CHOLESTEROL REDUCING FOODS

Delicious and Healthy Cholesterol Reducing Foods

By: Paul Heitman

High cholesterol can be a serious medical problem. But, there are many things that you can do to help get your cholesterol back under control. There are many cholesterol reducing foods that can shift your cholesterol numbers into a healthy zone.

When it comes to cholesterol reducing foods there are actually two things to take into consideration. One is foods that increase your HDL and the other is foods that will lower your LDL. You might be scratching your head wondering what these strange letters might mean. Let me start by explaining a little bit about cholesterol.

The Two Faces of Cholesterol

You see, there are actually two kids of cholesterol. The LDL, or low density lipoprotein, is considered bad for you. This is the type of cholesterol that you want to have a low score for. This cholesterol is slow moving and can block your arteries. Blocked or restricted arteries are what can cause stroke, heart disease, and heart attacks.

The other kind of cholesterol is HDL, or high density lipoprotein. This type of cholesterol moves quickly through your system and will actually help to unblock the LDL stuck on your arteries. You want to have a higher score with your HDL numbers.

Cholesterol Reducing Foods

Even though there are two types of cholesterol there are actually three types of cholesterol reducing foods. One will lower bad cholesterol. One will increase the good cholesterol. And one will do both of these things.

Let's take a look at some of the bad cholesterol reducing foods first.

Oats- If you have watched any amount of television in the last ten years than you would have seen a commercial about oats being good for heart health. And it' true. Oats and oatmeal are fantastic for lowering the bad cholesterol that is in your system.

Beans- Most of the legumes are high in fiber. Any foods with a high fiber content are going to help move cholesterol out of your body before it gets absorbed. This means they will help to lower bad cholesterol levels.

Fish - Salmon, sardines, and mackerel are all fish that have a high fat content, but it's the good omega-3 fat that helps to lower bad cholesterol levels. Again, this type of food will be less effective when it is drenched in butter or other sauces. So make smarter choices.

Here are a few of the cholesterol reducing foods that will increase your good cholesterol rating.

Nuts - Nuts are high in the fats that are good for your body. But not all nuts are equal when it comes to health benefits. Walnuts and almonds are the top rated nuts. Plus, all nuts are high in calories so you need to watch your intake. Also, remember that nuts that have been roasted, salted, or coated in sugar are not going to have the same health benefits as nuts that are raw.

Orange Juice - Recent studies have shown that one glass of orange juice a day can increase the good cholesterol levels by 21 percent. Most likely this is from the antioxidants that are found in the oranges.

Here are a few of the cholesterol reducing foods that do both.

Garlic - This food is known for so many health benefits that it is no wonder that cholesterol reduction is part of the list. Garlic has been proven to lower bad cholesterol while helping to increase the good stuff.

Niacin - One of the B vitamins, Niacin has some of the same effects on the body as statin prescription drugs. But with this supplement it is important to be under a medical professional's care as Niacin can interfere with blood thinners and other drugs.

Paul is a health conscious person and takes good care of his heart by following a healthy lifestyle. He loves to share information and resources about cholesterol and how to decrease cholesterol naturally. To know more about cholesterol and on how you can lower your cholesterol levels by eating cholesterol reducing foods, sign up for your FREE mini-course at http://decreasecholesterolnaturally.com.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com - Delicious and Healthy Cholesterol Reducing Foods

LOWERING HIGH CHOLESTEROL - Part 7

Cholesterol-Lowering Medicines

Along with suggesting that you change the way you eat and exercise regularly, your doctor may prescribe medicines to help lower your cholesterol. Even if you begin drug treatment, you will need to continue TLC. Drug treatment controls but does not "cure" high blood cholesterol. Therefore, you must continue taking your medicine to keep your cholesterol level in the recommended range.

