Showing posts with label high cholesterol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label high cholesterol. Show all posts

Monday, March 21, 2011

How to Control Your Cholesterol or LDL

High cholesterol especially the LDL form of cholesterol is a major contributing factor to the increase risk of getting cardiovascular problems like heart attacks and strokes. Millions of people eating high fatty diets and obesity causes the main arteries supplying the heart and major organs to be blocked from the build up of the fatty substnces and cholesterol and over time this will cause the many heatlh problems associated with high cholesterol. It has been reccommended to keep the level of cholesterol like LDL "bad cholesterol' to below 100. the HDL "good cholesterol above 40-60 and the TOTAl cholesterol number (sum of LDL and HDl) to well below 200. This article will show you many ways to keep the cholesterol level at the recoommended levels.

Maintain a healthy weight for your build. Life insurance charts may indicate that people of certain heights should weigh somewhere in a range of a certain number of pounds. Sometimes these charts are divided by gender and build based on bone size (small, medium, large). For example, a typical 5'2" woman of normal build should weigh between 105 and 135 lbs. Yet such estimates fail to take into account factors like muscle mass and heredity. A better indicator of ideal weight may be the Body Mass Index, or BMI, which may suggest a 5'2" woman should weigh 124 lbs. Check with your doctor for a recommended weight goal, then strive to meet it.

Begin a regular plan of exercise. After getting your doctor's approval, start slow and build steadily. For example, you can walk for 10 to 15 minutes each day the first week, adding five minutes each week until you are walking 45 to 60 minutes most days as long as you have no physical discomfort such as aching joints or labored breathing. Even 30 minutes of exercise three times a week can have a positive effect on your health and cholesterol levels.

Eat fruits and veggies. Aim for five a day, national nutritionists urge. Nine is even better, with one-half fruit or a half cup of veggies as a typical serving. Loaded with antioxidants yet light on calories and fat, a produce-heavy diet can help you reap a harvest of benefits by lowering cholesterol levels and speeding your arrival to a healthy weight.

Don't neglect your fiber. Foods like apples, beans, and oatmeal act like brushes in clearing debris from artery walls and reducing cholesterol systematically when these foods are eaten consistently over a period of time. Studies show that people who eat oatmeal most days for breakfast, for example, were able to lower their cholesterol by ten to fifteen percent with six to eight weeks. (Results may differ by individual.)

Follow the doctor's orders. Get your physician's advice on the best way of monitoring your cholesterol and keeping it under control. That means taking prescribed medication as well as making lifestyle changes like those indicated above. With medical prescriptions, you may need to have blood drawn periodically to be sure the medication is working effectively, so don't neglect these important follow-up tests.

Diet and ways you cook food is an important factor to the cholesterol intake. Use olive oil to cook or vegetable base oils like granola, sunflower canola or oils high in monounsaturated fats. These oils lowers the harmful LDL but not he good HDL levels in the body.

Switch margarine or butter use to a margarine that contain plant sterols which prevent cholesterol from getting into the blood. For example, product called Take Control or Benecol are available in some supermarkets or health food store.

decrease the amount of saturated fats found in meats especially red meat, some packaged foods and butter. Try to limit the red meat intake to two times a week and serve small portions since red meat contains high level of saturated fats.

Eat more vegetables or try a vegetarian diet at least most days of the week. This will not only help lower the cholesterol intake significantly but the vegetables will provide a high intake of fibre. Studies have shown that eating vegetables can aid in the stabilization of arterial deposits that have already formed in the vessels.

Add niacin to the diet. also called vitamin B3, niacin can raise the levels of HDL significantly while lowering LDL in the blood.

Eat more garlic. This has found to have cholesterol and blood pressure reducing properties from the sulfur compounds that are found in the garlic cloves. It also had platelet reducing formation properties which helps to reduce the risks of clots forming in the blood. Garlic tablets can be bought in the health food stores and some supermarkets.

Eat more OINIONS. It has been found that the powerful antioxidant called QUERCETIN, found in many varieties of onions helps prevent LDL from depositing in the arteries and the sulphur compounds helps to raise the HDL levels. Red and Yellow onions contain the highest levels of antioxidant called FLAVONOIDS.

Eat more fish. Fish containing omega3 fatty acids lowers LDL and triglyceride which are harmful to the body and causes many cases of cardiovascular problems. Salmon, mackerel and tuna contain high levels of omega-3

Increase fibre intake in the diet. Psyllium is a readily available source of fibre which you can buy in the supermarkets and can be use in soups , sprinkle on cereals and smoothies. Take one to two tablespoons a day. Eat oats another source of fiber.

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Eat more grapefruit. This fruit contains PECTIN a type of fiber that blocks absorption of cholesterol and other fats into the blood. Try buying and eating the red type of grapefruits. It contains higher levels of lycopene which is an antioxidant that prevents LDL from depositing onto the artery walls.

Nuts are a good way to reduce cholesterol levels. Nuts are high in monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats which will help to reduce the LDL levels.

STOP SMOKING. Smoking lowers the HDL levels and increases LDL. Research studies have shown that only does smoking causes increase in LDL levels it also has the effect of damaging the LDL molecule structure causing it to stick more readily to the walls of the vessels.

