High cholesterol describes a build-up of a waxy substance called cholesterol in your arteries. But this is only the beginning of the condition as high cholesterol can lead to serious health problems, ranging from heart diseases to strokes. One way to spot the culprit is by looking at your nails, according to Monika Wassermann, Medical Director at Olio Lusso.
“If you didn’t know, high cholesterol causes plaque formation in your blood vessels.
“The plaque then affects blood circulation, resulting in pale nails.”
According to the NHS, this isn’t the only sign that can appear in your nails.
The health service shares that brittle, slow-growing toenails could be also pointing to high cholesterol levels.
Brittle toenails are one of the warning signs associated with a condition called peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
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She said: “Other issues caused by plaque formation include heart attack, stroke, and numbness.
“If by any chance you spot pale nails or other aforementioned symptoms, seek medical attention as soon as you can.
“Your healthcare provider will perform a blood test to help you find out whether or not it is high cholesterol affecting you.”
While these signs could be pointing to high cholesterol levels, the condition rarely causes symptoms.
Dubbed as “silent”, high cholesterol can be most reliably picked up through a blood test.
How to lower high cholesterol levels
Fortunately, there are many different measures that can help to lower your levels, ranging from diet to medicine.
For example, the key to a cholesterol-lowering diet is to cut down on fatty foods rich in saturated fat. You should reduce the intake of offenders like sausages, biscuits and cheese.
Other helpful lifestyle tweaks include exercising, quitting smoking and cutting down on alcohol.
However, some people might have to start taking a medication called statins to avoid further health problems.
