Cholesterol is a fatty substance (a lipid) that is an important part of the outer lining (membrane) of cells in the body of animals. Cholesterol is also found in the blood circulation of humans. The cholesterol in a person’s blood originates from two major sources; dietary intake and liver production. Dietary cholesterol comes mainly from meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. Organ meats, such as liver, are especially high in cholesterol content, while foods of plant origin contain no cholesterol.

Blood cholesterol level is affected by the diet, since cholesterol is present in certain foods and is manufactured in the body from digested fats. High levels of cholesterol in the blood are associated with hardened arteries (known as atherosclerosis), coronary artery disease (heart attack), and stroke.

There are many types of cholesterol. LDL or Low-density lipoprotein is the “bad” cholesterol, as it blocks the arteries. HDL or High-density lipoprotein is the “good” cholesterol, as it protects the arteries from clogging.

Diets should contain less than 30% calories from fat, less than 8% from saturated fat, and enriched in marine or plant omega-3 fatty acids. Avoid high saturated fats, like diary fats (ice cream, butter) and palm and coconut oils. Limit high cholesterol foods, like eggs and organ meats (liver). Eat higher fiber foods, fruit and vegetables. Eat more fish and skinless chicken *******. Avoid fried foods and frying which soaks up the fat . Choose low fat and non-fat dairy products, avoid hard margarines which have trans-fatty acids, and try to use products made from plants instead.

Cholesterol really assists the system by creating original cells, aiding in the output of hormones, and insulating the numerous nerves that operate throughout the system. High cholesterol rates are alarmingly growing. Cholesterol may be accounted for higher blood force and coronary eye diseases but not all of these oily substances are detrimental. There are the terrible and better cholesterol. The better cholesterol aids in bile salts output and vitamin D formations. In fact, cholesterol portrays a character of balancing hormones especially among women. Health professionals are trying urgently to offer extreme solutions to the matter.

High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for coronary heart disease, and it is a risk factor you can modify. Knowing your total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglyceride levels is an important first step in determining your risk for heart disease. Left undiagnosed or untreated, a high blood cholesterol level, as well as other coronary risk factors, can lead to possible serious cardiovascular problems in the future.

Get physical, do regular physical activities and exercises more often. The wonders of exercise are indeed very essential in lowering high cholesterol levels. Doing regular physical activities can also help raise the good cholesterol levels and lose weight as well. There’s really no need for high-intensity workouts, regular brisk walking or jogging can help the body boost HDL cholesterol and also beneficial for the heart.

Medications for cholesterol are most often long-term medications. They have to be taken everyday, often for the rest of your life. Drugs that are most often prescribed are the statins. Statins help the liver remove LDL cholesterol, and reduce production of cholesterol.



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More and more studies are coming out showing just how unhealthy lowering cholesterol might be, particularly by the use of statin drugs. In particular, statin drugs have been shown to be harmful to muscles causing considerable damage. A common symptom of this damage is muscular aches and pains that many patients experience on cholesterol-lowering drugs, however most do not realize that these drugs are to blame. One reason that statin drugs have these various serious side effects is that they work by inhibiting a vital enzyme that manufactures cholesterol in the liver.

« Cholesterol and heart disease has been almost synonymous for the last half-century. Cholesterol has been portrayed as the Darth Vader to our arteries and our heart.

The latest recommendation given by a so-called panel of “experts” recommends that a person’s cholesterol be as low as possible, in fact to a level so low they say it cannot be achieved by diet, exercise, or any known lifestyle modification. Therefore, they say cholesterol-lowering drugs; particularly the so-called “statins” need to be given to anyone at high risk of heart disease. Since heart disease is the number one killer in this country that would include most adults and even many children. The fact that this might add to the $26 billion in sales of statin drugs last year I’m sure played no role in their recommendations. » Ron Rosedale, MD

Cholesterol is not a deadly poison, but a substance vital to the cells of all mammals. Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol) and a lipid found in the cell membranes of all body tissues, and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. Cholesterol is required to build and maintain cell membranes; it regulates membrane fluidity over a wide range of temperatures. Cholesterol is present in higher concentrations in tissues which either produce more or have more densely-packed membranes, for example, the liver, spinal cord and brain, and also in atheromata.