The five major types of cholesterol-lowering medicines are:

                   

Statins

• Very effective in lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol levels
• Safe for most people
• Rare side effects to watch for are liver and muscle problems

Bile Acid Sequestrants

• Help lower LDL cholesterol levels
• Sometimes prescribed with statins
• Not usually prescribed as the only medicine to lower cholesterol

Nicotinic  Acid

• Lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and raises HDL  (good) cholesterol
• Should only be used under a doctor's supervision                   

Fibrates

• Lower triglycerides
• May increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels
• When used with a statin, may increase the chance of muscle problems

Ezetimibe

• Lowers LDL cholesterol
• May be used with statins or alone
• Acts within the intestine to block cholesterol absorption

When you are under treatment, you will be checked regularly to:

• Make sure your cholesterol level is controlled
• Check for other health problems

You may take medicines for other health problems. It is important that you take ALL medicines as your doctor prescribes. The combination of medicines may lower your risk for heart disease or heart attack.

                 

When trying to lower your cholesterol or keep it low, it is important to remember to follow your treatments for other conditions you may have, such as high blood pressure. Get help with quitting smoking and losing weight if they are risk factors for you.

LOWERING HIGH CHOLESTEROL – Part 6

High Cholesterol Drug Treatment Indications

There are cases where lowering-cholesterol drugs are needed. They may be used in combination with other TLC treatments to help lower your LDL. The higher your risk for heart disease, the lower your LDL goal will be. Your doctor will set your LDL goal. Using the following Risk Category Guide, you and your doctor can develop a possible plan for your high blood cholesterol treatment.

Risk Category Guide

RISK CATEGORY I, highest risk, your LDL Goal is less than 100 mg/dL

• If your LDL 100 mg/dL or above, you will need to begin the TLC Diet together with cholesterol treatment drugs 
• Even if your LDL is below 100 mg/dL, you should follow the TLC Diet on your own to keep your LDL as low as possible

RISK CATEGORY II, next highest risk, your LDL Goal is less than 130 mg/dL

• If your LDL is 130 mg/dL or above, you need to begin the TLC Diet
• If you LDL is 130 mg/dL or more after 3 months on TLC Diet, you may need cholesterol treatment drugs along with the TLC Diet
• If your LDL is less than 130 mg/dL, you will need to follow the Hearth Healthy Diet

RISK CATEGORY III, noderate risk, your LDL goal is less than 130 mg/dL

• If your LDL is 130 mg/dL or above, you will need to begin treatment with the TLC Diet
• If your LDL is 160 mg/dL or more after you have tried the TLC Diet for 3 months, you may need cholesterol treatment drugs along with the TLC Diet
• If your LDL is less than 130 mg/dL, you will need to follow the Heart Healthy Diet

RISK CATEGORY IV, low to moderate risk, your LDL Goal is less than 160 mg/dL

• If your LDL is 160 mg/dL or above, you will need to begin the TLC Diet
• If your LDL is still 160 mg/dL or more after 3 months on TLC Diet, you may need cholesterol treatment drugs along with the TLC Diet
• If your LDL is less than 160 mg/dL, you will need to follow the heart healthy diet

The above scheme will give you a clear picture whether you need a lowering cholesterol medical prescription or not. What are the medicines that your doctor may prescribe for you?

This will be discussed in the next article

LOWERING HIGH CHOLESTEROL - Part 5

Physical Exercises for the Treatment of High Cholesterol

Why should you exercise?

The main reason why you should exercise in relation to hypertension is that it will condition the heart and keep blood vessels dilated and working properly. Regular aerobic exercises provide you with a lot of benefits. Exercise may help the prevention of various ailments like high cholesterol, hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, obesity and osteoporosis. It is also proven that exercise can prevent breast cancer in women.

Exercising is also beneficial in shaping your health in general. It makes the whole body work; muscles, organs, cells, systems, processes all together in harmony to keep your body fit and ready to do things for a better life.

The purpose of exercising is to burn your unwanted fat (including LDL) in the body. Exercising speeds up the metabolism of carbohydrate and fat so that there will be no accumulation of fat in body tissues

What is the best exercise for you?

There are many ways on how to make your body move and activate your body systems. You can decide the most suitable type of exercise depends on your health condition and your need. You may go jogging in the neighborhood or install a treadmill unit in the corner of your house. Or do a walk in the neighborhood for about 20 – 40 minute every day which will be okay.

