When asked what is high cholestrol many people will not know the answer

There are no known symptoms of having high cholestrol and some people don’t find out until after something severe like a heart attack. The only way to know if you suffer from high cholestrol is to have a blood test done.

High cholestrol is when there is too much cholestrol in the blood. cholestrol is a fatty wax like substance that is found in your body and in certain foods that we eat. The body uses cholestrol to produce hormones, and strengthen cells. There are two types of cholestrol LDL which is the bad kind and HDL which is the good kind. These are lipoproteins that move through the blood stream. You can high levels of both, but having to much LDL is hazardous.

LDL is a low density lipoprotein that can cause a buildup of plaque on the arteries wall. This plaque buildup causes blood flow to slow down, and can lead to a heart attack or stroke. It can also cause your blood to clot, which can cause numerous problems to your body.

HDL removes LDL from the blood stream and carries it to the liver where it will be removed as waste. Having high levels of HDL is actually good for you and can help lower your chances of getting heart disease.

High cholestrol can be caused by various factors being overweight and eating foods that are high in saturated fat is the poster boy for high cholestrol. Certain foods are very high in cholestrol like egg yolks and consumption should be limited. Saturated fat can be found in almost all animal products like meat and dairy.

Saturated fat has been linked to raising LDL cholestrol levels. Some foods to avoid that contain high cholestrol are: liver, egg yolks, butter, heavy cream, veal, lamb, beef chuck, crab, duck and salmon. Shrimp also is high in cholestrol but contains omega oils that are healthy for you, which offset the high cholestrol.

It may seem that high cholestrol affects only older people but that is untrue. In today’s day and age where fast food companies like McDonalds’ are on the rise, children as young as 13 can be affected. Over the past years there has been a rise in obesity in children. This rise can be the result of less activity due to video games and eating more foods that are high in saturated fat. A lot of junk food is high in saturated fat, and with parents working more kids are left to fend for themselves.

By getting your cholestrol checked you can find out if your cholestrol is high. By eating a healthy diet and exercising you can keep your cholestrol levels down and under control.

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Article source: https://mycholestrol.com/cholestrol/when-asked-what-is-high-cholestrol-many-people-will-not-know-the-answer/

How To Lower Blood Pressure and cholestrol By Losing Weight

High bloodpressure (Hypertension) and a high cholestrol level in the blood are both risk factors of cardiovascular disease, strokes and many other serious diseases. cholestrol can build up in the arteries causing narrowing of the arteries and high blood pressure causes a strain on the blood vessels of the vascular system which can damage and narrow them too.

Narrowing of the arteries reduces blood flow to vital organs like the heart and brain and also clots can form. If this happens we can suffer a heart attack or stroke. Being overweight increases our blood pressure and increases our cholestrol levels. It is important we know how to lower blood pressure and cholestrol by losing weight to protect our health.

So, do you know how to lower blood pressure and cholestrol by losing weight?
To lower your blood pressure and cholestrol levels you need to change your lifestyle. Ways to lose weight and increase exercise:-
– Join a gym – Get assessed by a personal trainer in a gym who can devise a program of exercise specifically for your needs.

– Start an exercise regime of your own – Aerobic exercise is important in reducing blood pressure, reducing cholestrol and shifting a few pounds. Aerobic exercise is exercise that exercises the cardiovascular system – the heart and lungs. Walk briskly or jog, cycle, do aerobics, skipping, kick boxing and roller blading. Do aerobic exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 20-30 minutes. Some doctors now recommend exercising 5 times a week for good health.
– Reduce calorie intake – Eat lower calorie foods, cut down on treats like junk food and biscuits, choose lower calorie alternatives to your normal food.
– Eat more fruit and vegetables – Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
Other tips on how to lower blood pressure and cholestrol by losing weight:-
– Reduce your intake of saturated fat and trans fat which raise cholestrol levels and blood pressure. Saturated fat can be found in meat and dairy foods such as cheese and butter. Trans fat can be found in commercially processed foods such as biscuits and cakes, and also foods containing coconut and palm oils. Use polyunsaturated or mono unsaturated fats instead like olive oils and polyunsaturated margarines. Change to low fat or fat free milk or use cholestrol lowering milks which contain plant sterols known to reduce cholestrol levels.
– Change your cooking methods. Instead of frying or deep fat frying in fat you should grill, steam or microwave food.