Many studies have found that low cholesterol is in certain respects worse than high cholesterol. High cholesterol is defined differently for people of different ages. Researchers at the University San Diego School of Medicine UCSD point out that highcholesterol in those over 75 years of age is protective, rather than harmful and that low cholesterol is a risk factor for heart arrhythmias (leadingcause of death if heart attack occurs). However, because the level of HDL cholesterol is so important, many doctors look at the ratio of the total cholesterol level to HDL cholesterol level to assess the risk of heart disease. With anticholesterol drugs now being sold without prescription at the pharmacy, the decision about how far to control cholesterol is being pushed into the consumer’s hands.

Before we can begin to talk about the real cause and effective treatment for heart and blood vessel disease, we must first look at what is known, or I should say what we think we know. A combined analysis showed that treatment with omega-3 fatty acids (fish and flaxseed oils) reduced overall risk of death by 23 per cent as compared to placebo. When apple pectin was added to the treatment triacylglycerol and VLDL cholesterol levels were both lowered by 38 per cent, but in addition total cholesterol levels decreased by 13 per cent and LDL cholesterol by 7 per cent. The researchers conclude that a combination of fish oil supplementation and increased fiber intake (up to 40 grams/day total) may be a beneficial addition to the conventional treatment of high cholesterol levels in NIDDM patients.

Common sense would indicate that we should avoid the oxidation (rancidity) of cholesterol and fatty acids and not get rid of important life-giving molecules. However, many good fats are easily oxidized such as omega-3 fatty acids, but it does not mean that you should avoid it at all costs. The trials of n-3 fatty acids used different dietary and supplement sources; nevertheless, the authors conclude that this study adds to the positive evidence for n-3 fatty acids. Regarding n-3 fatty acids, they speculate that the reduction in mortality risk does not occur through a reduction in cholesterol but by other means, possibly antiarrhythmic, antithrombotic or anti-inflammatory effects. These results support recommendations that people eat more fish, the authors write, particularly oily fish with their high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. This is your body we are talking about. Most people spend hundreds of dollars every month on new shoes, clothes, food, etc. How much do you spend on keeping yourself healthy ?



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A 2007 report from the Women’s Health Study showed that high levels of cholesterol, even in healthy women, was a risk factor that increased a woman’s chances of having a stroke. Other studies have shown a link between high levels of cholesterol and Alzheimer’s disease. And the media has been warning us for years to cut down our intake of cholesterol because high cholesterol leads to hardening of the arteries. But what is cholesterol and why is it even it our bodies?

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy, fat-like substance that is made by the body. It is in all of your cells and can be found in all parts of the body including your skin, blood vessels, muscles, and so on. Since your body actively creates cholesterol, we can assume that having cholesterol in your body is not necessarily bad. In fact, you couldn’t eliminate all the cholesterol in your body if you tried.

Cholesterol is important for the body. The cells use cholesterol as a building block in creating its protective membrane. Studies have indicated that “good” HDL cholesterol protects against heart disease and stroke even if “bad” LDL cholesterol levels are high. Good cholesterol helps to prevent dangerous breakaway blood clots – which can be caused by sitting in a cramped position for too long. Cholesterol also helps to manufacture vitamin D in the body from the sun. And there is much more good that cholesterol does for the body.

There is also a second source of cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol comes form the foods that we eat. It can be only be found in animal foods and eating it raises the bad cholesterol level in your own body. There have been many studies over the years that correlate a high intake of dietary cholesterol to coronary heart disease. In other words, the more high cholesterol foods we eat, the greater our chance of developing heart disease or a stroke.

