Manage Your Cholesterol And Blood Sugar With Ginger Beer
Ginger beer is a natural beverage that has become popular all over the world for its powerful pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties.
It is made by fermenting ginger, which concentrates this amazing plants many medicinal powers. Ginger beer is commonly used to help fight joint problems. After all, it manages pain, swelling, and fluid retention in your tissues. Its also good for calming muscular tension and other kinds of conditions that can be very painful.
It even contains live-active cultures of friendly bacteria, which regulate your intestinal flora and improve your digestive health.
Plus, regular ginger beer consumption can help eliminate excess cholesterol in your arteries and lower your blood sugar levels.
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Family History And Genetics
Family members usually have similar cholesterol levels. This suggests that your genes can raise your risk of having unhealthy cholesterol levels.
In addition, your genes may raise your risk for another type of bad cholesterol. High levels of lipoprotein-a, also called Lp, may mean you are at high risk of heart or blood vessel diseases, even if your other cholesterol levels are healthy. Genes determine how much Lp you have. Your Lp level is unlikely to change much from childhood to old age.
Lp is not usually part of a routine lipid panel. Your doctor may order an Lp test if you have a family history of early heart or blood vessel disease, such as heart attack, or do not know your family medical history. If you have a high Lp level, your doctor may prescribe a statin to prevent heart and blood vessel disease, even if your other cholesterol levels are in the healthy range.
Is Beer Bad For Heart Health
Beer generally gets a bad heart-health rap thanks to its calorie and sugar content. This raises your risk of obesity, particularly abdominal obesity, which in turn is a risk factor for high cholesterol. But the story isnt as clear-cut as it first seems, as beer may also confer some heart benefits.
One reason is that the barley, malt and hops used to brew beer contain polyphenols plant compounds that have been linked to lowering cholesterol levels and overall risk of heart disease. Beer is also a reasonable source of vitamin B6, a nutrient that helps dampen the effect of homocysteine, a blood chemical associated with a higher risk of heart disease.
Heavy drinking more than 14 units a week on a regular basis still carries strong health warnings. But there is some evidence suggesting that consuming moderate amounts of alcohol, including beer, may help protect against heart disease.
This protection is normally found in men over 40 and postmenopausal women. But in 2017, researchers from the University of Cambridge and University College London found that moderate drinkers were less likely to have a heart attack or stroke compared with both teetotalers and heavy drinkers. This protection was found in both men and women aged over 30.
Do light beers have any health benefits?
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Which Nuts Are Bad For Cholesterol
Which Nuts are Bad for Cholesterol : Elevated cholesterol is a key contributor to heart disease, which causes people to die three times more than breast cancer and twice as many as lung cancer. But whats important is that lowering blood cholesterol is the biggest benefit a person can do to reduce their risk.
Given the dangers of cholesterol, reading this helps you to know the proper nutrition. So join us in answering this question Which nuts are bad for cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance, a type of fat found in the blood and all tissues of the body. Cholesterol is involved in the building of cell membranes, some hormones, and so it is essential for the health of the body.
The results of a study show that consuming as many nuts as possible reduces the amount of cholesterol and other fats that can be harmful to the heart in the blood.
Researchers say consuming two and three-tenths of an ounce of nuts a day can raise your bodys total cholesterol level by five and one-tenth of a percent, and LDL bad cholesterol by seven. And reduce four-tenths of a percent.
According to researchers at the Loma Linda University School of Public Health in California, using this amount of nuts per day will also increase the HDL to good cholesterol ratio by eight and three-tenths of a percent it also causes the level of triglyceride to decrease by 10% to 10% among people with high levels of this fat.
How Can I Lower My Cholesterol
There are two main ways to lower your cholesterol:
- Heart-healthy lifestyle changes, which include:
- Heart-healthy eating. A heart-healthy eating plan limits the amount of saturated and trans fats that you eat. Examples include the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet and the DASH Eating Plan.
- Weight Management. If you are overweight, losing weight can help lower your LDL cholesterol.
- Physical Activity. Everyone should get regular physical activity .
- Managing stress. Research has shown that chronic stress can sometimes raise your LDL cholesterol and lower your HDL cholesterol.
- Quitting smoking.Quitting smoking can raise your HDL cholesterol. Since HDL helps to remove LDL cholesterol from your arteries, having more HDL can help to lower your LDL cholesterol.
- Drug Treatment. If lifestyle changes alone do not lower your cholesterol enough, you may also need to take medicines. There are several types of cholesterol medicines available, including statins. The medicines work in different ways and can have different side effects. Talk to your health care provider about which one is right for you. While you are taking medicines to lower your cholesterol, you should continue with the lifestyle changes.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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What Are The Different Types Of Cholesterol
There are two types: high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein . As a general rule, HDL is considered good cholesterol, while LDL is considered bad. This is because HDL carries cholesterol to your liver, where it can be removed from your bloodstream before it builds up in your arteries. LDL, on the other hand, takes cholesterol directly to your arteries. This can result in atherosclerosis, a plaque buildup that can even cause heart attack and stroke.
