I'm a cardiologist and I never eat these foods - one is almost pure fat

 Keeping your heart healthy is one of the most important things you can do for your own health, especially as you get older. One of the best ways to do this is to eat healthily.

Eating foods high in fat can increase your risk of heart disease and strokes, as well as the possibility of suffering a heart attack. Now one cardiologist has revealed the foods he would "never eat".

Dr Mohammad Alo, has almost 270,000 followers on TikTok, where he describes himself as "America's Cardiologist" and regularly shares useful heart health tips. In a recent video he said: "As a cardiologist, here are some foods I would absolutely never eat."

He continued: "Several foods, when you eat them, they raise your LDL cholesterol, plug up your arteries, give you heart attacks, strokes, dementia, you know, peripheral artery disease, kidney disease, all kinds of problems."

LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, cholesterol is also known as the "bad cholesterol". It can cause plaque build-up in the arteries, potentially causing a heart attack or a stroke.

High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol is the "good" form of the substance. It takes cholesterol you don't need back to the liver, where it is broken down and removed from the bloodstream, according to the British Heart Foundation.

Dr Alo continued: "Number one will be butter. Butter is basically almost a pure saturated fat. When you consume butter, LDL goes up, your arteries start to clog.

"In that same boat are other saturated fats: cheese, bacon, lard, ghee, coconut oil, tallow, the fat on steaks, chicken skin. All of these saturated fats raise your LDL cholesterol, thereby causing heart disease."

Which foods contain saturated fat?

The NHS recommends the average man should eat no more than 30g of saturated fat per day, and women should have no more than 20g. These foods all contain saturated fat:

butter

ghee

suet

lard

coconut oil

palm oil

cakes

biscuits

fatty cuts of meat

sausages

bacon

cured meats like salami, chorizo, and pancetta

cheese

pastries such as pies, quiches, sausage rolls, and croissants

cream

crème fraîche

sour cream

ice cream

coconut milk

coconut cream

milkshakes

chocolate and chocolate spreads

How can I decrease my cholesterol levels?

The NHS says there are a number of ways to lower your cholesterol levels. Among these is to reduce the amount of fatty foods you eat, especially those containing saturated fat. The organisation recommends eating more:

oily fish like mackerel and salmon

olive oil, rapeseed oil, and spreads made from these oils

brown rice

wholegrain bread

wholewheat pasta

nuts and seeds

fruits and vegetables

Exercise is another way to cut your cholesterol. The NHS recommends aiming for at least 150 minutes, or two and a half hours, or moderate-intensity exercise a week.

Smoking can also increase your cholesterol. You should also avoid drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week, and spread your consumption over three or more days, with several drink-free days every week.