High density lipoprotein (HDL), the good cholesterol, is a form of cholesterol that circulates in the bloodstream. One of its jobs is to remove excess cholesterol from the body’s tissues and transport it to the liver where it will be excreted from the body. This process of “taking out the garbage” or cleansing the bloodstream is why HDL is a called good cholesterol and also why it’s good for your body to have a relatively high HDL level. Some researchers say that an HDL of 60 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) or greater is good and will protect you against hardening of the arteries and lower your risk of getting heart disease.

Conversely, a low level of HDL, such as less then 40 mg/dl, has a negative effect. Many studies indicate that a low level of HDL combined with a high level of LDL seems to be a precursor of heart disease

You can control your cholesterol. The total amount of cholesterol in your body at any point in time is a function of how fast your HDL and liver can cleanse your system of it’s existing cholesterol combined with the amount of dietary cholesterol that you’ve eaten during recent hours.

Controlling the amount of cholesterol that you allow into your body is a huge part of your lifestyle that you can modify to decrease your chances of heart disease or stroke. According to the American Heart Association, if you eat less then 300 milligrams of cholesterol a day, you can significantly reduce your cholesterol levels. By paying greater attention to the foods you eat, you can help to assure yourself of a long and healthy life.



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Cholesterol is an unsaturated waxy solid that is manufactured in the body and has important functions relative to cell membrane management. It is also known to help produce bile to digest fats and can help in metabolizing fat-soluble vitamins. Cholesterol is both made in tissue membranes and derived through the diet. This is where the basis of good and bad cholesterol comes into play. Cholesterol that is made in tissue membranes is transported by high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which delivers the cholesterol to the liver. HDL is thought to remove cholesterol from arteries and delivers it back to the liver for processing. Increased levels of HDL have also been deemed as protective against heart disease. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), on the other hand, is dietary cholesterol that is transported and carries cholesterol from the liver to tissue membranes.

This factor is not what makes LDL cholesterol bad, instead it is the amount of cholesterol in the wrong place at the wrong time. Large amounts of cholesterol and LDL in the arteries can lead to plaques that gradually damage arteries over time, which leads to heart attack, stroke, or some other type of heart and vascular diseases. Because of these reasons, cholesterol management for heart and vascular health focuses on lowering LDL cholesterol. What is often overlooked is the value of raising HDL cholesterol levels, which can improve removal of cholesterol from dangerous locations in the arteries.

The diet greatly influences health, and by addressing macro and micro nutrients, cholesterol health can be greatly reduced. Macro nutrients that affect cholesterol include fiber, protein, and fats. Micro nutrients are things such as vitamins and minerals, especially those that have potent antioxidant mechanisms, which can affect lipid peroxidation. Fiber, which has long been recommended by the American Heart association (AHA), lowers total and LDL cholesterol levels, while raising HDL levels. Although fiber is straightforward, the trick with protein is to always find a good source that does not have saturated fat and cholesterol that can negate its benefits. Although whey protein is animal-based, it has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol. However, many people have looked to soy to provide cholesterol-managing protein.

When it comes to natural products, there are a few key nutrients that can help with cholesterol management. Among these are DHA, EPA, Omega-3s and 6s, Vitamin E, Vitamin B, and Niacin. Limiting oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation are also important components of cholesterol management. Although micro nutrients give a good level of protection from oxidation, a large amount of antioxidant fighters comes from botanicals, flavonoids, and carotenoids. Some flavonoids that can help with cholesterol care include cocoa, tea, and fruit.

Citrus bioflavonoids also help with antioxidant management, especially when they are combined with vitamin E. Fruits such as pomegranate and grape seed extract help to limit LDL oxidation. Botanicals such as garlic, which contain antioxidant constituents help to lower total and LDL cholesterol while still maintaining HDL levels. Other suggestions to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels include pine bark extract as well as some types of algae.

Whether you’re attempting to use just one or many of these approaches to battle cholesterol levels, there are many well-researched ways to both lower the bad and raise the good cholesterol.



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To begin with, throughout the world, cholesterol levels (measured in the blood) vary widely. Generally, people who live in countries where blood cholesterol levels are lower, such as Japan, have lower rates of heart disease.

