How Is High Cholesterol Diagnosed
All kids should have their cholesterol checked when they’re between 9 and 11 years old and again when they’re between 17 and 21.
Kids over 2 years old should be tested if they:
- have a parent or other close relative with a total cholesterol higher than 240 mg/dL
- have a family history of cardiovascular disease before age 55 in men and age 65 in women
- have some kinds of medical conditions
- are overweight or obese
- have diabetes, high blood pressure, or smoke cigarettes
Your doctor can order a blood test to check your child’s cholesterol. Your child may have to fast before the test.
According to the National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines, the ranges of total and LDL cholesterol for kids and teens 218 years old are:
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mg/dL = milligrams per deciliter
You Can Begin Lowering Cholesterol Naturally Today
Sound like a lot to take on? Dont be intimidated. Bringing down your high cholesterol doesnt have to mean changing your life completely. Rather, start with changing your mindset. Instead of moving away from things, youre moving toward new habits that will help you create a healthier and more enjoyable future.
Now is always the right time to start taking care of your heart health. If you need a little support, lean on friends and family. And dont forget: Your doctor is always there for you with advice, motivation and encouragement so you can reach your goals and live healthier.
What Should My Cholesterol Levels Be
Blood cholesterol is measured in units called millimoles per litre of blood, often shortened to mmol/L.
As a general guide, total cholesterol levels should be:
- 5mmol/L or less for healthy adults
- 4mmol/L or less for those at high risk
As a general guide, LDL levels should be:
- 3mmol/L or less for healthy adults
- 2mmol/L or less for those at high risk
An ideal level of HDL is above 1mmol/L. A lower level of HDL can increase your risk of heart disease.
Your ratio of total cholesterol to HDL may also be calculated. This is your total cholesterol level divided by your HDL level. Generally, this ratio should be below four, as a higher ratio increases your risk of heart disease.
Cholesterol is only one risk factor. The level at which specific treatment is required will depend on whether other risk factors, such as smoking and high blood pressure, are also present.
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How Does High Cholesterol Affect Our Health
Its important to reduce high cholesterol because of the risk for serious health issues if left untreated. These are a few of the complications that can result from high cholesterol:
Carotid artery disease is the buildup of plaque inside the carotid arteries . This can cause severe chest pains and lead to a stroke.
Strokes, which happen when a blockage occurs that prevents oxygen-rich blood from getting to a portion of the brain, can cause paralysis, brain damage or even result in death.
Heart attacks, which stop the blood flow to part of your heart, can cause dizziness, pain and fatigue, and if not treated in time, can also result in death.
How Often Should I Get My Cholesterol Checked
People 18 and older with average high cholesterol risk should get their cholesterol levels checked at least once every five years. Individuals who have or had high blood pressure typically see us much more frequently. Make sure to speak to your doctor to set up recurring checkups if youve previously experienced high cholesterol levels.
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Amla To Use Diet To Control High Cholesterol
Amla is a storehouse of nutrients. As such, amla contains phenolic compounds, vitamin-C, amino acids, and minerals. Studies indicate that amla consumption can also reduce your cholesterol levels. In addition, amla intake prevents the oxidation of cholesterol while preventing further damage to your body.
So, eat amla fruit daily to benefits from its healing properties.
Ways To Lower Cholesterol
Check your own cholesterol level and if it’s high, ask to have your kids’ levels checked.
Here are 5 ways to help keep your family’s cholesterol in control:
It’s important to make healthy living a family effort. The steps you take to improve your family’s lifestyle will have a positive effect on your family’s health now and far into the future.
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Healthy Eating Tips To Lower Cholesterol
As well as sticking to a varied and healthy diet, try these ;tips to help you manage your cholesterol:;
- Limit takeaway foods to once a week .
- Limit salty, fatty and sugary snack foods to once a week .
- Eat plenty of vegetables aim for 5 serves of vegetables every day. .
- Choose wholegrain breads, cereal, pasta, rice and noodles.
- Snack on plain, unsalted nuts and fresh fruit .
- Include legumes such as chickpeas, lentils, split peas), beans into at least two meals a week. Check food labels and choose the lowest sodium products.;
- Use spreads and margarines made from healthy unsaturated fats instead of those made with saturated fat .
- Use healthy oils for cooking some include canola, sunflower, soybean, olive , sesame and peanut oils.
- Use salad dressings and mayonnaise made from oils such as canola, sunflower, soybean, olive , sesame and peanut oils.
- Include 2 or 3 serves of plant-sterol-enriched foods every day .
- Have 2 to 3 portions of oily fish every week. Fish may be fresh, frozen or canned.
- Include up to 7 eggs every week.
- Select lean meat and limit unprocessed red meat to less than 350g per week.
- Choose ;reduced fat, no added sugar milk, yoghurt, or calcium-added non-dairy food and drinks.;
- Limit or avoid processed meats including sausages and deli meats .