You may go swimming, or do anything else that makes your body move and sweat. Sweat is the result of fat metabolism which indicates that fat burning is working. If you do it routinely, your blood circulation will do well and assure sufficient supply of oxygen and other nourishment to the heart.

But there are other conditions like hypertension, heart disease or any other health impairment, like diabetes mellitus, asthma, obesity and osteoporosis you should definitely consult your doctor to determine the best course of exercising.

Types of exercise

The most suitable exercise for high cholesterol is jogging and home exercising, yoga and meditation, and last but not least, Tai Chi. Lets discuss them in more detail

Jogging and home exercising

Go for a low speed run (for younger people) in the neighborhood for about 20 minutes every morning before going to work is a good habit with the reward of a fit body. Walking for older people will result the same. The purpose of a morning walk or jogging is to breathing fresh air and to get sweat. So, consider the weather and avoid exercising in polluted streets

Another solution to exercise in clean air, is to exercise at home doing a static walk or run. You can also set a fitness corner at your home with the right exercising equipment according to your need. The common equipment used at home is the treadmill and exercise bikes. Those equipments will make it possible to do all season all weather exercising. What you just need is a strong will and self-discipline to keep your exercises going routinely and continuously. You can review selected choices of treadmills and exercise bikes here.

Other equipments like a stepper or wavecross-trainer can also be considered. But make sure you know the function of each tool and how to set and use them properly considering your health condition and limitation. Again, you need to consult an expert before you exercise in your in-house fitness corner. Just to be careful.

Yoga and Meditation

This exercise is suitable for middle age and older people who want to avoid stiff joints by regular stretching and to maintain muscle flexibility and strength. Stretching will also improve respiration, thus enhance the normal function of blood circulation.

Yoga can be done at home on a daily basis. As proven by the increasing practice of yoga for health, it seems that the only program that helps you achieve physical fitness, freedom from stress as well as mental harmony and relaxation is Integral Yoga. Get onto the yoga way and you’ll thank yourself forever. 

Meditation is very useful for people with hypertension which is proven to reduce the dependency on antihypertensive drugs. Dr. Jeffrey A Dusek and friends from The Massachusetts General Hospital declared that patients with isolated systolic hypertension possess better chances to reduce their dosage of anti-hypertension by 1 tablet when they practice meditation compared to those not practicing it.

To optimize your meditation and relaxation sessions there are a plenty of meditation aids and tools. More about Meditation Tools

Learn more about yoga and meditation: To exercise yoga and meditation properly, there are also several quality books on yoga and meditation available to provide you with a better insight about yoga. More about Yoga and Meditation

Tai Chi

The movements of Tai Chi focus on respiratory control instead of quick movements of the body. Tai Chi movements seem to be very weak and slow, but it is quite complicated since you need to memorize the specific movements associated with proper respiratory control

Dale Napier  wrote about the principle of Tai Chi: "Tai Chi Chuan can be described as martial qigong, but it has a philosophical foundation that is much deeper. Tai Chi Chuan and Yin-Yang, the Theory of Opposites, are the same. In physical movement we move different parts of our body in opposing directions, so that we remain rooted to an immovable center. Thus we maintain our center – literally the physical center of gravity – within the body. There are even deeper aspects to the yin-yang paradigm, but this essence is the beginning."

LOWERING HIGH CHOLESTEROL – Part 4

Managing Your Weight

The principle of weight management is simply keeping the balance between your food intake and your daily physical activities, since the main cause of being overweight is uncontrolled food intake and lack of exercise.

Watch what you eat

This is the first issue you should attend to. You already know that the external source of cholesterol is our food. So watch what you eat. It sounds simple, but you really need the spirit to keep up the struggle. You may have to discard your favorite foodstuff and feel unhappy in the beginning. But, you will get used to it. Time will help you.

