HSOS #14: How to Naturally Lower Your Cholesterol & Risk of Heart Disease

Cholesterol has long been labeled the enemy—but for women over 40, the story is far more complex. Kim unpacks the truth about what really drives cholesterol levels, how menopause and hormones change the equation, and what small daily choices can protect your heart and energy for the long haul. She also shares her own family story with high cholesterol, the latest research on women and cardiovascular disease, and easy, realistic ways to lower LDL, raise HDL, and improve heart health naturally. 

Let’s talk. 

Welcome to Her Season of Strength—where women over 40 reclaim their bodies, their energy, and their voices, without apologies. I’m Kim Duffy—registered dietitian, personal trainer, mom, and your biggest hype woman when it comes to aging like you mean it. 

This show isn’t about chasing skinny or counting wrinkles. It’s about building real strength—physical, emotional, and hormonal. Each week, I’ll share straight-talking nutrition tips, sustainable fitness strategies, and conversations that help you feel powerful in your skin once again. 

Menopause is not an ending, it is only the beginning. This is your season of strength. 

📝 Here are a few things Kim covers: 

• Her personal story of lifelong borderline cholesterol and family genetics 
• Why high cholesterol doesn’t automatically mean high risk 
• What cholesterol actually is—and why your body needs it 
• The role of estrogen and menopause in raising LDL and lowering HDL 
• Eye-opening research on women, cardiovascular disease, and heart attack risk after 50 
• The real causes of high cholesterol: genetics, hormones, diet, and lifestyle 
• What numbers matter most on your lab panel and how to interpret them 
• Practical ways to lower LDL and triglycerides and raise HDL naturally 
• How fiber, omega-3s, strength training, and stress management impact your heart 
• Small, realistic changes to make this week for better heart health 
• An invitation to join the no-obligation Fit After 50+ interest list for early access and incentives 

Links & resources for this episode:

Fit After 50 Plus Program: 8-Week Nutrition Coaching & Fitness Program for women 50+. Next session starts winter of 2026. Join the interest list today for the best bonuses and discounts offered.

Free cheat sheet: "20 Tips to Crushing Menopause"

Join my free weekly newsletter list and get a new high protein recipe sent to your inbox every Thursday.

Find me on social media: Instagram I Facebook I Tiktok

Transcript

[00:00:00] Hi there, and welcome to her season of Strength, where women over 40 reclaim their bodies, their energy, and their voices, without apologies. I'm Kim Duffy, registered dietician, personal trainer, mom, and your biggest hype woman. When it comes to aging like you mean it, this show isn't about chasing skinny or counting wrinkles.

[00:00:20] It's about building real strength, physical, emotional, and hormonal. Each week, I'll share straight talking, nutrition tips, sustainable fitness strategies. And conversations that help you feel powerful in your skin. Once again, menopause isn't an ending. It's only the beginning. This is your season of strength.

[00:00:39] Hello and welcome back to her season of Strength. I am so happy you're here and thank you so much for just taking a couple minutes outta your day to listen in. So today's topic was something that I came up with when I was scrolling around on social media on, I believe it was one of my personal training type threads.

[00:00:58] So not [00:01:00] specifically people who. Who are, specialists in nutrition, but many times are also giving nutrition advice as well. And one of them asked about a client who had asked him about eggs and if eggs were bad, and how many eggs they should eat in a week if they have high cholesterol. And I wanted to address this because I feel like even though I feel like it's old news for me, I don't think it necessarily is for.

[00:01:29] For many people, and I think that many people are still getting some misinformation, even from their healthcare providers about oh, your cholesterol is high, so you should avoid eggs. I don't know when, eggs became a culprit at one time with just some crappy research. And I wanted to take a dive into this because I love eggs and I'm eating eggs.

[00:01:49] I eat eggs most days. But I do think that there are some things that we need to consider. So anyway, so today I want to dive into what cholesterol really is, what the [00:02:00] research says about women's heart health after age 40, and what you can actually do to support your numbers without living on kale and living on the treadmill, doing massive amounts of cardio.

[00:02:12] So first of all, I have actually had borderline high cholesterol. Since I was in my twenties and it runs deep in my family. My mom's cholesterol has been in the three hundreds since she was in her twenties as well, and she has tried statins, which are those medications that help to lower your cholesterol and improve your lipid panel.

[00:02:31] Off and on, but she doesn't like the side effects, so she is. Tried to make other changes to decrease her total cholesterol. For me, despite eating healthy and exercising, my total cholesterol has always hovered just above normal in those low two hundreds. The good news is my HDL or my good cholesterol is high.