If you are having trouble with your cholesterol levels, a dietitian can help you to eat healthily for your specific needs.
Where Can I Find More Information About High Cholesterol Risk Factors And Treatment Options
Watch our live interview with Dr. Kerunne Ketlogetswe, a cardiologist at MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute.
Maintaining good cholesterol levels is an important way to keep your heart healthy. Make sure to consider these lifestyle modificationsand medications, if neededto do so.
Want to learn more about heart health? Click below to learn more about the services offered at MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute.
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Triglycerides In Your Blood
In addition to cholesterol, your blood also contains a type of fat called triglycerides, which are stored in your bodys fat deposits. Hormones release triglycerides to make energy between meals.;
When you eat, your body converts any extra energy it doesnt need right away into triglycerides.
Like cholesterol, your body needs triglycerides to work properly. However, there is evidence to suggest that some people with high triglycerides are at increased risk of heart disease and stroke.;
If you regularly eat more energy than you need, you may have high triglycerides .;
Cholesterol Is Not All Bad
First things first, not all cholesterol is bad. Your body needs cholesterol for several very important functions according to;Hayleigh D. Slezak, PA, Physician Assistant at Riverside Primary Care Hidenwood.
Cholesterol is found in the membranes of cells. Its used as a building block for hormones and also helps the body make vitamin D and digest foods.
Cholesterol is classified as good and bad, based on what it does in the body:
- Bad cholesterol is known as LDL because it is harmful to health and associated with increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Good cholesterol is known as HDL because it is protective of health and associated with reduced risk of heart disease and stroke.
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Avoid Saturated And Trans Fats
If you consume a diet thats high in saturated fat or trans fat, you increase your risk of developing high cholesterol. Saturated fat is found mostly in animal products, such as meat, butter, and cheese. Trans fat is found in processed, fried, and baked goods.
We recommend consuming saturated fat at a rate of less than seven percent of your total caloric intake. Patients who have followed this guideline have seen their LDL levels go down by eight to 10 percent. The Food and Drug Administration, thankfully, banned trans fats from U.S. restaurants and grocery stores in 2018.
Eat A Variety Of Healthy Proteins
The best choices of protein are fish and seafood, legumes , nuts and seeds. You can eat smaller amounts of eggs and lean poultry but limit red meat to 1-3 times a week.
Flavour foods with herbs and spices rather than salt, and avoid processed foods as these contain a lot of salt too. Salt can lead to high blood pressure, which can increase your risk of heart disease.
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How Can I Lower My Cholesterol Level
The first step in reducing your cholesterol is to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. It’s important to keep your diet low in fatty food.
You can swap food containing saturated fat for fruit, vegetables and wholegrain cereals. This will also help;prevent high cholesterol returning.
Other lifestyle changes, such as;taking regular exercise and;giving up smoking, can also make a big difference in helping to lower your cholesterol.
If these measures don’t reduce your cholesterol and you continue to have a high risk of developing heart disease, your GP may prescribe a cholesterol-lowering medication, such as statins.
Your GP will take into account the risk of any side effects from statins. The benefit of lowering your cholesterol must outweigh any risks.
Read more about how high cholesterol is treated
Increase The Amount Of Fiber In Your Diet
Most of us do not get enough fiber in our diet. The recommended amount is 25-35 grams of dietary fiber per day. Dietary fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body cannot digest. As fiber passes through the body, it affects the way the body digests foods and absorbs nutrients. Fiber can help reduce your LDL cholesterol level. A fiber-rich diet can also help control blood sugar, promote regularity, prevent gastrointestinal disease and help you manage your weight.
There are two types of dietary fiber: soluble and insoluble. To receive the greatest health benefit, eat a wide variety of all high-fiber foods. Refined foods, like white bread, white pasta and enriched cereals are low in fiber. The refining process strips the outer coat from the grain, which reduces the amount of fiber that’s left.
The best sources of fiber are whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes .
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What Are Saturated Fats
Saturated fats are generally solid or waxy at room temperature and are most often found in animal products and tropical oils. The following foods contain saturated fats:
- Fatty cuts of beef, pork, lamb, veal, and the skin of poultry.
- Hot dogs, bacon and high-fat luncheon meats, such as salami and bologna.
- Full fat and processed cheeses, cream cheese.
- High-fat dairy products, such as whole milk, cream, half and half, butter and sour cream.
- Lard, bacon fat, sauces and gravies made from animal fat.
- Most fried foods and fast foods.
- Tropical oils – palm, palm kernel and coconut.
- Baked goods made with lard, butter or tropical oils.
Tip #7: Discuss Medication
Lifestyle changes are often enough to bring your numbers down if you have high cholesterol. However, if your cholesterol is severely elevated or you have other factors that make it more difficult to control cholesterol, lifestyle changes arent always enough. Protecting your heart is the number one priority. If your levels remain elevated despite lifestyle changes, discuss cholesterol-lowering medication with your doctor.
