Having high cholesterol during pregnancy is a normal situation, as at this stage an increase of around 60% in total cholesterol is expected. Cholesterol levels begin to rise at 16 weeks of pregnancy and by 30 weeks, it can be 50 or 60% higher than before pregnancy.
But if the pregnant woman already had high cholesterol levels before becoming pregnant, she should be extra careful with her diet by adopting a special diet, eating more foods rich in fiber and vitamin C, such as strawberries, oranges and acerola, avoiding all type of fat.
This control is very important because very high cholesterol during pregnancy can be harmful to the baby, who can accumulate strands of fat inside their tiny blood vessels, which can favor the onset of heart disease in childhood, and considerably increasing their risk of suffer from weight problems and heart attacks in adulthood.
How to lower high cholesterol during pregnancy
To lower high cholesterol during pregnancy, it is recommended to do some type of physical activity daily and follow a cholesterol diet. In this diet, you should avoid processed, industrialized or fatty foods, giving preference to the consumption of fruits, around 3 times a day, vegetables twice a day, and whole grains, whenever possible.
During pregnancy, the use of cholesterol medications is contraindicated due to the risks they pose to the baby. But there are several home remedies prepared from fruits and medicinal plants that help lower cholesterol. Some examples are grape juice to lower cholesterol and carrot juice for high cholesterol.