The above information tells you how to lower blood pressure and cholestrol by losing weight. Eat foods that contain good nutrition and exercise regularly to keep healthy.

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Article source: https://thecholestrol.com/cholestrol/how-to-lower-blood-pressure-and-cholestrol-by-losing-weight/

How to Lower Your cholestrol

High cholestrol can be treated by changing your diet and lifestyle, using drug-free natural methods and products, and also by drugs prescribed by a doctor. Medication can have side effects so it is important to know how to lower your cholestrol naturally.

How to lower your cholestrol by diet
Many people suffer from high cholestrol because of the food that they eat. They have unhealthy diets and consume foods that are too high in saturated fats and full of cholestrol. Saturated fat is found in animal products like whole fat milk, cheese, meat and butter. Another bad fat is trans fat or hydrogenated fat which is found in coconut oil, palm oil, commercially baked foods like cakes, cookies and pastries and also in fast food. These types of bad fat raise our cholestrol levels and put us at a greater risk of coronary heart disease. You can lower your cholestrol by simply replacing the bad fats in your diet with good fats that raise the good cholestrol in the blood to protect yourself against heart disease.
Simple changes to make:-
– Use polyunsaturated spreads instead of butter.
– Cook with olive oil.
– Bake with polyunsaturated spreads or olive oil instead of lard or butter.
– Reduce your intake of meat. Eat more oily fish or eat vegetarian meals and incorporate soya into your diet.
– Use fat free milk or soya milk instead of whole milk.
– Use cholestrol lowering products like those containing plant sterols which lower bad cholestrol and increase good cholestrol.
Fibre is also very important in lowering cholestrol. Soluble fibre is found in beans, pulses, wholegrains and fruit and vegetables. Replace meat in casseroles with beans and pulses, eat more fruit and vegetables and swap your usual processed white bread for a wholegrain bread.

How to lower your cholestrol by exercise
The best way to lower high cholestrol is to combine a healthy low calorie and low fat diet with a regime of aerobic exercise. Aerobic or Cardiovascular exercise works the large muscle groups and the heart and lungs. Not only will it lower your cholestrol but it will help you to lose weight and put you at a lower risk of many serious health problems. Examples of aerobic exercise are brisk walking, jogging, cycling, trampolining, step aerobics, dance aerobics and kick-boxing. Try to exercise at least 3-5 times a week for 20-30 minutes at a time.

How to lower your cholestrol by other natural methods
– Start taking vitamins and supplements known to lower high cholestrol such as Anti-oxidant vitamins (A, C and E) and Omega 3 Fatty Acids. Garlic supplements are also good for cholestrol and for protecting the heart.
– Consume wheatgrass juice – research has found this to be effective in lowering high cholestrol levels.
– Homeopathy – see a Homeopath for advice on which homeopathic medicines might work for you.
– High dose Niacin or Vitamin B3, when prescribed by a doctor, increases levels of good cholestrol.
– Herbs and spices such as Gugulipid, Cayenne pepper, cinnamon, turmeric and caraway seeds have all been shown to lower bad cholestrol levels. Use them in your recipes.

Learning how to lower your cholestrol by natural methods is much better than having to use medication.

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Article source: https://thecholestrol.com/cholestrol/how-to-lower-your-cholestrol-3/

How to Raise Good cholestrol

If you have had a cholestrol test done by your medical adviser and been diagnosed with high cholestrol then not only will you need to know how to lower your cholestrol, but you will also need to know how to raise good cholestrol.

What is good cholestrol?
To know how to raise good cholestrol you first need to know what it is. cholestrol can be split into two types – Bad cholestrol, also known as LDL or Low Density Lipoprotein, and Good cholestrol which is also known as HDL or High Density Lipoprotein. Bad cholestrol consists of a greater amount of fat than protein whereas good cholestrol consists of a greater amount of protein and less fat.
Bad cholestrol is bad for us because, if we have an excess of it in our bodies, it builds up on the walls of our arteries which narrows them and reduces blood flow to the vital organs. However, experts tell us that good cholestrol is good for us because it enables the body to take excess bad cholestrol out of the arteries and to the liver. The liver then deals with the bad cholestrol and excretes it out of the body. Good HDL cholestrol is therefore beneficial to us because it protects us from atherosclerosis, narrowing of the arteries, and heart disease.