The basic of your diet is limiting the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol that we eat, eat just the needed calories that maintains a ideal healthy weight, increase the intake of water soluble fiber containing foodstuff (oatmeal, kidney beans and apple are good sources) and last but not least is to add cholesterol lowering food such as plant margarine and fish oil. 

Add your knowledge about food. This will enable you to select among good and bad stuff. You should know what are the fat and cholesterol containing foodstuff as well as the kind of food that can enhance your health. If you like meat very much and find it hard to discard, there are meats that contain less fat and cholesterol compared to other meats. I am sure you know that.

Start exercising

Why should you do that? It is the best and natural way to burn residual fats in our body. Fat residual is the remaining fat after our body system has taken the necessary amount for normal metabolism. Unused fat is usually deposited in our body cells of particular parts of the body, e.g. stomach, hips, upper arms and legs. Excessive fat deposit causes overweight. Thus, the best way to avoid this happening is to burn it by doing exercises.  

Exercising is also beneficial in shaping your health in general. It makes the whole body work; muscles, organs, cells, systems, processes all together in harmony to keep your body fit and ready to do things for a better life. 

However, exercise is another thing that needs self motivation and discipline. You may go jogging in the neighborhood or install a treadmill unit in the corner of your house. You may go swimming, or do anything else that make you sweat. Sweat is the result of fat metabolism which indicates that fat burning is working. If you do it routinely, there is no way that fat will be kept in your body.

LOWERING HIGH CHOLESTEROL - Part 3

The TLC Diet

As written by Gloria Tsang, RD, The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet or TLC Diet was introduced in May 2001 when the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) released new diet guidelines for people with high cholesterol and risk with heart disease.

The American Heart Association (AHA) accepted and indorsed this report and began incorporating these recommendations into its materials on dietary and lifestyle change for people with high cholesterol. For people at high risk or who have known cardiovascular disease, NCEP and AHA now recommend the new TLC Diet to replace the “old” Step 1 and Step 2 diets.

The Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC) Concept itself is a comprehensive approach in lowering and maintaining cholesterol levels. TLC includes dietary guidelines as in combination with weight management, physical exercises and the administration of cholesterol lowering medicine.

The dietary aspect in TLC is the most critical in high cholesterol therapy, as it cut the one and only course of fat intake. It is also the most difficult to implement and need a strong will and high motivation of the person. Especially in over-weighted individuals with great appetite, following a diet (which might be strictly) is really a battle against them selves.

The TLC Diet limits which attempt to lower High Cholesterol as summarized below::

Total Fat	20% - 25% total calories
Saturated Fat	< 7% total calories
Poly-unsaturated Fat	up to 10% total calories
Mono-unsaturated Fat	up to 20% total calories
Carbohydrates	50% - 60% total calories
Protein	15% total calories
Cholesterol	< 200 mg/dL
Plant steroids	2 g
Soluble fibre such as psyllium	10 g - 25 g

Examples of food in the TLC Diet

Lean meat/fish/alternatives	<5 oz/day
Eggs	< 2 yolks/week (whites unlimited)
Low fat diary	2 - 3 servings/day
Fats/oils	< 6 - 8 teaspoon/day
Grain especially whole grains	> 6 servings/day
Vegetables	3 - 5 servings/day
Fruits	2 - 4 servings/day

LOWERING HIGH CHOLESTEROL – Part 2

The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Concept

The Goal of High Cholesterol Treatment

Just to remind you that the main goal of high cholesterol treatment is to adequately lower your Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) level to reduce your risk of having a heart attack or other cardiovascular diseases. The higher your LDL level and the more risk factors you have, the greater your chances are to developing heart disease or having a heart attack.

In the previous information sheet, you already know what category of risk you are in. The question is what to do next?

Your doctor may suggest a total concept approach, which is known by The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes or TLC Concept. This is a comprehensive approach in lowering and maintaining cholesterol levels. TLC includes 4 major attempts:

• Dietary guidelines known as the TLC Diet
• Weight management
• Physical exercises
• The Administration of cholesterol lowering medicine (if necessary)

 A lifestyle that you have adopted for a long time will be hard to change and needs a lot of motivation to make it happened.  

