--- title: "How to Lower Your Cholesterol This Winter: Seven Changes That Work" description: Cholesterol runs higher in winter. Seven changes that lower it, from saturated fat limits to oats, oily fish, exercise and a free NHS check. author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2026-11-03T09:01:08.923Z updated: 2026-11-03T09:01:08.939Z canonical: https://www.richmanmagazine.com/article/lower-cholesterol-winter image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/unsplash-loqxo-zpna0.webp categories: health content_type: Guide region: United Kingdom publication: Rich Man Magazine schema_type: Article --- Your cholesterol does not stay the same all year. Blood tests from 140,000 men and 32,000 women in Britain, and thousands more in Japan, show levels running 3 to 5 percent higher in winter than in summer. The rise follows the falling temperature, not any change in weight. Colder months also tend to bring less exercise and heavier comfort food. High cholesterol has no symptoms, and even a slim man who feels well can have it. These seven changes bring it down. ## Cut Saturated Fat to 30g a Day UK guidelines say a man should eat no more than 30g of saturated fat a day, and you can reach that fast. One teaspoon of butter holds about 5g, and a typical margherita pizza holds 10.4g, a third of your daily limit. The biggest sources are fatty meat, sausages, bacon, butter, lard, ghee, hard cheese, cream, cakes, biscuits and anything made with coconut or palm oil. Read the label. More than 5g of saturates per 100g counts as high, and 1.5g or less counts as low. Choose lower-fat mince and drain the fat after browning it, and pick a tomato sauce over a creamy or cheesy one. Replace saturated fats with unsaturated ones such as olive or rapeseed oil, nuts and oily fish. ## Start the Day With Porridge Oats and barley contain beta-glucan, a soluble fibre that forms a gel in your gut, binds to cholesterol-rich bile acids and stops some of the cholesterol being absorbed. HEART UK recommends 3g of beta-glucan a day. A 40g bowl of porridge gives you about 2g, and a 250ml glass of oat milk about 1g. Make up the rest with pearl barley in winter stews and soups. Fibre of every kind helps, and most people eat less than the 30g a day UK guidance recommends. Wholemeal bread, brown rice, beans, lentils, fruit and vegetables all add to your total. ## Add Plant Sterols and Stanols Fortified spreads, milks and yoghurts contain plant sterols and stanols. Their structure is similar to cholesterol, so they reduce the amount your gut absorbs. About 2g a day, alongside a healthy diet, lowers blood cholesterol. No trials yet show they cut heart attacks or strokes, and they do not replace statins if your doctor has prescribed them. ## Oily Fish, Walnuts and Soya Eat oily fish every week: salmon, sardines, pilchards, trout, herring and mackerel all count, whether tinned, frozen or fresh. Walnuts are the only tree nut with significant amounts of ALA, the plant form of omega-3, which helps maintain normal cholesterol. Soya foods such as tofu, soya beans and soya milk are part of HEART UK's cholesterol-lowering plan. ## Keep Moving Through the Dark Months Aim for at least 150 minutes of exercise a week: brisk walking, swimming or cycling, fast enough to raise your heart rate. Regular exercise raises HDL, the 'good' cholesterol, which carries fatty deposits to your liver to be broken down. In winter, split it into 30 minutes on five days and take your walk at lunchtime, while it is still light. ## Drink Less and Stop Smoking Keep alcohol to no more than 14 units a week, with several drink-free days. Smoking raises your cholesterol: a chemical in cigarettes stops HDL carrying fatty deposits to the liver. In England, the NHS Stop Smoking Service helpline is 0300 123 1044, or your GP can refer you. ## Get Your Cholesterol Checked A blood test is the only way to find out your cholesterol level. If you are 40 to 74 and do not already have heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes or high blood pressure, the NHS in England invites you for a free Health Check every five years, and it includes a cholesterol test. If your invitation has not arrived, ask your GP, and [book it with a friend this Movember](https://www.richmanmagazine.com/article/movember-health-checks-jeremy-clarkson-chris-hoy). As a guide, a total cholesterol of 5 mmol/L or less and an HDL of 1.0 mmol/L or more are healthy levels for men. If yours is high, your GP will tell you whether you need medication such as statins alongside these changes.