Countries with very high cholesterol levels, such as Finland, have very high rates of coronary heart disease. However, some populations with similar total cholesterol levels have very different heart disease rates, suggesting that other factors also influence risk for coronary heart disease. High cholesterol is more common in men younger than 55 years and in women older than 55 years. The risk for high cholesterol is known to increases with age.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat like substance that your body needs to function normally. Cholesterol is naturally present in cell walls or membranes everywhere in the body, including the brain, nerves, muscles, skin, liver, intestines, and heart.

Your body uses cholesterol to produce many hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat. It takes only a small amount of cholesterol in the blood to meet these needs. If you have too much cholesterol in your bloodstream, the excess may be deposited in arteries, including the coronary (heart) arteries, where it contributes to the narrowing and blockages that cause the signs and symptoms of heart disease.

Too many Americans have high levels of total cholesterol and LDL (the bad cholesterol). A diet high in saturated fat (a type of fat found mostly in foods that come from animals and certain oils) raises LDL levels more than anything else in your diet. You also eat cholesterol in your diet, although the effect of saturated fat in the diet is greater than the effect of dietary cholesterol.

Trans-fatty acids (seen in processed foods and many “fast foods”) can also increase LDL levels. Dietary cholesterol is found only in foods from animal products. Genetic factors combined with eating too much saturated fat and cholesterol are the main reasons for high levels of cholesterol that lead to heart attacks. Reducing the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol you eat is an important step in reducing your blood cholesterol levels.

The government has reset the standard for LDL levels so that more Americans are included in the risk group. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is caused by cholesterol and fat being deposited in the walls of the arteries that supply nutrients and oxygen to your heart. Like any muscle, the heart needs a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients, which are carried to it by the blood in the coronary arteries.

Fixed narrowing that is often calcified (hardened) usually cause angina (chest pain). Less severe narrowing may contain unstable blockages called atherosclerotic or fatty plaque. Unstable atherosclerotic plaque can rupture, resulting in clot formation, no blood flow, and a heart attack.

If enough oxygen-carrying blood is blocked from reaching your heart, you may experience a type of chest pain called angina. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by total blockage of a coronary artery, the result is a heart attack. This is usually due to a sudden closure of the artery from a blood clot forming on top of unstable plaque.

A simple blood test checks for high cholesterol. Simply knowing your total cholesterol level is not enough. A complete lipid profile measures your LDL (low-density lipoprotein [the bad cholesterol]), total cholesterol, HDL (high-density lipoprotein [the good cholesterol]), and triglycerides another fatty substance in the blood. Government guidelines say healthy adults should have this analysis every 5 years.

A desirable total cholesterol level is 200 mg/dL or lower. A desirable LDL is 100 mg/dL (130-159 is borderline high; 160 is high; 190 is very high). HDL, the “good cholesterol,” should be around 40 mg/dL or greater. With HDL, the higher the number, the better, and 60 mg/dL is protective against heart disease.

Recent studies have shown that lowering cholesterol in people without heart disease greatly reduces their risk for developing heart disease in the first place. This is true for those with high cholesterol levels and for those with average cholesterol levels.

The Framingham Heart Study established that high blood cholesterol is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). Results of the Framingham study showed that the higher your cholesterol level, the greater your risk. Several studies have confirmed a direct link between high blood cholesterol and CHD. The Lipid Research Clinics-Coronary Primary Prevention Trial (LRC-CPPT) first showed that lowering total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels significantly reduces coronary heart disease.

A series of more recent trials of cholesterol-lowering using statin drugs have conclusively demonstrated that lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol reduces your chance of having a heart attack, needing bypass surgery or angioplasty, and dying of CHD-related causes.

In 1994, the Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S) was the first study to show that people who took the cholesterol-lowering class of drugs called statins (in this case, simvastatin) reduced their risk for major CHD events (such as a heart attack) by 34%, CHD deaths by 42%, and all deaths by 30% in people with known coronary heart disease and high blood cholesterol levels, compared with people who were given a placebo (a dummy pill that looks exactly like the medication being tested).