LOWERING HIGH CHOLESTEROL – Part 1

Judging Your Risk Factors for Adequate Treatment

The Goal of High Cholesterol Treatment

The main goal of high cholesterol treatment is to adequately lower your Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) level to reduce your risk of having a heart attack or other cardiovascular diseases. The higher your LDL level and the more risk factors you have, the greater your chances are to developing heart disease or having a heart attack.

A risk factor is a condition that increases your chance of getting a disease. The risk factors for developing a heart disease are; genetic factors, age, hypertension, cholesterol, smoking, overweight, diabetes mellitus and stress. Some people are at high risk for a heart attack because they already have a heart disease. <>

Judging Your Risk Factors For Your Right Treatment

If you have two or more of risk factors, use the NHLBI 10-Year Calculator or the Cardiovascular Risk Calculator (or click the above red banner) to find your risk score. Risk scores refer to the chance of having a heart attack in the next 10 years, given as a percentage.

Use your medical history, number of risk factors, and risk score to find your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack according to the table below.

#1. High RisK Category

If you have a heart diseases, diabetes or a risk score higher than 20%, you are in the category of high risk or CATEGORY I to develop a heart disease. Your LDL goal should be lower than 100 mg/dL

#2. Next Highest Risk Category

If you have two or more risk factors and a risk score between 10 - 20%, you are in the next highest risk or CATEGORY II to develop a heart disease. Your LDL goal should be less than 130 mg/dL

#3. Moderate Risk Category

If you have two or more risk factors and a risk score lower than 10%, you are in a moderate risk category or CATEGORY III. Your LDL goal should be less than 130 mg/dL

#4. Low to Moderate Risk Category

If you have only one or no risk factor at all, you are in the low to moderate risk category or CATEGORY IV. Your LDL goal should than be less than 160 mg/dL

After following the above steps, you should have an idea about your risk for getting heart disease or having a heart attack. The higher your risk is, the lower your LDL goal will be.

HIGH CHOLESTEROL AND CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS

High Cholesterol, A Cardiovascular Risk Factor That Should Be Controlled!

High cholesterol is one among risk factors that increases the incidence of cardiovascular diseases. The risk will consequently increase if you already have high blood cholesterol plus other risk factors in the list below. Be aware if you possess those risk factors. You should check and monitor your factors to determine the kind of treatment you should take.

Genetic factor

A family history of early heart disease is one clue. If you have a father or brother that acquire a cardiovascular disease below 55, or a mother or sister below 65, means that you are in great risk. You may also have lesser risk if your uncle or auntie, from both your father and mother side, is the one with a cardiovascular disease.  

Age

Elder people have greater risk to develop a heart disease. It is a natural aging process that happens to the whole body system. Special care and appreciation should be addressed to our heart. It is the one and only organ in our body that works consistently, without weary, making every beat to bring us life! Imagine, assuming if your normal heart beats 60 times per minute and you are 50 years old, this means that your heart has made at least; 60 X 60 minutes X 24 hours X 365 days X 50 years = 1,578,800,000 beats during your entire life!. Wow, what an excellent work. Can you do this kind of enduring job? So, appreciate your heart, one way is by providing it with routine checks.

Hypertension

It is also called High Blood Pressure. This is a burden to our heart. A normal blood pressure are averaging 120/80 mmHg with the maximum of 140/90 mmHg. You should check your heart if your blood pressure goes beyond 140/90 mmHg. What does a blood pressure mean to us? These are measurement that indicates how much pressure is needed to allow the required blood flow in the body. The higher the pressure means the greater the burden of the heart and the harder it should work.

Cholesterol

You already know very well that LDL is the bad guy that may endanger your heart. Check your cholesterol profile routinely, and watch this bad guy. Remember, LDL should be kept below 100 mg/dL. At he same time, give HDL the good guy a chance to stay above the 60 mg/dL level. The higher HDL level is the better for your heart.  How is it done? Control your diet, take anti cholesterol remedies, exercise and take supplements that enhance HDL.