[00:02:51] My LDL or kind of my not so good cholesterol is moderate and I have low blood pressure. So when I go to the doctor. [00:03:00] They basically, my ratio or my cardiovascular risk is very low, which is great. So instead of medication, my doctor and I focus on, on, changes in my life, still, how I move, how I manage stress, how I eat.

[00:03:13] And I share this because I want you to know. High cholesterol doesn't automatically mean that you're unhealthy or you're doomed to heart disease. It just means your body's asking for a little more attention. Okay, so here's the thing. A lot of women hear high cholesterol and instantly panic. We've been told for decades that cholesterol is bad, period.

[00:03:32] So let's pull back that curtain on what cholesterol actually does and why that story is a little bit more nuanced than that, especially for women in midlife. So first of all, what is cholesterol? Cholesterol is actually a fatty substance. It's made by our livers and it's carried through our butt, our blood by proteins.

[00:03:52] So these combinations are called lipoproteins. You need it. It helps to build our hormones. Vitamin D cell [00:04:00] membranes. Breaking it down into those numbers that you get when you go to the doctor. So our LDL, otherwise known as low density lipoprotein, it carries our cholesterol to our tissues. And too much of that can lead to buildup in our arteries, or you probably also heard it called plaques, right?

[00:04:19] When those plaques break off is when we can have heart attacks, we can have strokes. So that's obviously a dangerous thing. So we wanna really limit that buildup in our arteries. Now, our HDL or our high density lipoprotein, it actually carries that excess cholesterol away from our tissues and back to our liver for removal.

[00:04:42] Triglycerides are stored fats and we, when we have high levels of triglycerides in our blood, they can signal that we have extra calories and sugar hanging around. So here's something that many people don't realize that about 75% of cholesterol in our blood is made by our [00:05:00] liver. It's not from the food that you're eating.

[00:05:03] Okay. That's why someone can eat perfectly healthy and still have high cholesterol. Hello, genetics and for women, hormones play a major role. So estrogen actually helps to raise our HDL and keep our LDL lower. So once our estrogen levels begin to drop in perimenopause, that balance can shift, and our cholesterol numbers can often creep up as well as our cardiovascular disease risk.

[00:05:28] So let's talk about facts for a minute, 'cause this part is eye-opening. According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in women responsible for roughly one in three female deaths each year. That's about one woman every 80 seconds after menopause.

[00:05:47] Women's risk of heart attack increases two to three fold because of hormonal changes that raise our LDL and lower our HDL. And by age 60, nearly 45% of women [00:06:00] have total cholesterols above 240 milligrams per deciliter, which used to be considered a men's health problem, right? Usually when we think of heart attack and heart disease, we do think of men because women are protected up to.

[00:06:16] Once they hit menopause and then our risk goes up very, considerably. Studies show that women are more likely to experience silent heart attacks, meaning there's fewer of those classic symptoms like chest pain, and you might see things more like fatigue, nausea, or shortness of breath.

[00:06:36] So I understand your cholesterol isn't just about a number, it's about protecting our heart and energy for the next 30 years or more of our life. So if most of your cholesterol is made in your body, what causes it to go high? Spoiler. It's not just eggs or bacon or butter. First of all, is genetics. Like we talked about.

[00:06:57] If a parent or a sibling has high cholesterol, you're much [00:07:00] more likely to have it as well. If you are eating a diet that is high in saturated fats, trans fats, and added sugars. We can likely see a higher LDL and triglyceride level. Yes, I said sugars that has nothing to do with you might eat, candy that says it's cholesterol free, but it can still increase our cholesterol and increase our risk.

[00:07:28] Next is a sedentary lifestyle movement actually helps our body to use cholesterol and fats more efficiently. Next is hormones. Our estrogen, as we talked about, as it declines, it changes our fat metabolism. Stress can also increase our cortisol levels, which is that fight or flight hormone, which can increase our triglycerides and inflammation in our body, increasing our risk of cardiovascular disease.

[00:07:56] And lastly, sleep. Poor sleep raises our LDL and it can [00:08:00] also raise our blood sugar, decreasing our insulin sensitivity. And the kicker is that menopause magnifies. All of these factors. So what worked for us at age 30? It doesn't cut it at age 50, and that's okay. It just means that we need a new plan, not a new personality.

[00:08:18] Okay? So now that you know what's behind your numbers, let's talk about how to interpret them and where to put your energy after age 40. So when you get your labs done, don't just look at that total cholesterol. Ask your doctor for your HDL and LDL numbers, ask him for triglycerides. Ask him for the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL and if possible, an advanced lipid panel to check actual particle size and inflammation markers.

[00:08:48] Because truly, you may have high LDL, but it, they might find that they are not. Like the size and the density might show that they, that you are not as [00:09:00] at high risk of cardiovascular disease as just the standard. So it's possible to have high cholesterol, but low risk. If your HDL is strong.

