical reasons. Regardless of the case, the article notes a direct inverse association between blood cholesterol and estrogen levels, meaning that low estrogen concentrations are linked to a higher cholesterol count, a connection that increases the likelihood of heart disease in postmenopausal women. This is because estrogen provides heart-protective effects that help keep your cholesterol in check.

Ignoring this link can be risky because it may delay diagnosis and treatment. Fortunately, a variety of treatment options are available to manage said cholesterol shifts. For starters, lifestyle changes such as following a high-fiber diet, increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, adding more soy-based products to your menu, reducing saturated fat intake, staying physically active, and quitting smoking become crucial for managing cholesterol. In addition, a 2002 review in Drugs and Aging lists hormone replacement therapy and nicotinic acid as effective pharmacological interventions for hormone-induced cholesterol control, depending on individual risk factors. In short, if you're over 50 and postmenopausal, talk to your doctor to ensure you receive a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs.

You've probably heard that a glass of red wine a day can be good for your heart. While there is some truth to this idea, assuming alcohol is always heart-healthy is a risky mistake you don't want to make, seeing that the connection between alcohol and heart health is more nuanced than most people think. Some evidence suggests that the antioxidant compound resveratrol in red wine may help raise HDL cholesterol levels and reduce LDL cholesterol levels. Nevertheless, these potential perks only apply when you drink moderately, which health experts define as up to one drink per day for women and up to two for men, since going beyond those limits can quickly cancel out the benefits and raise serious health risks.

Once your alcohol intake becomes excessive, it can lead to higher LDL and triglyceride levels, increasing your risk of heart-related conditions. Plus, some cholesterol medications, like statins, might have negative effects when mixed with alcoholic drinks, further highlighting the caution you need to exercise when going for a drink. If you want to include beverages as part of your daily heart health strategy, you're better off focusing on those that can naturally lower your high cholesterol. Some examples include pomegranate, beet, tomato, and pineapple juices, and even oat milk. Overall, moderation is always key when it comes to alcoholic drinks. However, alcohol shouldn't be your go-to heart health solution, and, in most cases, skipping alcohol altogether may be the better choice.