This has been called “secondary prevention,” or prevention of a second heart attack, because the study involved people with known heart disease, many of whom had already had at least one heart attack.

The Heart Protection Study, published in 2002, examined men and women of all ages at high risk for heart disease irrespective of their cholesterol levels. Simvastatin treatment reduced CHD events by 24%. This study has caused some experts to suggest that everyone at high risk for CHD would benefit from statin therapy, regardless of their blood cholesterol levels.

Finally, The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III), carried out from 1988-1991, discovered that 26% of American adults had high blood cholesterol concentrations, and 49% had desirable values.



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All vertebrates need cholesterol to sustain health of the outer membrane cells. It circulates in the blood to settle in body tissues and blood plasma in forms of fatty lipids (steroids) and alcohol. Cholesterol is maintained to balanced levels that must not exceed what our body needs. 

Today, when every ready food could just be fished out from fast foods and other busy traffic-highway-eateries, all you need is to be concerned about eliminating idle (unwanted) additional intake of this substance that affects a great general health disadvantage impact in today’s generation.

Let us educate first on how Cholesterol functions and affects body metabolic interference before we ever discuss eliminating its excesses. When a doctor mentions of cholesterol, he is definitely addressing such to the low-density lipoproteins (LDL), considered the “bad cholesterol.” The way lipoproteins act as the carrier molecules, it deposit the LDL to the walls of the arteries that cause it to thicken and become devoid of normal blood passage causing arthrosclerosis. High-density lipoprotein is “good cholesterol.” 

One of the  various uses of good cholesterol act as anti-oxidant, and help manufacture bile, that aids to digest fats essential to the functions of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. All these mentioned vitamins help in the metabolism functions in the reproductive organs, from puberty developmental process until the ripe age, that has to do with the effects of estrogen level in the body.

Main Sources of Good Cholesterol: 1. Three-fourth (75%) of it comes from within the body, or produced internally thru results from synthesizing from densely packed membranes like liver, central nervous system (spinal chord, includes brain), reproductive organs, adrenal gland, and atheroma. The degenerative changes in the atheroma result to development of atherosclerotic plaques and coronary artery disease that affect the natural flow of the blood. When this happens it causes sudden block of the in and out flow of blood from the heart; most of the time causing heart strokes, possibly fatal.

2. One fourth (25%) comes from our food intake (external source), and this is where you must be alerted on what to take in your daily diet. Fats originated from animals are rich in cholesterol, like egg yolk, dairy, and meat, regardless of whatever type in meat source. Observe keenly about tolerating excess of this second cholesterol essential for as you see, it takes only a last portion of that last quart necessary. A mistake in this will surely make up for “cholesterol imbalance.”

Ways to Lower Idle Cholesterol (excess of the 25% Food Originated Cholesterol):

*Select intake of fats from non-saturated cooking oil or direct fat sources from animals. One of the best cooking oil that produce unsaturated fat is olive oil. Other palm oils like coconut are highly saturated. Take low-content-sodium cholesterol fats; instead, eat high fiber vegetables and fruits, and complex carbohydrates. Examples of this are corn, soybeans and legumes, nuts, wheat, and other staple cereals.

*Refrain from eating at Fast foods and other restaurants, they present high fat saturated foods and rich in sodium. Also remember, that alcohol and sugar enhance the degree of cholesterol level, so avoid excessive hard drink sprays.

*Recent researches reveal that the presence of the Omega-3 fat acid present in Salmon, mackerel, certain tuna specie, and other deep sea hunts aids in lowering idle cholesterol. 

If Idle Cholesterol is raised to high levels, seek medications as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, Statins, such as lovastatin (Mevacor), and atorvastatin (Liptor), most effective to lower LD, of course with physician’s guidance.



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Has your doctor recommended medication for your high cholesterol? If so please be aware these medications are not safe, nor have they proved to prevent heart attacks or strokes. There are many safe and natural things you can do to lower your cholesterol.

