What Are The Risks Linked To High Cholesterol
Too much LDL cholesterol in the blood can increase your risk of heart and blood vessel disease .
The excess LDL cholesterol leads to fatty deposits called plaque forming in the artery walls. Over time, the plaque causes narrowing and hardening of the arteries .
This can lead to:
- Angina when plaque builds up in the major arteries that supply your heart, known as the coronary arteries, they become narrower and are partially blocked, reducing blood flow and oxygen supply to the heart. This may cause shortness of breath and chest pain.
- Heart attack if a plaque in a coronary artery bursts , a clot may form and block the supply of blood to the heart, starving it of oxygen.
- Stroke if the blood vessels that supply the brain become narrower or blocked by plaque, blood supply to the brain can be severely reduced or cut off, causing a stroke. Strokes can also be caused when a clot from another part of the body travels through the blood and lodges in an artery in the brain.
- Peripheral vascular disease this usually affects the arteries that supply the legs and feet, causing leg pain when walking , and even pain when resting, when the circulation is more badly affected
A high level of HDL cholesterol is good because HDL cholesterol helps remove other forms of cholesterol from the blood, taking them back to the liver where they’re removed from the blood and passed out of the body.
Dr Deborah Lee Dr Fox Online Pharmacy Shares Her Tips On How To Naturally Lower Your Cholesterol Levels Without Using Medication
Have you recently been told youve got a raised cholesterol level? This can come as a shock.
Having a raised cholesterol is serious as this increases your risk of cardiovascular disease strokes and heart attacks. However, heres some good news. There are many things you can do to lower your cholesterol levels and lower these risks.
Read on and find out how to lower your cholesterol levels naturally without necessarily resorting to medication.
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Maybe you’ve been told by your doctor that you have high cholesterol, or perhaps you know you’re at a higher risk so you’re trying to monitor your levels. Whatever the reason may be, you’re likely now trying to learn all you can about lifestyle changes that can help lowercholesterol.
Yahoo
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Tuesday: Take A Walk During Your Lunch Break
Its not only what you eat that affects your cholesterol. What you do counts, too. Our bodies simply werent meant to sit all day we were made to move. Being active helps you achieve healthy cholesterol levels in two ways. First, it promotes weight loss, which is a tremendous aid if you want to lower cholesterol fast. And second, physical activity raises levels of HDL cholesterol, which is thought of as your bodys good cholesterol.
Working out at the right intensity can spark the production of HDL. The American Heart Association says 40 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic activity three or four times a week can help improve your cholesterol levels. Even walking helps: I always recommend an hour walk a day, but you can just start with a brisk 15-minute walk and work up from there, notes Dr. Crandall.
Add These Foods To Lower Ldl Cholesterol
Different foods lower cholesterol in various ways. Some deliver soluble fiber, which binds cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive system and drags them out of the body before they get into circulation. Some give you polyunsaturated fats, which directly lower LDL. And some contain plant sterols and stanols, which block the body from absorbing cholesterol.
1. Oats. An easy first step to lowering your cholesterol is having a bowl of oatmeal or cold oat-based cereal like Cheerios for breakfast. It gives you 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. Add a banana or some strawberries for another half-gram. Current nutrition guidelines recommend getting 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day, with at least 5 to 10 grams coming from soluble fiber.
2. Barley and other whole grains. Like oats and oat bran, barley and other whole grains can help lower the risk of heart disease, mainly via the soluble fiber they deliver.
3. Beans. Beans are especially rich in soluble fiber. They also take a while for the body to digest, meaning you feel full for longer after a meal. That’s one reason beans are a useful food for folks trying to lose weight. With so many choices from navy and kidney beans to lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and beyond and so many ways to prepare them, beans are a very versatile food.
4. Eggplant and okra. These two low-calorie vegetables are good sources of soluble fiber.
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How Often Should I Have My Cholesterol Tested
Adults should have their blood lipids measured every 5 years, starting at 45 years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should start lipid blood tests at 35, because on average heart and blood vessel disease such as heart attacks and stroke happen 10 to 20 years earlier in Indigenous people.
All Australians in these age groups are eligible for a regular 20-minute heart health check with their doctor. This checks your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Your doctor can then assess your risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the next 5 years.
Natural Ways To Lower Your Cholesterol Levels
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Cholesterol is made in your liver and has many important functions. For example, it helps keep the walls of your cells flexible and is needed to make several hormones.
However, like anything in the body, too much cholesterol creates concerns.
Like fat, cholesterol does not dissolve in water. Instead, to move around the body, it depends on molecules called lipoproteins. These carry cholesterol, fat, and fat-soluble vitamins in your blood.