Peanuts And Cholesterol The Secret Is The Monounsaturated Fats
In the past, health experts gave peanuts a bad rating because they contain fat. However, peanuts moved back into the healthy food column once it was understood that the fats they contained were heart healthy monounsaturated fats.
All fats are not created equal concerning the health of your heart. You want to lower the amount of saturated fats you consume. This means eat less red meat and foods from other animal sources such as bacon. Consuming these fats can raise your bad cholesterol count.
You can replace saturated fats with monounsaturated fats such as peanut oil or polyunsaturated fats that come from plant sources such as safflower oil, cottonseed oil, and soybean oil. These types of fats lower your cholesterol level.
You do need to understand that even though monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good for you, you cannot eat them without limitation because they are packed with calories. Eat peanuts and other nuts in moderation to avoid weight gain, which is a risk factor for heart disease.
You may be reading about this link between peanuts and cholesterol and be wondering if peanuts contain cholesterol. The answer is no. You do not get cholesterol from eating peanuts. In fact, your liver produces most of the cholesterol in your body, and this leads to an additional benefit of peanuts having to do with their fiber content.
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Eat To Lower Your Cholesterol
Cholesterol isnt all bad news. Follow these tips to lower your cholesterol, the natural way.
Chances are, youve heard a thing or two about cholesterol. Having high blood cholesterol is a risk factor for developing heart disease.
But did you know that you can reduce your cholesterol level by making smart food choices? Its true!
Cholesterol clarified
Before we get to the details, lets be clear on what were talking about. For years, cholesterol has had a bad rep that it doesnt really deserve. The truth is, we need cholesterol to function. Your body makes most of the cholesterol it needs. The rest comes from foods you eat.
Heres the important thing: Dietary cholesterol found in meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products has less impact on increasing your blood cholesterol level. Foods that contain lots of saturated fat are the true culprits.
Now heres how to make nutritious choices to lower your blood cholesterol.
Keep eating simple
In the last 20 years, the rules on healthy eating have shifted. Super restrictive diets arent sustainable or the healthiest choice. Rather than zeroing in on a single nutrient, nutrition research shows the quality of your diet matters more. A diet filled with the right portions of whole, unprocessed foods can help decrease heart disease and stroke. What does that look like? For a healthy, balanced eating plan:
Cook at home
Choose more fibre
Each of these options will provide you with two grams:
- ½ ripe avocado
Understanding The Highs And Lows Of Cholesterol
You know that too much is dangerous. But what is cholesterol, anyway? Where does it come from? And is it all bad?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is found in every cell in the body. Its either made by the body or absorbed from food. Your body needs cholesterol to make important steroid hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and vitamin D. Its also used to make bile acids in the liver these absorb fat during digestion.
So some cholesterol is necessary but bad cholesterol is something you can do without. Excess bad cholesterol in the bloodstream can deposit into the bodys arteries. These deposits are called plaques and result in atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. This is the major cause of heart attacks, strokes and other vascular problems.
Your total cholesterol level is a measure of the total amount of cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream, which includes several components:
- LDL cholesterol: LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein. This is known as the bad cholesterol, which directly contributes to plaque buildup in the arteries. Very low density lipoprotein, or VLDL cholesterol, is another type, which is a precursor to LDL.
- Total cholesterol is VLDL cholesterol plus LDL cholesterol plus HDL cholesterol.
- HDL cholesterol: HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein. Experts think at optimal levels it might help the body get rid of LDL cholesterol.
And guess what? This buildup can start as early as your 20s.
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What Nuts Are Good For Lowering Cholesterol
Almonds and other tree nuts can improve blood cholesterol. A recent study concluded that a diet supplemented with walnuts can lower the risk of heart complications in people with history of a heart attack. All nuts are high in calories, so a handful added to a salad or eaten as a snack will do.
Editors. 9 Last Updated. 41 days ago Authors. 11
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What Does New Cholesterol Research Mean For You
The U.S. federal government is slated to publish updated dietary guidelines later in 2015 and indications are that they will revise their recommendations for cholesterol levels to be more in line with new research findings. In the meantime, keep in mind that diets high in carbohydrates may actually be linked to increased risk of heart disease, and diets high in healthy fatswith some animal fatsmay be healthier than they were once thought to be. If youre currently on statin drugs or being treated for high cholesterol, talk to your doctor before making any changes to your diet or medications.
*Editors Note:The information in this article is intended for your educational use only does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Chopra Center’s Mind-Body Medical Group and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition and before undertaking any diet, supplement, fitness, or other health program.