First of all let me tell you that your body needs and produces cholesterol. It is used to coat, protect and build cell walls. However high levels of cholesterol infused with trans fats is thicker, stickier and can plug arteries.

Reduce Trans Fats

We have to restrict the trans fats because they make the cholesterol more dangerous. These are oils that have been hydrogenated. Read labels and cut as much of this out as possible.

Alkalize

Since the cholesterol is protecting our vessels and bodies from our built up acids and toxins; we must strive to increase our pH. The main ways to increase pH is to eliminate alcohol, coffee, and soft drinks, and add more minerals like potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

Cut Carbohydrates

Another thing we should reduce is carbohydrates. Low-carb diets, not low fat diets, have proven to lower cholesterol. The sugar is broken down and stored as fat. Cholesterol is one of the first fats produced. It flows through our blood stream till it finds a place to be stored.

Eliminating these things completely is pretty much impossible. Fortunately there are many cholesterol reducing foods we can add to our diet.

Fiber

Fiber appears to be important in treating diabetes, elevated cholesterol, colon polyps, and cancer of the colon. Fiber comes from plants and we should have a goal to eat 25-35 grams of fiber per day.

Soluble fiber binds up cholesterol allowing it to be eliminated with the stool. If enough is removed it can lower the blood cholesterol 10-15%. Soluble fiber is found in oatmeal, oat bran, fruit, psyllium (in most fiber products), barley, and legumes.

Foods with the highest grams of soluble fiber in order are baked beans (in tomato sauce- 8.9gms), all types of beans and lentils, peas, apples, raisins, and prunes. In general eating the skin of the fruit or vegetable adds fiber.

Plant Sterols or Stanols

Plant sterols or stanols come from plants and help block cholesterol absorption. Plant sterols have shown to reduce bad cholesterol by 10%. For that reason plant sterols have now been added to fiber products and foods such as orange juice and of all things margarine. You should drink two 8 ounce glasses of plant sterol fortified orange juice per day to reduce cholesterol.

Curcumin

Curcumin is known to have antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and cholesterol-lowering effects. One test showed that animals fed small amounts of curcumin had a 50% reduction in cholesterol. New studies (done on rats) indicated that curcumin increased resistance to heart failure and inflammation. In one test it even reversed heart enlargement.

Curcumin is an ingredient in the curry spice turmeric. So adding this safe natural spice in your cooking may be beneficial. Think curry rice with meat and vegetables, which is a staple in India. Most people may want to start slowly to taste. Curcumin is also available in capsules.

Walnuts and Almonds

Studies have shown that walnuts and almonds can significantly reduce cholesterol and help the vessels become more elastic and resilient. Twenty percent of your daily calories from these nuts would be beneficial. For most of us that is over a third of cup per day. Try adding them to salads and ice cream, cook and bake with them, and eat by the handful. Just remember they are high in calories.

Soy

Diets rich in soy protein have many heart health benefits, including lowering cholesterol. In animal testing it lowered cholesterol by 30%. 5-6 grams of soy protein daily is recommended. Soy drinks, tofu and supplements are available.

Cinnamon

One study of type 2 diabetics found that cinnamon lowered blood sugar and cholesterol levels. They used the whole powdered spice and found that 1gm or 1/2 tsp daily in two doses lowered cholesterol up to 20% in 40 days and effects lasted another 20 days afterwards.

So sprinkle it on toast, cereals, cook with it etc. A daily bowl of apple and cinnamon oatmeal sounds better than any pill.

Green Tea

Green tea has proven to lower cholesterol. Japanese men who normally drink green tea were tested and found that the more green tea they drank the lower their cholesterol was. Generally those drinking more than 9 cups had much lower cholesterol levels. For best results drink 10 cups a day or supplement.

