How To Not Have High Cholesterol

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 .

You Skip Breakfast Completely

You roll out of bed, throw on some clothes, and run out the door. Who has time to make anything in the morning, let alone eat it? Skipping breakfast does more than lead to ravenous mid-morning food cravingsit could also raise your cholesterol levels.

“Eating breakfast has been shown to lower total and LDL cholesterol ,” says Kathryn Piper RDN, LD,NBC-HWC of The Age-Defying Dietitian. In a 2020 meta-analysis, researchers found that the LDL cholesterol of people who skipped breakfast was an average of 9.24 mg/dL higher than those who started their day with a meal.

And, no coffee doesn’t count as breakfast. Patricia Kolesa, MS, RDN, recommends having a small snack like a yogurt parfait or overnight oats with your coffee if the idea of a big meal first thing in the morning doesn’t appeal to you.

Medicines To Lower Cholesterol

For some people, making lifestyle changes alone does not their lower cholesterol enough. They may also need to take medicines. There are several types of cholesterol-lowering drugs available. They work in different ways and can have different side effects. Talk to your health care provider about which medicine is right for you.

Even if you take medicines to lower your cholesterol, you still need to continue with lifestyle changes.

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Types Of High Cholesterol

There are different types of high cholesterol, based on whatâs causing it:

Primary high cholesterol is also called familial hypercholesterolemia . Itâs when high cholesterol runs in your family. You may have very high levels of LDL cholesterol, which puts you at high risk of heart disease, even at a younger age.

How itâs treated: A low-fat diet, regular exercise, and staying at a healthy weight are part of a good plan to reduce high cholesterol. People with genetic high cholesterol likely will also need to treat it with medications, usually a statin. Other medications could include nicotinic acid ” rel=”nofollow”> niacin) to lower your LDL and raise your HDL, bile acid-binding drugs, fibrates, or either ezetimibe or inclisiran in combination with a statin.

If these treatments donât lower your LDL, PCSK9 inhibitors are a newer treatment option for FH. They block a protein to help lower LDL in your blood.

Secondary high cholesterol is linked to health conditions like diabetes, heavy drinking, chronic kidney disease, hypothyroidism, and a high-fat diet or lack of exercise. Certain drugs for other medical conditions, like steroids, can cause high cholesterol, too.

High triglycerides may be caused by an unhealthy diet, obesity, diabetes, heavy drinking, kidney disease, or hypothyroidism. For some people, high triglycerides can be genetic.

Things To Add To Your Diet For Lower Cholesterol

Nearly one in eight American adults have high levels of total cholesterol, reports the CDC. We tend to see it a lot more in the young-adult population than youd expect, Gina Curry MD, of Group Health, says.

While you may be tempted to ask your doctor for a cholesterol-lowering prescription, she suggests making a few dietary changes, first.

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Side Effects Of Too High Cholesterol

Having high cholesterol can be scary, but knowing the signs and risk factors can make all the difference. “There are absolutely proven ways to manage high cholesterol,” says interventional cardiologist Leslie Cho, MD. “And even if you have a significant family history, you can prevent heart disease.” Here are the side effects of too high cholesterol, according to experts. Read onand to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.

You Choose Refined Carbs Over Fiber

“Choosing breakfast foods high in refined carbohydrates is one of the worst things you can do for your cholesterol, and one of the easiest traps to fall into, as so many popular breakfast items fit this bill,” says Sharon Puello, MA, RD, CDN, CDCES.

A diet high in refined carbohydrates can increase your triglycerides and the number of small LDL particles in your blood, which both increase your risk for heart disease, explains Puello.

Starting your morning with sugary cereal, donuts, pastries, pancakes, bagels, or any other refined carbohydrate can significantly affect your risk for heart disease. Researchers found that just one to two extra servings of refined carbohydrates per day can increase the risk of coronary heart disease by 10 to 20 percent. But, adding one to two servings of whole grains can decrease the risk by the same amount.

Choose whole grains and fruit over refined carbohydrates and add a healthy serving of protein and fat to your breakfast to keep you full and satisfied.

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How High Is Too High

“For people who have plaque in their arteries or who have other factors that put them at risk for cardiovascular disease, doctors recommend an ideal LDL level well below 70 mg/dl,” says Seth Shay Martin, M.D., M.H.S. “For those without risk factors who have an LDL level at or above 190 mg/dl, the recommendation is to get this level down to below 100 mg/dl. People age 40 to 75 who are living with diabetes and whose LDL is at 70 or above may need medication.”