How to raise good cholestrol levels
Your advisor will be able to give you advice, information and tips on how to raise levels of good cholestrol in the blood. Use your doctor’s expertise. It is especially important to know how to raise good cholestrol and to lower bad cholestrol if you have any of the following risk factors:-
– You are diabetic
– You have a family history of heart disease or high cholestrol
– You have heart disease or have had heart surgery
– You smoke
– You have high blood pressure
How to raise good cholestrol by making small changes:-
– Aerobic or cardiovascular exercise done at least 3 times a week for about 20-30 minutes. This will help lower bad cholestrol and raise good cholestrol.
– The use of cholestrol lowering products like those containing plant sterols.
– Losing weight – following a low calorie diet low in saturated fats.
– Eating more fibre – Replace your normal carbohydrates like white bread, pasta and rice with wholegrain or wholemeal carb foods. This exchange will benefit you in many ways. Eat more fruit and vegetables, oats, beans and pulses. A great tip for using more pulses and beans is to put a handful in casserole or soup recipes.
– Eat oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, herrings, fresh tuna and sardines. Oily fish is a good source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids which help to increase good HDL levels.
– Consume seed oils such as flax seed oil and linseed oils, seeds such as pumpkin seeds and nuts like walnuts. These are all sources of Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
– Use polyunsaturated spreads and use olive oil (a mono-unsaturated fat) to cook with. These types of fats increase good cholestrol.

Your doctor will also be able to advise you on how to raise good cholestrol with medication if dietary changes and natural methods do not work.

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Article source: https://thecholestrol.com/cholestrol/how-to-raise-good-cholestrol/

What is Your Total Cholesterol Ratio, Do You Know?

Learning everything that you can about your health is really going to be important here. One of the most important things that you need to learn is about what your normal cholesterol ratio is, and then if you have an unhealthy total cholesterol ratio, then you are going to need to do something about it right away. People who have an unhealthy total cholesterol ratio need to realize that this is not something to joke around about, and that it can end up having serious effects on their health if they do not act on it.

So if you use a calculator to determine what your total cholesterol ratio is and if your total cholesterol ratio is not at a healthy rate, then you are going to have to start making a few changes in life.

Affect Of Diet On Total Cholesterol Ratio

Anyone with a bad cholesterol ratio is going to need to focus on changing two things in particular, and that is their diet and exercise. Changing your diet is the best place to start, because you want to make sure that you are eating all the right foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables should be a major part of your diet, as these are going to help to provide your body with the nutrients that it needs.

Exercise And Total Cholesterol Ratio

As well if you find that your total cholesterol ratio is not in good standing, you are going to want to start making sure that you are exercising more often. This is important because even if you are eating all the right foods, you are still going to need to make sure that you are working out your body or you are not going to be able to keep yourself in shape.

There are lots of great exercises that you can do if you are trying to work on your total cholesterol ratio, even if you are only able to work out right in your home. Just make sure that you come up with a workout routine that is going to challenge you, otherwise you are not going to be working out your muscles and are not going to see enough of a change.

There are lots of things that you can do even things that are very simple and which are going to have a huge impact on your health overall. Your diet and exercise are the two most important areas to focus on here and which you need to take seriously here.

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Article source: https://mecholesterol.com/cholesterol/what-is-your-total-cholesterol-ratio-do-you-know/

What is High cholestrol?

It is important for all of us to find out what is high cholestrol, what it causes, how it can be measured and how to lower it.

If you have any of the following risk factors then you should go and get your cholestrol level checked:-
– You have a family history of heart disease.
– You have had previous heart surgery like a heart bypass.
– You have a family history of high cholestrol.
– You smoke
– You suffer from diabetes.
– You have heart disease.
– You have high blood pressure.

What is high cholestrol bad for?
Our hearts and our general health. High cholestrol is bad for us because excess cholestrol is deposited on the walls of the arteries causing atherosclerosis, narrowing of the arteries. These narrowing arteries then reduce blood flow to the body’s vital organs like the heart and brain. Atherosclerosis can cause heart disease and you may require heart surgery like a heart bypass. It can also cause strokes.

What is high cholestrol measured by?
High cholestrol has no obvious symptoms and so you need to be tested for it. High cholestrol is measured by a blood test. You can got to your doctor for a blood test or you can purchase a home test kit.
Your Doctor will examine the level of Total cholestrol in your blood (TC), the level of good cholestrol (HDL cholestrol) and the level of bad cholestrol (LDL cholestrol). You want your TC and your level of LDL cholestrol to be low. Total cholestrol is the total of HDL and LDL cholestrol and a healthy reading is between 190-210mg/dl or between 4.9 and 5.4mmol/l. If your reading is above this you will be diagnosed as having high cholestrol.

