Cholesterol is a vital element for our health and well-being. There are two basic types of cholesterol: HDL cholesterol is good for our health, LDL cholesterol is bad for our health.
The LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels are maintained within a normal range by the body's natural regulatory mechanism. Sometimes this regulatory mechanism malfunctions, or maybe the body is flooded with cholesterol by ingestion. In any case the blood cholesterol level exceeds the normal range. This leads to a serious condition which can lead to severe health problems.
LDL means 'fatty proteins of low density'. This in turn means that LDL cholesterol tends to be loose and thick. LDL cholesterol circulates with the blood and sticks to the inner walls of the blood vessels, forming plaque and gradually reducing the vascular passage. This condition is called arteriosclerosis which results in atherosclerosis, meaning degeneration of the blood vessels.
Blood backs up from this point leading to high blood pressure which severely stresses the heart. Worse, small bits of the LDL cholesterol blockage can get dislodged and flow down with the blood. If these bits of LDL cholesterol enter a capillary, which is a very fine blood vessel, the capillary gets blocked starving the areas served by the capillary network of vital blood. If this happens in the brain, then areas of the brain just shut down leading to a form of paralysis called a 'stroke'. If the blood flow to the heart itself is cut off, a heart attack occurs possibly leading to a fatality. These are just two situations which can occur when LDL cholesterol exceeds the normal limit. There are a great number of similar situations, collectively called cardiovascular disease, which are directly linked to the excessive LDL cholesterol level.
Heart disease can be prevented, or the risk of getting it can be reduced, if we follow some very simple health guidelines. The first is to counterattack the invasion of LDL cholesterol into the body. LDL cholesterol gains entry into the body with the food we eat. So you should mount a watch on the kind of food you eat. Saturated fats are heavy with LDL cholesterol and must be shunned. You can and should include the healthy fats into your diet (e.g. omega-3 fats found in fish) because they actively help to reduce the bad
LDL cholesterol. lots of water helps the circulatory and excretory functions of the body, which at once improves health and eliminates the bad LDL cholesterol.
Change your cooking medium from heavy saturated fats to unsaturated fats and oils. Virgin olive oil is good for your heart. These dietary changes will be very beneficial in your battle against heart disease.
Cigarette smoking is bad for health. It harms the body in more than just one way. Smoking increases the level of LDL cholesterol. So quit now and your LDL cholesterol will be gone tomorrow! The steps outlined in this article are very easy to implement. You will avoid the risk of heart disease if you follow them. Medical research shows that stress leads to LDL cholesterol buildup. Lowering your stress level will lower your blood LDL cholesterol too. The moral of the lesson is that you should relax more often, give up those activities that add to your stress, and pick up those activities that reduce
your stress.
To sum up, LDL cholesterol can be controlled by eating foods which are free of saturated fats, exercising, quitting smoking and ridding yourself of stress. The worst thing you can do is to panic about high LDL cholesterol levels. This article is meant to educate you about the cause and prevention of heart disease, not scare you. Use what you have learnt in this article to control the LDL cholesterol situation. Once that is under control, you can say that the risk of heart disease is under control.
So, have you had your cholesterol tested lately? Do you or anyone you know suffer from high cholesterol?
Written by Ned Dagostino and posted on
http://health-and-fitness-buzz.blogspot.com/To
read more about (
http://www.reduce-high-cholesterol.com/Reduce_Cholesterol.html) how to reduce cholesterol go to
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Comments (6)
I'm too young. Fortunately, our family doesn't have a history of heart disease.
Last I knew my cholesterol was okay, but I haven't had it checked in a while and I tend to have a bad diet. I have been working at it though, so I think it wouldn't be too bad, and I quit smoking!
soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol. oat meal is a good source of it.
@Olyachka@xanga - never too young for prevention, no matter what your family history is
But some saturated fat in your diet is beneficial. That's why we have a guideline saying we should eat no more than 20g for a 2000 Cal per day diet (I think that's the guideline). And don't forget to cut out all trans fats. Solook at your cooking oil that you're swapping out for butter. If the oil says "partially hydrogenated" or "hydrogenated" in the ingredients, it's worse for you than using the butter. Seriously.
Good advice. In addition, people should also exert some effort to reduce their triglycerides levels because it is also an important step in minimizing their risk of having coronary artery disease.