Know Your Numbers And What To Do About Them

When it comes to cholesterol, it’s important to know your numbers. Hyperlipidemia means your blood has too many lipids , such as cholesterol and triglycerides. One type of hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, means you have too much non-HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in your blood. This condition increases fatty deposits in arteries and the risk of blockages.

Another way your cholesterol numbers can be out of balance is when your HDL cholesterol level is too low. With less HDL to remove cholesterol from your arteries, your risk of atherosclerotic plaque and blockages increases.

If youre diagnosed with hyperlipidemia, your overall health and other risks such as smoking or high blood pressure will help guide treatment. These factors can combine with high LDL cholesterol or low HDL cholesterol levels to affect your cardiovascular health. Your doctor may use the ASCVD Risk Calculator to assess your risk of a coronary event in the next 10 years.

The good news is, high cholesterol can be lowered, reducing risk of heart disease and stroke. If youre 20 years or older, have your cholesterol tested and work with your doctor to adjust your cholesterol levels as needed.

Often, changing behaviors can help bring your numbers into line. If lifestyle changes alone dont improve your cholesterol levels, medication may be prescribed. Lifestyle changes include:

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Getting A Cholesterol Test

A blood sample is taken that will be used to determine the amount of bad cholesterol , good cholesterol and other fatty substances in your blood.

You may be asked not to eat for 10-12 hours before the cholesterol test, usually including when you’re asleep at night. This ensures that all food is completely digested and won’t affect the outcome of the test.

Your GP or practice nurse can carry out the cholesterol test and will take a blood sample, either using a needle and a syringe or by pricking your finger.

A newer type of test that measures non-high-density lipoprotein is now sometimes used because it’s thought to be a more accurate way of estimating cardiovascular disease risk than LDL.

Non-HDL cholesterol is total cholesterol minus HDL cholesterol. It’s also not necessary to fast before the test, so it is more convenient.

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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More About The Symptoms Of Cholesterol

The liver is responsible for producing most of the cholesterol in your body, though you can also absorb it from foods that contain cholesterol. The problem is that, even though many organs need it, too much cholesterol causes irreparable damage. In fact, high cholesterol is a potential killer.

Surely you have heard that there are several types of cholesterol, and its true. They are known as good or bad cholesterol, and refer to HDL and LDL cholesterol. The first is made up of a high-density lipoprotein, and the second is low-density.

Both have reference values that allow an evaluation of the persons health status. Nowadays, these are the established values:

• Total cholesterol: below 200 milligrams per deciliter. High cholesterol is considered to be anything above 240.
• HDL cholesterol: 35 milligrams per deciliter in men and 40 milligrams per deciliter in women is considered correct.
• LDL cholesterol: the normal value is less than 100 milligrams per deciliter. However, the desirable value could be lower depending on the cases.

The most worrying thing is that many people are unaware that they have it in high amounts since, in general, high cholesterol doesnt present any strong symptoms.

In turn, this leads to the development of more serious health conditions such as arteriosclerosis, hypertension, and kidney failure. Due to this, its essential to know some signs that could be decisive for its detection.

The Dietary Guidelines For Americans Summarized

Heres a summary of the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans:

Avoid industrial trans fats.

Replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats, and aim to get less than 10% of your calories from saturated fats.

Reduce calories from solid animal fats with plant oils when possible.

Prioritize seafood , lean meats, poultry, eggs, legumes , nuts, seeds, and soy products over red and processed meats as sources of protein.

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Worst Breakfast Habits To Avoid If You Have High Cholesterol

High cholesterol may seem harmless, as there are no signs or symptoms, but left unchecked this condition can be dangerous.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, up to 38% of Americans have high cholesterol, putting them at risk for heart disease and stroke. While some people inherit high cholesterol, it’s often a result of lifestyle choices.

Smoking, drinking alcohol, eating an unhealthy diet, and having a sedentary lifestyle can all increase your risk for high cholesterol. Taking action and changing your habits is often the first line of defense to lowering cholesterol naturally. If lifestyle changes alone don’t lower your cholesterol enough, your doctor may recommend medication to keep it in a safe zone.