Please don’t take cholesterol medication until you have tried safe and natural things first. If you are already on cholesterol medication; talk to your doctor before trying natural alternatives. You will need to be careful to avoid low cholesterol. Reducing the bad things and adding these food products are all safe ways to fight high cholesterol



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If you have a better idea of what cholesterol is and how you can manage it in your life, this information will lead to better heart health, and all round better feeling of well being. Cholesterol is a waxy like substance that is found in the walls of all your body cells, from your nervous system to your liver and in your blood stream as well. Your body uses this cholesterol to make necessary hormones, bile acids, vitamin D and other vital substances that your body needs to survive. There are good and bad types of cholesterol as well

 

Where does the Cholesterol in your body come from?

 

Your body manufacturers all the cholesterol your body requires from the foods you eat. This cholesterol will circulate in your bloodstream in packages known as lipoproteins, which consist of fat inside and protein on the outside. Cholesterol which is a fatty substance does not mix with the blood, just as oil does not mix with water. Your blood carries it to the parts of the body where it is required as mentioned above

 

Your Body has 2 Types of cholesterol in your body, both good and bad!.

 

Your body carries two types of cholesterol one which is good for your health and the other bad… These are known as low density lipoprotein or LDL which is the bad cholesterol which carries cholesterol that builds up in your body tissues including your heart arteries. Most cholesterol in your blood at any given time is the LDL cholesterol. The higher the levels are of LDL cholesterol in your blood stream; the higher your dangers are of contracting heart disease. So remember LDL is the bad cholesterol and you don’t want high levels of this type in your body.

 

The good Cholesterol in your body is called HDL cholesterol. This cholesterol carries cholesterol away from your tissues to your liver where it is harmlessly removed from your body by natural secretion. Low levels of HDL increase heart disease. Healthy levels of HDL are good for you. Do not get mixed up between the two.

 

Why are high levels of LDL Cholesterol bad for your body?

 

Too much cholesterol in your blood leads to blocked and clogged up body tissues including your heart arteries. This build up is called plaque and as a result your arteries become less flexible. You may have heard the term atherosclerosis; which is hardening of your arteries and as you know the end result can be a heart attack. It is not just your heart blood vessels that can suffer from too much cholesterol, but any of the arteries in your body as well. If your coronary artery becomes blocked by too much plaque you will suffer angina because your blood is unable to get the oxygen it needs or the nutrients to the heart muscle. Hardening of the coronary artery is called coronary heart disease which you may likely by now have heard somewhere or another. This form of heart disease is becoming common in the western world due to high cholesterol in the blood from; Yes; and you guessed it; from unhealthy eating habits!

 

The risk factors.

 

Certain risk factors nothing can be done about regarding heart diseases and cholesterol levels. These factors where risks of heart disease are increased, are age groups for men and women over 45, which are ages that will increase the likelihood of coronary heart disease from atherosclerosis. Family history of early heart disease is also a factor that must be taken into consideration. The lack of regular exercise and bad eating habits increase the risk of heart disease from cholesterol as well. Most fast foods are prepared in unhealthy fats which is a high risk factor more than anything else as well…

 

How to lower your risks of high cholesterol.

 

Perhaps you have heard some of these tips before but it is prudent to go over them again for your information:

 

1 Avoid foods with high animal fat content. Trim excess fat off meat

2. Eat Lots of fruit, vegetables, and fiber for your health

3. Eat less salt in your diet and limit salty snacks and foods.

4. Lose some weight if you are carrying too much according to your BMI (Body Mass Index)

5. Regular sensible exercise in moderation and plenty of fresh air.

6. Stay calm and avoid stressful situations.

7. Limit your alcohol intake to a sensible level.

8. Smoke less, or give up altogether if possible.

 

Other treatments that can be used if your doctor has found you to have unhealthy levels of cholesterol are certain drugs called ‘statins’ that will control the rate which your body produces cholesterol. These drugs increase HDL and lower the bad LDL cholesterols. See above about what we mentioned about the good and bad cholesterols.