REGULAR daily Exercise routine will help to reduce the cholesterol levels in the blood. Walking, swimming, jogging, pilates, yoga, weight lifting can help to increase the HDL levels and it is beneficial to maintaining a healthy body. Do the exercise on a regular basis to obtain the benefits. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day.

Herbal remedies can also help reduce cholesterol levels. Dandelion has shown to help normalize liver and pancreatic functions which in turn helps to increase the metabolism of fats and lowers the cholesterol levels. Try a cup of dandelion root tea before meals a day. Fenugreek and Guggul are other herbs which could have cholesterol-lowering properties.

LOSE WEIGHT. Not only being obese and overweight increases the risks of getting many health problems it also change the body' s metabolism and causes the LDL levels to rise.

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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Symptoms and Natural Treatment for Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy, fatlike substance that the 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. The 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 a person has too much cholesterol in the bloodstream, the excess may be deposited in arteries, including the coronary arteries of the heart, the carotid arteries to the brain, and the arteries that supply blood to the legs. Cholesterol deposits are a component of the plaques that cause narrowing and blockage of the arteries, producing signs and symptoms originating from the particular part of the body that has decreased blood supply.

Cholesterol Symptoms:

High cholesterol is a risk factor for other illnesses and by itself does not cause symptoms. Routine screening blood tests may reveal elevate cholesterol levels in the blood.

The National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines suggest that everyone aged 20 years and older should have their blood cholesterol level measured at least once every 5 years. It is best to have a blood test called a lipoprotein profile to find out your cholesterol numbers.

Treatment of Cholesterol

Drug treatment is used along with with dietary changes to lower cholesterol levels. Several types of medications are available for cholesterol lowering, including statins, bile acid sequestrants, niacin, and fibric acids. Your doctor can help decide which one is best for you.

Statins have proven to be very effective and well-tolerated in most patients and are regarded as the treatment of choice for lowering "bad" cholesterol levels. These include aorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Mevacor), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin calcium (Crestor), and simvastatin (Zocor). The frequency of side effects with these medications is generally very low, but nausea, gas, constipation, and abdominal cramping may occur. Headache, muscle pain, and liver problems have been reported in some cases. Statins work in the liver to interrupt the formation of cholesterol from the circulating blood.

Ezetimibe (Zetia) is a newer drug that lowers LDL cholesterol by working in the digestive tract to reduce the absorption of cholesterol. It is sometimes prescribed along with a statin.

Bile acid sequestrants lower LDL levels and are used alone or in combination with statin drugs. This type of drug includes cholestyramine (Questran), colestipol (Colestid), and colesevelam (Welchol). Bile acid sequestrants can be unpalatable and cause gastrointestinal effects (such as bloating, gas, abdominal pain, and constipation).

Niacin (nicotinic acid), a B vitamin, lowers LDL and triglyceride levels, and is very effective in raising HDL cholesterol levels. Side effects include hot flashes, nausea, indigestion, gas, and high blood sugar. A newer medication, Advicor, combines niacin to boost "good" cholesterol and lovastatin to lower "bad" cholesterol.

Fibric acids are used mainly to treat high triglyceride and low HDL levels. Three are currently available in the United States: gemfibrozil (Lopid), fenofibrate (Tricor), and clofibrate (Atromid-S). Fibrates are generally well tolerated but occasionally cause nausea, bloating, gas, and the formation of gallstones. Fibrates are often used in conjunction with another drug, such as statins, to reduce LDL levels.

Managing your diet and weight, and increasing your physical activity can help bring low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol down to normal levels.

Diet. Reducing the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet helps to lower your blood cholesterol level. The diet recommended by the NHLBI National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) is a low-saturated-fat, low-cholesterol meal plan that calls for less than 7 percent of calories from saturated fat and less than 200 milligrams of dietary cholesterol per day.

Foods that are low in saturated fat include fat-free or 1 percent dairy products, lean meats, fish, skinless poultry, whole grain foods, and fruits and vegetables. Foods high in cholesterol should be limited, including liver and other organ meats, egg yolks, and full-fat dairy products. The NCEP diet recommends only enough calories to maintain a desirable weight and avoid weight gain.

The NCEP recommends eating 10-25 grams of dietary fiber per day, particularly soluble fiber. Certain fruits and vegetables such as oranges, pears, brussels sprouts and carrots, as well as oats, dried peas and beans do not contain dietary cholesterol. They also help your body excrete cholesterol before it is absorbed into the bloodstream.

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Eating one tablespoon per day of either plant stanols or sterols, which help prevent the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. Sterols are found in vegetable oils, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals, beans and other plant sources. Stanols can be found in some of the same sources. Some food products, such as Benecol Spread, have been fortified with stanols or sterols and can help lower cholesterol.

Weight. Being overweight is a risk factor for heart disease and increases your cholesterol. Losing weight helps lower your "bad" cholesterol and total cholesterol levels.

Physical activity. Not being physically active is a risk factor for heart disease. Regular physical activity helps lower your "bad" cholesterol, raises your "good" cholesterol levels, and helps you lose weight. You should try to be physically active for 30 minutes a day, especially if you have high triglyceride and/or low HDL cholesterol levels and are overweight with a large waist measurement.

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