Smoking

Smoking is a bad habit, which can ruin your health, to be more specific; harm your heart and lungs. It’s the evil effect in a cigarette that is responsible of all health impairment. Do you know that one cigarette contains about 4,000 chemical substances whereas 50 of them are deadly carcinogens (may cause cancer). Smoking impairs the efficiency of our lungs to collect the necessary requirements of oxygen. If the oxygen is insufficient, it is the heart that compensates it by pumping harder and harder. What a pity heart, isn’t it?

Overweight

In this modern era people with overweight or obesity are significantly increasing. Managing adequate blood stream to a body with excessive fat accumulation is another burden to our heart. There are records that show that many over-weighted people die young due to acute heart attacks. If you are included in this group, be extra careful and closely monitor your heart condition. Take serious action to lower your weight. Try to overcome and suppress the big appetite that always accompanies a person with overweight. It is really a tough battle against your self.

Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes is the most common disorder of the endocrine system, specifically the disorder in the production of insulin, a pancreatic hormone that controls the metabolism of carbohydrate. Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus may cause other illness, e.g. heart disease and circulatory problem such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes. Treating diabetes is a must, if you want to live longer.

Stress

Stress may rise due to the imbalance between life demands and the ability to meet them. Everyone experience a degree of stress. Some could manage stress very well, but others may show both physical and psychological symptoms. Common symptoms of stress are headache, fatigue, insomnia (sleepless), loss of appetite, over-eating added by anxiety, anger, irritability, inability to concentrate etc. Unmanaged stress may lead to more serious problems like diabetes, asthma, hypertension and migraine. Well, manage your stress. There are many ways to do it. Ask the help of God if you don’t see any solution to your problem, yet!

HIGH CHOLESTEROL DIAGNOSIS

Diagnostic Measures for High Cholesterol

High cholesterol is determined by checking blood cholesterol levels. This is checking our lipoprotein profile, which means to look into the levels of Total Cholesterol, Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) and High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) as well as Trigliserides level. To undergo such test, the patient needs to fast for about 9 – 12 hours.

Actually, checking your Total Cholesterol and HDL does not require fasting, but it gives you enough info about your cholesterol levels. But if your Total Cholesterol level is 200 mg/dL or HDL lower than 40 mg/dL you should check your lipoprotein, because you need to know the level of LDL and trigliserides.

Let’s know the limits and see how it compares to your profile

Total Cholesterol Level	Total Cholesterol Category
Less than 200 mg/dL 200 - 239 mg/dL 240 mg/dL and more	Desirable Borderline high High
LDL Cholesterol Level	LDL Cholesterol Category
Less than 100 mg/dL 100 - 129 mg/dL 130 - 159 mg/dL 160 - 189 mg/dL 190 mg/dL and above	Optimal Near optimal/above optimal Borderline high High Very high
HDL Cholesterol Level	HDL Cholesterol Category
Less than 40 mg/dL 40 - 59 mg/dL 60 mg/dL and above --------------	A major risk factor for heart disease The higher the better Considered protective against heart disease

Notes: Cholesterol levels are measured in milligram (mg) per deciliter (dL) of blood.

Trigliserides is another fat form found in our blood. It is a factor that can also raise the risk for heart disease. That is why it is checked in association with cholesterol levels. Trigliserides levels should be taken with caution if the levels are borderline high (150 -199 mg/dL) or high (200 mg/dL or more). These levels indicate that you need treatment.

Factors that may trigger the increase of trigliserides in blood are as follows:

• Overweight
• Physical inactivity
• Cigarette smoking
• Excessive alcohol use
• Very high carbohydrate diet
• Certain diseases and drugs
• Genetic disorders 

ABOUT CHOLESTEROL

The Necessary Evil in Our Body!

In normal levels cholesterol will do you no harm, but if it is found in excessive amounts – called High Cholesterol or Hypercholesterolemia – it will endanger you, silently and deadly. It is silently, because high cholesterol does not give you any signs or symptoms. Deadly, since neglected high cholesterol condition may lead to an acute heart attack which might be hard to overcome.

