An expert on heart health has offered her advice on how to reduce cholesterol levels in a natural way by making dietary alterations.

According to Denise Armstrong, a lifestyle manager at the Heart Research UK charity, eating unsalted nuts and avocados on a regular basis can work to bring down a persons' cholesterol count.

Many elderly people are concerned about their cholesterol levels as the issue relates closely to the risk of heart attack or stroke and Ms Armstrong has explained that there are certain foods on the market that actively reduce the artery-clogging substance.

"A number of margarines, yoghurts and drinks that say on their labels that they contain [ingredients] that will actively reduce cholesterol levels," she said.

However, Ms Armstrong went on to note that dietary factors are only able to alter cholesterol levels "to a limited degree" and she suggested prescribed drugs tend to be the most effective treatment for problems relating to hypertension.

Guidelines in the UK recommend that adults should have cholesterol levels below 5mmol/l in their blood, but figures from the British Heart Foundation have shown that this is not the case for most men and women around the country.