High cholesterol is a serious threat to your heart health. Partnering with a health professional like our board-certified cardiologist Dr. Kunal Patel, is a wise place to start on the path to improved cholesterol. Visit us here at the NJ Cardiovascular Institute for a checkup and for more information about how you can keep your heart healthy. Call 201-866-7000 to schedule an appointment at one of our offices in Secaucus or Newark, New Jersey. Additionally, we accept booking requests here on our website
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How To Lower Cholesterol Naturally
Here are 6 drug-free alternatives for lowering LDL cholesterol.
To avoid a heart attack, research has found that a key strategy is getting LDL cholesterol way down. Striving for LDL levels of 100 and below is good, but dropping to 80 and lower may be even better. Learn how to lower cholesterol naturally.
Go ahead, binge on beans! Enjoy all kinds! Black beans. White beans. Red beans. Pinto beans. Adzuki beans. They’re all champions at actively lowering LDL cholesterol.
Healthy Foods To Lower Your Cholesterol
Pintrest# 1 Oats and oat bran # 2 Beans and legumes –# 3 Avocados# 4 Nuts # 5 Barley and other grains – # 6 Eggplant and okra –# 7 Fruits # 8 Soy – # 9 Fatty Fish –# 10 Vegetable oil – # 11 Rice bran oil # 12 Tomatoes – # 13 Fenugreek seeds # 14 Lemons # 15 Ginger –# 16 Garlic –# 17 Ispaghula husk # 18 Green Tea –# 19 Coriander –# 20 Cluster beans # 21 Cinnamon # 22 Celery # 23 Broccoli and other vegetables – # 24 Apple cider vinegar weight loss# 25 Brown Rice –
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Use Polyunsaturated Fats Especially Omega
Polyunsaturated fats have multiple double bonds that make them behave differently in the body than saturated fats. Research shows that polyunsaturated fats reduce bad LDL cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease.
For example, one study replaced saturated fats in 115 adults diets with polyunsaturated fats for eight weeks. By the end, total and LDL cholesterol levels were reduced by about 10% .
Another study included 13,614 adults. They replaced dietary saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat, providing about 15% of total calories. Their risk of coronary artery disease dropped by nearly 20% .
Polyunsaturated fats also seem to reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
Another study changed the diets of 4,220 adults, replacing 5% of their calories from carbohydrates with polyunsaturated fats. Their blood glucose and fasting insulin levels decreased, indicating a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes .
Omega-3 fatty acids are an especially heart-healthy type of polyunsaturated fat. Theyre found in seafood and fish oil supplements .
Omega-3 fats are found in high amounts in fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, herring and deep sea tuna like bluefin or albacore, and to a lesser degree in shellfish including shrimp .
Other sources of omega-3s include seeds and tree nuts, but not peanuts.
summary
All polyunsaturated fats are heart-healthy and may reduce the risk of diabetes. Omega-3 fats are a type of polyunsaturated fat with extra heart benefits.
How To Control High Cholesterol Naturally
14 December, 2018
Cholesterol is a type of fat found naturally in the body. It is present in the brain, the liver, our nervous system, the blood, and bile. It is also needed to perform many vital functions. Nevertheless, it is very common to have a high cholesterol level, which can, in turn, deteriorate our health. Today will be all about how to control high cholesterol without extra medication.
The liver generates most of the bodys cholesterol, while the rest comes through our diet. Low-density lipoprotein, AKA bad cholesterol or LDL, is responsible for clogging our arteries. This causes serious cardiovascular problems and other diseases. The good cholesterol is known as HDL, and it helps to remove LDL clogging our arteries and liver.
Although high cholesterol can have several causes, in most cases its as a result of a poor diet and sedentary lifestyle. Consequently, to control and prevent high cholesterol, its important to change your lifestyle.
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Low Thyroid & High Cholesterol
One measurement of thyroid function is a hormone called thyroid-stimulating hormone . Made by a small gland at the base of the brain called the pituitary, TSH tells your thyroid how hard to work.
High TSH levels mean you have an underactive thyroid. Symptoms include:
- Fatigue
- Weight gain
- Slow heart rate
Studies show that people with high TSH levels have much higher total cholesterol and LDL levels than people with normal thyroid tests.
Any of these can be fatal.
High cholesterol raises heart disease and stroke risk even more.
Psck9 Inhibitors Can Lower Your Ldl Cholesterol: A Lot
PSCK9 inhibitors may be a good choice for people with an inherited form of high cholesterol. These new drugs can lower dangerous LDL levels by half or more. The drugs costs are high, but the health care industry is working with manufacturers and pharmacists to bring the price down and make PSCK9 inhibitors available to more people.
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Garlic To Control High Blood Cholesterol
Garlic contains a range of nutritional compounds. These include organosulfur compounds , minerals, vitamins, amino acids, among others. Also, garlic has therapeutic properties.
Some studies suggesting ingesting half to 1 garlic clove every day. By doing so, you can lower your cholesterol levels up to 9%.