[00:09:09] Your LDL particles are large and fluffy, and your blood pressure, blood sugar, and inflammation are all low. So think of your numbers as just a piece of that puzzle, not a single grade on the test. Remember, heart health, it's not only about cholesterol, it's about, the big picture, the, your blood sugar your insulin sensitivity inflammation, overall, inflammation in the body, high stress levels, poor sleep.

[00:09:35] You know how much muscle mass you have and how much movement you're doing. All of those things are gonna affect how cholesterol behaves in your body. So you came for some practical advice here. So let's get into the how. These are habits that research consistently shows can improve our cholesterol and our heart health.

[00:09:52] So first of all is lifestyle and nutrition. In order to raise our HDL or our good cholesterol, we need to move daily. [00:10:00] Try to, get at least in 150 minutes per week of that moderate activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous movement strength training. Yep, you're right. I'm gonna put this into everything I ever talk about, but strength.

[00:10:14] Strength training two to three times a week because muscle acts like that metabolic furnace, right? It's burning calories. We need to add in those Omega-3 rich foods, like those, the fatty fish like salmon, tuna, sardines, or those nice nuts and seeds, chia, flax, walnuts, all those are great sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, enjoying avocado, olive oil, and nuts for heart, healthy fats, moderate alcohol.

[00:10:43] We talked about, alcohol and how that affects us in my last episode called Why Not? Small amounts of resveratrol or that red wine can raise our HDL, but more than one drink a day can actually raise our triglycerides [00:11:00] instead. So you can see where. It's not about a little is good and more is better.

[00:11:05] This is about, a small amount is enough. And, I talked about in my last podcast episode that, sometimes the question is do we need any, and is there other ways for us to get those good antioxidants that help to raise our HDL in, in good foods? And then lastly is don't smoke alcohol or sorry, tobacco can lower our HDL dramatically.

[00:11:28] So next, and here are some ways to lower our bad cholesterol. We can swap out, we talked about saturated fats, so trying to swap out that butter in the cream, which are higher in those saturated fats. And instead, choose like olive oil, avocado oil, or, yogurt based alternatives.

[00:11:46] Add soluble fiber. Soluble fiber. I always find this interesting because. They talk about Cheerios, it drives me nuts, like Cheerios commercials and they're like, just eat a bowl of Cheerios and it's gonna lower your cholesterol. And the reasoning behind [00:12:00] this is because it has soluble fiber. Do I think that there are much better ways for you to incorporate like quality soluble fiber rather than that processed stuff that we're seeing in Cheerios which really don't have much fiber at all.

[00:12:15] Even five to 10 grams of soluble fiber per day can lower our LDLs by about 5%. So oats are a good source, but try ones that are not as processed, right? So like oatmeal beans and legumes, lentils, apples and cilium husk. Those are also good, all good sources of soluble fiber. Next, limiting our fried and processed foods that contain those trans fats.

[00:12:39] And yes, I know that trans fats, you'll see all of those labels on pro on foods that say zero trans fats. They can say that if there is less than one gram of trans fats in one serving, how many servings are you going to eat of that? So say it's Oreos, right? Oh zero trans fats in one serving, [00:13:00] which is.

[00:13:00] Two cookies. Are you going to eat eight cookies? That'd before servings. If so, you're gonna be getting a lot more and you're probably gonna, you're gonna be getting a lot more trans fats than the zero, right? It adds up. I eating more plant-based meals, so trying to get more of those good plant foods.

[00:13:19] A study in the Journal of American Medical Association showed that a diet rich in plant proteins. Nuts and fibers can actually lower our LDL by up to 30%, right? So trying to incorporate in those good high fiber plant foods, those whole grains, the beans and legumes nuts and seeds. Those are all gonna help to incre increase the amount of fiber you're consuming overall, but it's, that can help to lower our LDL or our bad cholesterol.

[00:13:49] And then lastly it does have to do with weight. So even losing five to 10 pounds if you are overweight or obese, right? If you're someone of normal weight, [00:14:00] obviously this is not gonna help. We don't want you to just continue to lose weight 'cause it is likely very strongly genetic related. But excess weight can definitely increase our.

[00:14:09] Our cholesterol, right? It can raise our elevate, our our bad cholesterol, our LDL and it can, it, it can increase our total cholesterol. So trying to maintain a healthy weight, and you can see improvement by, even a five to 10 pound weight loss can lower our LDL by as much as five to 8%.

[00:14:27] So next lifestyle and nutrition tip would be to lower, in order to lower our triglycerides. Cutting out those added sugars, even like a 12 ounce soda can raise our triglycerides by five to 10%. Reducing those refined carbohydrates like white breads, pastries, chips, cookies, candy those things that are just the more processed or refined carbs.