Cholesterol is a normal substance in our body

Cholesterol is a normal substance found in and produced by our body, the liver in particular. There is actually no need to have additional cholesterol intake, since the liver may fulfill all body requirement for cholesterol. Cholesterol is a fatty substance that circulates in our blood stream to be sent to the body parts that produces important materials for the metabolism of our body

Cholesterol is needed in the formation of sex hormones which controls the development and function of our reproduction system. It’s also used to produce hormones that controls metabolism of salt. Other usage of cholesterol is in the production of Vitamin D that plays an important role in the metabolism of body calcium and last but not least, the formation of bile salts that enhances the absorption of fat in our intestine. Thus, it is quite useful.

Types of cholesterol

Cholesterol comes in two forms; Low Density Lipoprotein or LDL and High Density Lipoprotein or HDL. For simplicity of discussion I will not go into the chemical aspects of cholesterol.

Please be aware of LDL, this is the ‘Bad Guy’! LDL is responsible for the formation of plaques in blood vessel’s lining. LDL is the one that generates atherosclerosis and causes the narrowing of blood vessels which further may lead to stroke. Stroke is a condition of insufficient blood stream to the brain. Thus, LDL is the type of cholesterol we should lower.

HDL, on the contrary, is the ‘Good Guy’ which works opposite to LDL. HDL removes plaques in the blood vessels that are deposited by LDL. It is the one that cleans up the evil done by LDL. Thus, it is important to take care of HDL and increase its level as much as possible. Don’t let it down.

External sources of cholesterol, are you controlling it?

The external source of cholesterol comes in our food. Food that contains cholesterol producing materials is originated from animals and diary products. On the other hands, vegetables do not contain cholesterol. Edible oil originated from plants also contains materials that may produce cholesterol, both LDL and HDL.

It is a general rule, that the tastier the food, the higher chance that it increases your blood cholesterol. In culinary science, fat is really a taste enhancer in the processing of food and dishes. It is fat that makes food delicious, crispy and appetizing. Most people do like delicious food, like I do. I cannot imagine to eating non-fat, non-cholesterol, steamed or boiled food all the time. I think, the best way to run our life is be aware of the danger and know our limits. Agree?

So, the problem is that we do not specifically attend to our food intake. We do not check our limits. We may loose control to so many temptation offered by the food industry. Our lifestyle, including our eating habits should be blamed for this. Let us see what we can do about this in another page to discuss high cholesterol prevention.

HIGH CHOLESTEROL DANGEROUS AFFECTS

How Dangerous High Cholesterol Can Be!

High cholesterol is a ‘slowly but sure condition’ that may lead to more serious and deadly problems. Since there are no symptoms of high blood cholesterol, the symptoms that arise after many years are those of other diseases caused by high cholesterol. And sometimes it is already too late to take corrective actions. Please be aware of the following conditions, before it ends up with a deadly acute heart attack.

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is the thickening of the arterial wall. Low Density Lipoprotein or LDL, the bad cholesterol will deposit fat into the lining of the blood vessels known as plaque. This causes the narrowing of the blood vessel lumen and consequently lowers blood flow.

At the same time changes in cells and tissue structures of the blood vessel beneath the plaque occurs making it less elastic and rigid. The plaque may turn into a fragile mass (this is called thrombus) that can loosen itself (this is called embolus = a loosen thrombus that follow the blood stream to land anywhere in the body part) at any time and causes obstruction in blood stream. Here lays the actual danger:

If the obstruction occurs in vessels that supply blood to the heart, then it may lead to cardiovascular diseases. If the obstruction occurs in brain vessels, you get a stroke or other central neurological disorders! The severity of the illness depends on the intensity of obstruction, which may be partial or totally. Fortunately, this to happen needs years which give you ample of time to make the necessary correction or treatment for high cholesterol.

Myocard infarct

This is a condition where the heart muscle (= myocardium) is seriously damaged due to blood insufficiency. The narrowing of the coronary artery - which is the main vessel that supplies blood to the heart - causes decrease in blood flow. If the narrowing is persistent for quite along time, the damage in the myocardium may spread and causes the weakening of the heart.

