A HUDDERSFIELD trio who played guinea pigs for an experimental diet will be the focus of a TV documentary on Monday.
Kerina McEvoy-Ives, Russ Hayden and Allan Butters will hit our screens to show how they cut their high cholesterol levels by following a special diet and exercise plan.
The hopefuls were picked from hundreds who volunteered to have their cholesterol checked in Huddersfield town centre in August as part of a study for ITV1’s Tonight With Trevor McDonald programme.
The show, Heart Of The Matter, aims to highlight how diet and exercise can lower cholesterol as successfully as controversial drugs called statins, given to patients by GPs.
Huddersfield was chosen to stage the study after it was revealed as having one of the worst cholesterol records in Britain, with 65% of adults having levels above the recommended rate.
The volunteers will follow the Portfolio Diet which combines groups of foods known to help lower cholesterol in the blood.
Eating them individually can help, but research has shown putting them together achieves the best results.
Father-of-one, Allan, 38, has an 18% chance of a heart attack or stroke in the next 10 years. Allan from Crosland Moor, has a family history of the disease, with his sister dying of a heart attacked aged 34.
The Huddersfield University support worker, smokes and drinks small amounts. He doesn’t take much exercise and has enjoyed a diet of fry-ups, sandwiches, crisps and chocolate for years.
Months of fancy dining as a golf captain are to blame for Russ’ soaring cholesterol levels.
Dad-of-three Russ, 51, from Oakes, has a 38% of a heart attack or stroke in the next decade. The Oakes father-of-three couldn’t believe it when his test revealed a rate of more than seven millimols per litre – well above the recommended rate of five.
Twenty-a-day smoker Kerina, 31, from Brighouse, is also at risk.
The hairdresser’s parents both have high cholesterol levels. Her grandfather died of a heart attack and her other grandad had a stroke.
Kerina, who enjoys takeaways and dislikes exercise, was shocked when her overall cholesterol reading measured 6.38 millimol per litre.
The group will also reduce the amount of saturated fat they eat and increase activity levels by walking.
Heart of the Matter will be screened at 8pm on Monday.