What is high cholestrol treatment?
A change of lifestyle is the best treatment to lower high cholestrol.
You need to start a regime of aerobic exercise and follow a low calorie diet which is low in food containing saturated fat. These changes will also help you to lose weight. You will also be advised to increase your intake of foods that help make your levels of good cholestrol higher such as oily fish and seed oils which contain Omega 3 Fatty Acids. There are also cholestrol lowering products available , for example milks, spreads and drinks which contain plant sterols known to raise good cholestrol levels while decreasing bad cholestrol levels. Have a look for them in your supermarket.
Changing your diet and starting aerobic exercise can reduce your cholestrol in about 3 weeks!
If your cholestrol is very high and you have already made lifestyle changes then your doctor may prescribe medication as a treatment for your high cholestrol.

I hope that this infromation has helped to explain what is high cholestrol.

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Article source: https://mycholestrol.com/cholestrol/what-is-high-cholestrol/

How to Reduce cholestrol

If you have been diagnosed with high cholestrol then you need to take action, you need to know how to reduce cholestrol. If you do nothing then you are putting yourself at risk of developing coronary heart disease.

The best way to lower your cholestrol level is to make simple changes to your daily lifestyle:-
– Change your diet. Eat healthier food which is low in saturated fats and higher in fibre.
– Start exercising – cardiovascular or aerobic exercise can be effective in lowering your cholestrol level. Aerobic exercise is exercise which exercises the large muscle groups and really gets the heart and lungs working.
– Stop smoking – smoking causes many health problems and can cause cholestrol to deposit in the arteries leading to heart disease. Visit your doctor who can advise you on the best ways of stopping smoking.
– Lose weight – Weight loss reduces your risk to many health problems including high cholestrol and heart disease.
– Start taking supplements – Take anti-oxidant supplements (Vitamins A, C and E) to combat the damage caused to our bodies by pollution and other free radicals. Take Omega 3 Fatty Acid supplements to reduce your cholestrol and to increase good cholestrol (HDL cholestrol) levels in the blood.

Making these lifestyle changes can significantly reduce your cholestrol and avoid the need for further treatment or medication which can have side effects.

Dietary Changes

This section will give you information on how to reduce cholestrol by changing your diet.
Many people suffer with high cholestrol because of the type of diet they follow. Eating foods which are high in saturated fat can cause high cholestrol. Our bodies need a certain amount of fat to function properly but we need to be careful what kind of fat we consume. The saturated fats that are found in meat products, whole fat milk, cheese and butter are the bad fats, as are trans fats or hydrogenated fats which are found in commercially produced cakes, cookies, pastries, fast food, coconut oil and palm oil.

It is good to know how to reduce cholestrol by simply changing the type of fat that you consume. Cut down on foods containing saturated fat or replace them with foods containing good fats like mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
Mono-unsaturated fats are found in oils like rapeseed oil and olive oil and some nuts. Polyunsaturated fats are found in oily fish such as salmon, sardines, herrings and mackerel, and also some spreads. These types of fats are actually good for our hearts and cholestrol levels.

Ways of reducing saturated fats and increasing good fats
How to reduce cholestrol by changing your habits:-
– Stop using butter on your bread or in baking and instead use polyunsaturated spreads or olive oil.
– Fry foods with olive oil or avoid frying and grill, microwave or steam foods.
– Trim fat off meat or use lean cuts.
– Replace meat with soya products or cook more vegetarian meals.
– Buy low fat versions of your normal foods.
– Replace snacks like cakes and cookies with fruit and vegetable based snacks.
– Eat oily fish two or three times a week.

Other ideas on how to reduce cholestrol
Increase your intake of soluble fibre which can be found in wholegrain breads and cereals, beans and pulses, and fruit and vegetables.
– Add beans or pulses to soups and casseroles.
– Buy a vegetarian recipe book for ideas on incorporating more vegetables into your diet.
– Replace white bread with a wholegrain bread.
– Make fruit salads for desserts, make smoothies and add fruit to breakfast cereals and yogurt.

The above information should give you plenty of ideas on how to reduce cholestrol and to live a healthier life.

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Article source: https://thecholestrol.com/cholestrol/how-to-reduce-cholestrol/