This condition is felt by the patient as stubbing pain in the chest. There are 3 conditions that may reflect the severity of myocard infarct, those are: angina pectoris, acute heart attack and cardiac arrest

Angina pectoris

The stubbing pain may felt yanking in short intervals. It is usually felt after some exercise and disappear after resting for a while. Overeating, cold weather and stress may trigger angina pectoris. In normal conditions or resting period, blood stream – which means oxygen – will be sufficient. As soon as an activity that needs oxygen and energy is exerted, the pain of angina pectoris will appear. 

Acute Heart Attack

The specific pain in an acute heart attack is a persistent pain felt in the chest, reflected to the left upper arm, down to the lower arm and could be felt till the tip of the little finger. It can be felt minutes to hours before a pain relief is taken. The patient may feel being helpless and is in terrible pain. The first several hours may be very critical, since decrease of blood flow to the muscle will cause heart arrythmia (irregular heart beats) and the diminishing of the heart’s pumping power. The heart may last 20 – 25 minutes in this low oxygen situation, but beyond that, muscle damages will be irreversible.  

Cardiac Arrest

This is a sudden break of the heart. This is the most severe condition of myocard infarct where the damaged of heart muscles is too severe and covers a large area. The heart is already helpless. The severe blood or oxygen insufficiency will cause the trembling of the heart chamber (=atrial fibrillation). The patient may feel a sudden stubbing pain in the chest and will loose consciousness in minutes. Dead will come in minutes if no action is taken.

CAUSE OF HIGH CHOLESTEROL

Blame Your Eating Habit, First!

There is no doubt that increase in cholesterol levels are caused by uncontrolled food intake. But how can it be? It’s our lifestyle that determines our eating habits and other behaviors that are unbeneficial to our health.

Eating habits

It is what, where, when and why we eat. Many of the people to day have no specific pattern in their eating habits. A healthy home routine eating habit may by disrupt by a heavy lunch in meetings, celebration, parties or any occasion that serves food. Travelers and businessmen are served with extra-ordinary food dishes in their hotels. They have their lunch meeting most of the time, a reason to get around and discuss things.

We can eat whenever we want. 24-hours café, restaurants, food hawkers are ready to serve you with any kind of food you can imagine. We have even people who eat because of frustration. Snacks and junk food are available anywhere. What more to say? Are you a part of it?

We should be strict to our selves and set up clear rules on how we want to establish our eating habits. A Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes may be the best solution today

No exercise

We become lazy because a lot of convenience around us is spoiling our bodies. You don’t need to walk to the office, just get a taxi. You don’t have to use the stairs, there are lifts and elevators that brings you up and down. Even a bicycle turns to a motor cycle, no paddle, no sweat. We work motionless, from behind our desks, to do everything for the success of our career and life, except moving our body to exercise. Isn’t it true?       

The result is clear. We may become a pile of fat, since there is no body activity that suppose to burn fats that enters our body. We get over weight…..and lazier to exercise.

It is really time to change this and get out for routine exercises. There are a lot of spa’s, health and fitness centers that provides exercise programs geared to your physical conditions. Those places are not only meant for sportsmen, but for anybody who wants to stay fit and healthy. So, let’s start fat burning!

The world we live in

Are you Asian, European or Afro-American? Their cholesterol is different significantly. Countries that depend on food originating from animals and diary products have higher blood cholesterol levels compared to countries that consume fish. Northern European countries have higher blood cholesterol levels than the southern part. People living in high mountains have lower cholesterol than city dwellers.

The genetic factor

Some people may inherit high blood cholesterol from their parents. It is in the family, they say. If the incidence of high cholesterol in the family is high, it is called familial hypercholeterolaemia. If it is found in combination with a high level of triglyseride is known as familial combined hyperlipidaemia.

Other diseases

High cholesterol may occur in relation with other illness, e.g. thyroid hormone disorders, kidney diseases, diabetes mellitus and alcohol abuse.