Different kinds of lipoproteins have different effects on health. For example, high levels of low-density lipoprotein results in cholesterol deposits in blood vessel walls, which can lead to (
- heart attack
- kidney failure
In contrast, high-density lipoprotein helps carry cholesterol away from vessel walls and helps prevent these conditions (
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Lower Your Cholesterol Whether You’re Eating Breakfast Lunch Dinner Dessert Or Even A Snack
Did you know cholesterol in food only plays a small part in increasing our bodies cholesterol levels? But what we eat has a big role to play in managing our cholesterol and heart health.Consistently poor eating habits, combined with a lack of physical activity can lead to unhealthy weight gain, which can also raise levels of unhealthy cholesterol levels and lower levels of HDL cholesterol which can negatively affect your heart health.
High-density lipoprotein is often called the good cholesterol because it helps to remove other forms of cholesterol from your bloodstream and helps to keep cholesterol from building up in the arteries. Low-density lipoprotein is often called the bad cholesterol because it is the main source of cholesterol build-up and blockage in the arteries.
Time and time again we hear that balance is the key to health. There are some foods that can improve LDL cholesterol levels and eating these foods in moderate amounts can help keep us fighting fit. Foods containing healthier fats or soluble fibre are great examples of this. So with this in mind, here are some delicious ideas that can help you eat your way to a healthier heart.
Myth #: Cholesterol From Animal Products Such As Red Meat Eggs And Full Fat Milk Is Bad For You:
This is just a theory and has never been proven. The problem with it is the numbers dont add up. For instance, an Eskimos diet consists of 70% animal meat, fat and cholesterol yet they have very low cholesterol levels, low triglyceride levels, and very low rates of heart disease, cancer and stroke.
Then in the May edition of The Denver Post back in 1996, there was an article about a longevity study in which researchers interviewed 415 people over the age of a hundred . The idea was to try and find out if there was one overwhelming factor all of these people had in common that may have contributed to their longevity.
And there was in fact one overwhelming thing that researchers discovered…
All 415 people ate red meat every day! There wasnt one vegetarian in the group. Now, if red meat really is so bad for you and eating it clogs up your arteries and causes heart disease then all of these people should have been dead long ago! 1
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Apple For Bad Cholesterol
Can apples help lower cholesterol? Full of flavonoids, apple is one of the best simple home remedies for high cholesterol levels. You can keep enjoying this fruit and keep your lungs healthy. This fruit is rich in pectin and contains natural antioxidants known as flavonoids. Also, The skin of an apple is full of fiber.
I suggest eating fruits with their skin. Other fruits like grapes, pomegranate oranges also decrease cholesterol levels in our body as they are enriched with fibers.
Top 14 Foods That Lower Cholesterol
Cholesterol is often one of the most misunderstood aspects of heart health. For many people, loading up on the foods that lower cholesterol brings to mind low-fat meals that lack flavor. However, as youll come to see, this couldnt be further from the truth!
When it comes to lowering high cholesterol naturally, though, strictly avoiding all fats and following a low cholesterol diet is not the answer. Even totally avoiding foods that contain cholesterol itself isnt necessary either. Its all about moderation and balance eating a combination of nutrient-dense foods that fight inflammation and tackle the root of the problem.
Youll be happy to know that these foods that lower cholesterol levels include all sorts of great-tasting fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish, lean meats and plenty of nutritious sources of fat, too, making it easier than ever to follow a heart-healthy diet.
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Apple Cider Vinegar For Bad Cholesterol
How to reduce bad cholesterol in body with ACV? Yes, From high blood pressure to upper respiratory infections, apple cider vinegar is used to treat many human bodies problems.
Apple cider vinegar is one of the best home remedies for the treatment of high cholesterol.
Well, I know the taste is not good, but you can add it to some juices like apple grape or any other fruit juices and make the taste better for a better taste. This remedy starts showing improvements in your cholesterol level in approx one month.
Easy steps
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Eating Well + Exercise
For best results with a healthy lifestyle, new research has found that plunging right in with both healthy eating and exercising is the way to go.3
The Stanford University School of Medicine study involved 200 middle-aged Americans, all sedentary and with poor eating habits. Some were told to launch new food and fitness habits at the same time. Others began dieting but waited several months before beginning to exercise. A third group started exercising but didnt change eating habits till several months later.
All the groups received telephone coaching and were followed for one year. The winning group was the one making food and exercise changes together. The people in this group were most likely to meet U.S. guidelines for exercise and healthy eating , and to keep calories from saturated fat at less than 10% of their total intake of calories.
For best results with a healthy lifestyle, new research has found that plunging right in with both healthy eating and exercising is the way to go.3
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Eat Monounsaturated And Polyunsaturated Fats
I can see youre thinking.What???? Now youre telling me to eat fat, and we know it sounds confusing.