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This Is How Drinking Alcohol Affects Your Cholesterol
The habits you develop in your daily life contribute to your health in both positive and negative ways. If youre looking to make some positive lifestyle changes to contribute to your health, start with choosing nutritious foods, getting plenty of exercise, and avoiding smoking. Your alcohol intake matters, too.
In moderate amounts, red wine is commonly linked to healthy cholesterol levels. But drinking more hard liquor, beer, mixed drinks, and excess red wine has a negative impact on your cholesterol levels.
At Westmed Family Healthcare, we want you to understand the connection between alcohol and cholesterol. Heres some information about cholesterol and how drinking affects your heart health.
Why Cholesterol Matters For Women
Reviewed By:
Erin Donnelly Michos, M.D., M.H.S.
Ah, cholesterol and triglycerides. We hear about them all the time. Even foods that might seem good for you on the surface, like fruit-filled yogurt or bran muffins, can contribute to abnormal levels if they contain too much saturated fat or refined sugar, says Erin Michos, M.D., associate director of preventive cardiology at the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease.
Whats more, many women are at risk for high cholesterol and dont realize it. Approximately 45 percent of women over the age of 20 have a total cholesterol of 200 mg/dl and above, which is considered elevated but a survey by the American Heart Association found that 76 percent of women say they dont even know what their cholesterol values are, Michos says.
Scarier still: Triglycerides, a type of blood fat typically measured alongside cholesterol, are even more risky in women compared with men. This is a problem because womens cholesterol levels can fluctuate quite a bit after menopause and tend to increase with age, putting us at greater risk of heart disease and stroke. Knowing your cholesterol numbers and how to control them is a big step toward staying healthy.
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Ldl Vs Hdl Good Vs Bad
If cholesterol is essential for overall health, why would one type be bad?
In simple terms, if there is too much LDL cholesterol running through your blood vessels, it can, over time, start to build up on the sides of those blood vessels. This buildup is typically referred to as plaque.
Plaque buildup in your blood vessels can eventually cause those vessels to become narrower. The more narrow your blood vessels are, the harder it is for blood to reach your heart and other organs.
When blood flow becomes very blocked, it can cause chest pain and even a heart attack.
HDL cholesterol, on the other hand, returns cholesterol to the liver so it can be flushed from the body.
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If Cholesterol Is Necessary Why Do We Have To Worry About How Much We Have
Having enough cholesterol to meet your needs is important. Having too much cholesterol can cause problems. If your cholesterol levels are high, the condition is called hypercholesterolemia. If your cholesterol levels are low, the condition is called hypocholesterolemia. It is not common to have cholesterol levels that are too low, but it can happen.
What To Know About Triglycerides
In addition to cholesterol, you might hear about your triglycerides, another kind of fat found in the bloodstream. Women should pay particular attention to this. A high level of triglycerides seems to predict an even greater risk for heart disease in women compared with men, says Michos.
When you take in more calories than you need, your body converts the extra calories into triglycerides, which are then stored in fat cells. Triglycerides are used by the body for energy, but people with excess triglycerides have higher risk of medical problems, including cardiovascular disease. Drinking a lot of alcohol and eating foods containing simple carbohydrates , saturated fats and trans fats contributes to high triglycerides. High levels may also be caused by health conditions such as diabetes, an underactive thyroid, obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome or kidney disease.
Triglycerides also circulate in the bloodstream on particles that may contribute to plaque formation. Many people with high triglycerides have other risk factors for atherosclerosis, including high LDL levels or low HDL levels, or abnormal blood sugar levels. Genetic studies have also shown some association between triglycerides and cardiovascular disease.
High Cholesterol: Prevention, Treatment and Research
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Is Dietary Cholesterol Harmful
Research has shown that dietary cholesterol does not significantly impact cholesterol levels in your body, and data from population studies does not support an association between dietary cholesterol and heart disease in the general population .
Though dietary cholesterol can slightly impact cholesterol levels, this isnt an issue for most people.
In fact, two-thirds of the worlds population experience little or no increase in cholesterol levels after eating cholesterol-rich foods even in large amounts .
A small number of people are considered cholesterol non-compensators or hyper-responders and appear to be more vulnerable to high-cholesterol foods.
However, hyper-responders are thought to recycle extra cholesterol back to the liver for excretion .
Dietary cholesterol has also been shown to beneficially affect the LDL-to-HDL ratio, which is considered the best indicator of heart disease risk .
While research shows that its unnecessary for most people to avoid dietary cholesterol, keep in mind that not all cholesterol-containing foods are healthy.
Here are 7 healthy high-cholesterol foods and 4 to avoid.
Here are 7 high-cholesterol foods that are incredibly nutritious.