[00:14:50] And if you drink, skip alcohol for a few weeks and see if that those triglyceride numbers improve. Excess alcohol can definitely increase our triglycerides. [00:15:00] Next is balancing our meals with protein and fiber to help to maintain those blood sugars. We've talked about this in many of the episodes, just the importance of blood sugar regulation for hormone stability and overall, decreasing inflammation in the body and decreasing our risk of so many chronic illnesses.

[00:15:19] But that is, that balancing and regulating our blood sugars is super important in so many areas, but that is also gonna help to lower our triglycerides. And then lastly is getting consistent sleep. Less than six hours a night can increase our triglycerides by up to 20%. Next in order to lower total cholesterol and decreasing inflammation in the body, trying to get in those good anti-inflammatory foods, or those antioxidants, things like berries, leafy greens, you, turmeric, curcumin, green teas, all of those things.

[00:15:50] The more brighter and diverse colors of fruits and veggies herbs. Are gonna help to lower our total cholesterol and [00:16:00] decrease just overall inflammation in the body. Walking after meals can actually help our body. We know that helps with digestion in general, but can actually help our body to process fat and decrease, help us to be more sensitive to insulin and decrease those glucose levels.

[00:16:16] Again, managing stress. We keep hearing this in all of these different points, but managing our stress like things, doing things like deep breathing, journaling or even five quiet minutes of meditation or relaxation, can decrease those cortisol levels, which is our stress hormone. Next, again, prioritizing sleep and adequate hydration.

[00:16:38] So getting in plenty of fluids, if you can try to get in at least. 80 ounces of those non-caffeinated, non sugar-sweetened drinks during the day. Both sleep and hydration can affect our metabolism. And then getting regular checkups, like getting into the doctor, knowing your numbers. I think sometimes people are like, oh, I'd rather just not know being in denial [00:17:00] because if you do have these genetics and you really can't, get some really high numbers down, maybe medication is gonna be your best.

[00:17:09] Your best option because it's not just about if I don't know, then it's not gonna do damage. It's doing damage in your body. If you are one of those that, regardless of what you do in your lifestyle, we can't bring those numbers down. Medication will definitely help to decrease your risk.

[00:17:25] So that's definitely a talk to have with your doctor. And the last piece of kind of nutrition lifestyle advice for lowering those numbers is thinking about salt. And processed foods, right? So while sodium, it doesn't raise cholesterol directly, it can increase blood pressure. It can be harder on those kidneys, which can compound our risk, right?

[00:17:46] So if we have those elevated lipids or, cholesterol, triglycerides, whatnot as well as high blood pressure, it's gonna be, we're at much higher risk of that cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, et cetera. So focus on things like [00:18:00] herbs, spices, citrus, and vinegar for flavoring, rather than just jumping straight to that salt shaker.

[00:18:06] Okay. Adding in things that give you flavor, but also maybe add in a little antioxidants just more natural ways to, to flavor your foods. You don't need to overhaul your whole diet this week, so just pick one of these things. Maybe swap your breakfast cereal for oatmeal with some, Greek yogurt with chia and berries.

[00:18:28] Something much more, higher pro or higher protein, as well as higher insoluble fiber gonna help to promote that good blood sugar control as well as helping to decrease the, your cholesterol. Maybe go for a walk after dinner instead of, plop in your butt in front of the television or snacking or lounging around or scrolling on your phone.

[00:18:48] Go for a little walk, even five to 10 minutes to help with that digestion. These small changes can really add up. And they're much more sustainable. We're gonna be able to do 'em and stick with them for longer periods of time, as [00:19:00] compared to oh, this, screw this. I can't do this.

[00:19:01] It's too hard and you quit, right? Make small changes that you can just try to be consistent with. So you know what is your cholesterol story? Maybe you've never thought about it much. Maybe you've got numbers that worry you. Either way, your body is not broken. It's just communicating. It's telling you what's going on in there.

[00:19:21] And if you're ready for kind of the a deeper guided reset around movement, nutrition, and habits that support your hormones in your heart, I'd love for you to join the interest list for my Fit After 50 plus program. We cover all this. We cover balancing hormones. Supporting our metabolism, improving our cholesterol and blood sugar and getting strong from the inside out.

[00:19:41] The next round starts winter, spring 2026. So to get on the interest list, it's no obligation, but being on the list gets you first dibs on early bird incentives when our doors open. And I'm gonna stick the link in the show notes so you can check it out there if you're interested. Your health is built.

[00:19:57] One decision, one meal, one walk at a [00:20:00] time, and you can't change your genetics, but you can change how they show up. Remember, this is about progress over perfection. We're in this for the long haul, and this is your season of strength. Have a fantastic week.