But not all fats are bad. In fact, we all need fats in our diet, just not in huge quantities.Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good for you, but all fats contain calories, so they should be eaten in moderation, and preferably instead of saturated fats .
Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and include vegetable oils and foods such as avocados and most nuts. The Seven Countries Study conducted during the 1960s revealed that people who ate a Mediterranean-type diet, which uses a lot of olive oil , had a low rate of heart disease.
There are two main types of polyunsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids.Both types are involved in vital body processes such as blood clotting, inflammation, muscle function, cell membrane, and nerve formation. Fatty fish , flaxseeds, walnuts, canola oil, and unhydrogenated soybean oil are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Safflower, soybean, sunflower, walnut, and corn oils are high in omega-6. Polyunsaturated fatty acids have been associated with a reduction in the risk of heart disease and stroke, an increase in HDL and a reduction in triglycerides.
Home Remedy For Lower Cholesterol #11 Enjoy Some Garlic
A study published in 2013 analyzed 26 clinical trials and found that garlic was more effective than a placebo in reducing cholesterol levels, specifically total cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Garlic did not appear to have a significant effect on HDL and LDL. Garlic is also anti-viral, antibacterial and anti-fungal, and may help lower blood pressure and improve liver function.
Fresh garlic packs more punch than cooked. Learn how to grow garlic.
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Saturated And Unsaturated Fat
There are 2 main types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. Eating too many foods high in saturated fat can raise the level of cholesterol in your blood.
Most people in the UK eat too much saturated fat.
Foods high in saturated fat include:
- meat pies
- cakes and biscuits
- foods containing coconut or palm oil
Eating foods that contain unsaturated fat instead of saturated fat can actually help reduce cholesterol levels.
Try to replace foods containing saturated fats with small amounts of foods high in unsaturated fats, such as:
- oily fish such as mackerel and salmon
- nuts such as almonds and cashews
- seeds such as sunflower and pumpkin seeds
- avocados
- vegetable oils and spreads such as rapeseed or vegetable oil, sunflower, olive, corn and walnut oils
Five Ways To Lower Your Cholesterol Without Medication
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Cholesterolthe waxy, fat-like substance found in all the cells in your bodycan cause severe health risks if not maintained within healthy levels. High cholesterol can result in heart attack, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease all conditions that can lead to death. While for many patients, statinsprescription medications used to help lower cholesterol levelscan successfully mitigate associated health risks, there are also lifestyle changes that you can make today to start lowering your cholesterol tomorrow. What follows are five such suggestions to help you take the first vital steps toward a healthier, longer life.
1. Reduce Your Consumption of Saturated Fats
Saturated fats can raise total cholesterol levels. Foods high in saturated fats include red meat, full-fat dairy, milk and white chocolate, fatty meats such as lamb, processed meats such as burgers and bacon, butter, lard, fried foods, baked goods, and coconut and palm oils. By decreasing your consumption of foods rich with saturated fats, you can reduce your levels of the bad-for-you low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
2. Replace Foods High in Saturated Fats with Heart-Healthy Items
3. Move Your Body
4. Swap Your Egg and Sausage Breakfast Sandwich for Oatmeal
5. Boost Your Intake of Foods Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids
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Increase Consumption Of Fish And Plant
As previously mentioned, many foods that reduce cholesterol are found in plants. A diet focusing on loweringLDL cholesterol encourages increasing the frequency of plant-based or fish-based meals in your diet. By doing so, it does not mean you have to commit to a vegetarian, pescatarian or vegan lifestyle it simply encourages reducing the consumption of unhealthy saturated and trans fats that come from animal products, such as red meat, and increasing consumption of healthy unsaturated and polysaturated fats like fish. Fish contains several compounds, including polyunsaturated fats, that help lower cholesterol.
In order to increase your healthy fats, focus on creating meals that contain beans, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Adding fish to plant-based meals is often referred to as a Mediterranean or pescatarian diet and increases your intake of healthy fats. Picking low carb, low cholesterol foods can also be beneficial for controlling blood sugar, but dont feel like you need to completely remove carbs from your diet. Moderation is key.
How Can I Lower My Cholesterol With Medicines
As well as making lifestyle changes, some people will need to take cholesterol-lowering medicines to reduce their risk of heart and blood vessel disease, known as cardiovascular disease. The medicines most commonly used are called statins.
Your doctor will consider all your risk factors for cardiovascular disease before suggesting medication not just your cholesterol and lipid results. If youve already had a heart attack or stroke, taking statins can substantially lower your risk of having another one.
Statins work by slowing the amount of cholesterol made in your liver. In response, your liver uses the cholesterol already in your blood to make up for the deficit. This lowers the level of LDL cholesterol in your blood.
If statins alone do not lower your cholesterol enough, you may need additional medicines.
Contact your doctor if your medicines are causing any side effects.
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