 

Watch your diet and eat healthily

 

Choose healthy fats like olive oil, avocado pears, peanut butter, unsalted nuts and fish oils. Try and limit intakes of salt, polyunsaturated fats, sunflower oils, soft margarines and salad dressings like mayonnaise. (Some newer soft low cholesterol margarine is available on the market that is completely safe to use nowadays though).

 

Watch out particularly to avoid eating too much animal fats on meats, eat less eggs, cheese, fatty meats, butter, and ice creams and of course take out foods. Naturally you can eat any of the above as long as you are sensible about it. Everyone tells you to eat more fiber, and by now with this advice it should be a given. If you are not eating enough greens or fresh vegetables then take some sort of antioxidants or supplements. Cut down drinking of alcohol to one or two drinks a day.

There is some great advice and diets that have been designed to help people with high cholesterol reduce these high levels. With a little research you will find the right ways to control your cholesterol.

 

More Heart Health Information Here



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It is scientifically proven that the genes you inherit have something to do with high-rise cholesterol levels in the body. The vast majority factor is due to lifestyle, saturated fat intake and calorie, poor eating habits especially without exercise, excessive drinking (alcohol enhance rise of cholesterol), and menopausal stage in women when estrogen is on the brink to diminish, and mostly with the senior citizens group.

Lowering Cholesterol Level is definitely gird to right-on-the-spot suspension to what’s already been existing (bad LDL) that’s exposed to some tolerating factors triggering fatal risk to life in the absence of any remedial measures.

INSTANT SOLUTIONS TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL LEVEL

Many people have the primary notion, by merely engaging in exercise, eating the right food without saturated animal fats, lard and dairy, it could be a total solution to treat high cholesterol levels. Going thru these food lipid sources does not mean it instantly suspends the side effects to various cardiovascular diseases, and disorders in the artheroma degeneration relating to the arterial walls.

A research that would benefit a great deal to suspend the existing risk to high cholesterol level that calls for instant decrease is introduced from credibly efficient, and effective medication from reliable Medical Groups doing prescriptions of “Statins,” the CRESTOR (rosuvastatin calcium), actual medicine to put to a halt on too high bad cholesterol levels down by 52%, at a 10mg. dosage, compared to the 7 mg placebo. 

Additional advantage of this statin type drug “Crestor,” it increases the HDL (good cholesterol) by 14%, versus to 3% up HDL of the placebo. Imagine, medicating to lower the LDL- bad cholesterol, and at the same instant working to increase the HDL-good cholesterol. Its indeed significant pro-life saving approach-defense to a rise in the side effects disorders, and ailments that link to bad cholesterol.

The application of the medicine could only be fully administered by your licensed physician to qualify for a prescription. Best inform your medical consultant about other things affecting your life and lifestyles, your pre-conditioned health status, and among other things; as, (1) liver, kidney problems, and woman-pregnancy, (2) excessive or non-excessive drinking, alcohol affects functions of the liver, (3) family history-line of high cholesterol cases, (4) if you’re currently with problems on diabetes, thyroid functions, and hypothyroidism, recently been heart or hypertension attack victim, (5) have any problem other than these diseases that are associated with high cholesterol (6) of Chinese or Japanese ancestry, (7) taking over the counter medicines, “antacids,” (8) also inform what prescriptions are you taking aside from all the rest.

Side effects may arise in the event you’re taking the CRESTOR, like constipation, muscle aches, abdominal pain, weakness and nausea. These are just mild symptoms and tend to go away in time.

The importance in maintaining normal cholesterol level is to get thru minimal access to fatty substances that are unsaturated. A reliable research on the effect of “olive” oil for use in our daily cooking is best introduce in reducing bad cholesterol. 

On the other hand, the “coconut oil” from among several vegetable oils like sunflower, corn, soy, rapeseed, palm kernel, and cottonseed still excel as the best to be cholesterol reducing medium to bad cholesterol. This is based on a report from Dr. P. Rethinam and Mohartuyo, Asian and Pacific Coconut Community press Released and quoted from the Jakarta Post, June 18, 2003. All other things about the coconut oil are good advantage to health concerning cholesterol levels were contents in that PR issue.



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