Not smoking, cutting down on alcohol, and getting up and moving is easy enough to understand . One of the most confusing lifestyle shifts is changing how you eat. With all of the diet myths and changing research, you may not know where to even start when it comes to lowering your cholesterol with diet.

Fortunately, you can help lower your cholesterol with your first meal of the day. Dietitians recommend that you avoid these four worst breakfast habits if you have high cholesterol. Read on to learn more, and to continue to eat healthily, don’t miss these Eating Habits You Must Follow If High Cholesterol Runs In Your Family.

How The Fat You Eat Affects Cholesterol Levels

The relationship between the fat we eat and our health, particularly our cardiovascular health, has been hotly debated for many years.

Heres what you need to know:

Not all fats are created equally.

The kinds of fat you eat matter more than the amount.

There are different types of fats in our diet:

• Polyunsaturated fats: essential and important nutrients

• Monounsaturated fats: can come from plant or animal products and are generally considered healthy

• Saturated fats: less healthy than mono- and polyunsaturated fats

• Trans fats: unhealthy fats

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Benefits Of Increasing Your Hdl Cholesterol

As mentioned, increasing your HDL cholesterol is good for your heart health. But what exactly does that mean? And are there other benefits? Research is ongoing, but studies suggest that target levels of HDL could:

• Lower your risk of heart attack: A fatty buildup in the arteries can lead to heart attacks. Experts believe HDL helps to clear cholesterol from the blood vessels, helping to prevent atherosclerosis. That said, theres probably more to the story, because improving HDL doesnt always reduce heart disease.

• Lower your risk of stroke: There are a few different causes of strokes, but one of them is atherosclerosis in the arteries that supply the brain.

• Improve your life expectancy: People who live longer have higher levels of HDL. Scientists believe the same genes that help you live longer are also responsible for higher levels of HDL. This may explain the genetic connection between a higher HDL and longer life expectancy.

• Lower your risk of dementia:Studies have linked lower HDL levels to memory loss and dementia. But experts dont yet understand exactly how this relationship works.

Its important to note that recent research suggests it may be possible for your HDL to be too high. Research is ongoing to figure out the optimal range for HDL levels.

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Hdl: Nine Ways To Raise Your Good Cholesterol

They call HDL good cholesterol. But its better than that. HDL keeps arteries young. The more HDL you have, the better. But how do you get your HDL level up?

HDL is especially important when you have diabetes. A new Italian study followed more than 47,000 people with Type 2 for four years. Those with low levels of HDL had a 44% increased chance of developing signs of diabetic kidney disease. Low HDL levels were more dangerous than high levels of triglycerides, which were thought to be a greater risk.

HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein. Our bodies have two main types of cholesterol carriers. Low-density lipoprotein takes cholesterol from the liver to the rest of the body. LDL leaves a lot of extra cholesterol lying around, where it can form hard stuff called plaque in arteries.

HDL goes the other way. It brings extra cholesterol from other parts of the body back to the liver. It keeps plaque from forming and helps keep arteries open. It undoes damage that life, food, and time do to arteries.

Your HDL level means a lot for your risk of stroke, heart disease, kidney disease, and other kinds of blood vessel damage. Since diabetes complications result from blood vessel damage, you really want your HDL level up.

A level over 60 mg/dl is considered excellent. From 40 to 60 is OK. Below 40 is considered low.

2. Stop smoking. Many studies show HDL goes up in people who stop smoking, even though their weight tends to increase.

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How Can I Lower My Cholesterol By Making Lifestyle Changes

You can lower your cholesterol levels by making lifestyle changes, and through taking medicines if that’s what your doctor advises. Some people will only need to improve their lifestyle and diet to get their cholesterol to a safe level. Others may need to take cholesterol-lowering medicines, as well.

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 LDL cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease.

For example, one study replaced saturated fats in 115 adults diets with polyunsaturated fats for 8 weeks. By the end of the study, total and LDL cholesterol levels were reduced by about 10% .

Polyunsaturated fats also may 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. Especially high amounts occur in fatty fish like:

• salmon
• deep sea tuna like bluefin or albacore
• 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.

Trans fats are unsaturated fats that have been modified by a process called hydrogenation. This is done to make the unsaturated fats in vegetable oils more stable.

The resulting trans fats are not fully saturated and are called partially hydrogenated oils .

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