Chapter 4-HDL – The Good Cholesterol

January 31, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

HDL is a type of cholesterol. HDL stands for High Density Lipoprotein. It is often referred to as the good cholesterol. There are tricks to remember this, such as let the H in HDL, stands for Healthy or High. So when one sees HDL they will hopefully remember either healthy or high and this should remind you that it is the healthy kind and we want this number to be high.

When one goes for the classic lipid profile the HDL will be reported as a number. If one’s HDL is less than forty one is said to have a higher risk of heart disease. Values greater than fifty-nine are viewed as giving one a lower risk of heart disease. Values between forty and fifty-eight are a middle ground where risk could be high or low depending on other risk factors. These risk factors could be obesity, smoking, high blood pressure or being male. So if having an elevated HDL protects us from CAD the question should now become; how does one elevate HDL and what exactly is an HDL molecule?

As an extremely important side note male patients greater than forty-five years of age and especially patients male or female at or greater than fifty years of age who have any underlying medical problems absolutely need nuclear stress tests. A nuclear stress test is where a nuclear isotope is injected into the bloodstream. The patient runs on a treadmill, the heart is monitored while on the treadmill and then monitored again after the running is complete. This is an indirect assessment of potential blockages in the coronary arteries. It needs to be mentioned that even a nuclear stress test can miss coronary artery occlusions and even a negative stress test, that is, a stress test that does not reveal any blockages could be falsely negative. What this means is that there are blockages in the coronary arteries, but the nuclear stress test missed it. The only way around this is to perform cardiac catheterizations on everyone and to just stop performing nuclear stress tests since they can sometimes be misleading. I do not recommend performing cardiac catheterizations instead of stress tests as the catheterizations are invasive and have higher complications associated with their performance. Getting a nuclear stress is still the preferred way to indirectly assess for the presence of coronary artery disease. If the stress test is positive then one will need a cardiac catheterization.

Before I leave this side-note, if you are someone with diabetes and you are a male or female at or greater than fifty years of age you absolutely need a nuclear stress test. This is because diabetics are notorious for having what is known as silent heart attacks and even blockages, which cause no symptoms whatsoever. You could be walking around with significant CAD and not even know it. And the only chance of knowing this is through a nuclear stress test. I cannot tell you how many times a diabetic patient over the age of fifty has come to see me for a regular check-up, has had no symptoms of chest pain, difficulty in breathing, or any other symptom which might have alerted me to the existence of coronary artery occlusion; has had normal looking EKGs and I perform a nuclear stress test and find significant coronary artery blockages. The scary thing is that some of these patients had actually been seeing other docs, including cardiologists, who failed to perform a routine nuclear stress test. The bottom line is that if you have diabetes, or any other medical issue and you are at or greater than the age of fifty, you need a nuclear stress test. If you cannot walk for whatever reason there are other nuclear stress tests which can be performed to help assess for the presence of CAD. And lastly, if you are male or female at or greater than the age of sixty-YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED A NUCLEAR STRESS TEST NO MATTER WHAT!!!! This is because as we get older we can accrue plaques in our coronary arteries just from being on the planet longer. Now, let us get back to our discussion as to what an HDL molecule is made up of.

First, we will look at what comprises an HDL molecule. Well, HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein. So, it has to have some protein in it, lipo means fat, so fats there too, and it is high density; but, still, what does that mean. It simply means it is a molecule, which contains cholesterol, fat, and protein. Since there is a lower amount of fat in an HDL molecule it is called high density because fat is less dense than protein and cholesterol. The more fat the lower the density, the less fat the higher the density.

OK, now here is something very interesting. Ask your typical internist, family doc, pediatrician, cardiologist, or just about anyone who thinks they know something about HDL how to increase the HDL in the bloodstream. We all see low HDLs and we see them a lot. Usually in men, but also in women. The answer they give is almost always the same; if you want to increase your HDL, lower your fat and cholesterol intake and increase your whole grains, fruits and vegetables. This, the above docs say, will increase your HDL.

From our discussion thus far you know immediately your body will have all the things necessary to make more fat and cholesterol. But what kind of fat and cholesterol will we make? The fat part is easy; we will make more triglycerides (you know what, I am getting tired of spelling out triglycerides so for now on I am calling them TGs). As far as cholesterol is concerned, again, what kind of cholesterol will we make when we eat a diet low in fat and cholesterol?

Well, cholesterol is cholesterol is cholesterol, so the short answer is; just plain ole cholesterol is formed. But is it HDL, LDL, VLDL or IDL, which I will now call the DLs? Guess what, if you focus on those three letter cholesterols you start to forget that they are simply carrier molecules of cholesterol. That is correct, all these DLs do is carry cholesterol around in the body and exchange it with other DLs. So viewing cholesterol as a good or bad type of cholesterol totally confuses the picture.

Another side note: HDL is known for carrying away cholesterol after a cell dies. After the HDL molecule picks this cholesterol up it shuttles it away and gives it to other DLs. But why is it considered the good cholesterol? Well, that is because HDL is also known to take cholesterol back to the liver for its removal from the bloodstream

Now the confusing part begins. Exactly how do our bodies actually get rid of cholesterol? There are certain medications that are referred to as bile acid sequestrants. Bile is a substance the liver makes, it gets stored in the gallbladder and is released to help with the digestion of fats and cholesterol. Bile acid itself contains cholesterol so the drug companies developed a medication which binds with these bile acids, does not let them go and when you poop out comes the cholesterol. Pretty clever.

Only thing is these specific types of meds can only lower the cholesterol number by a small amount. Anyone with a high cholesterol number will need another med, assuming the proper diet is not revealed to the patient to help lower the cholesterol number further. It may appear as if we have come off our topic of HDL, but we really have not.

You would think that if HDL was a good cholesterol it would somehow get rid of the cholesterol from the body so it could not bind to our arteries and kill us. But this does not happen. HDL quickly takes and gives its cholesterol to other DLs. One of which is the LDL transporter, which everyone mistakenly believes is the bad cholesterol. But if HDL is quickly giving its cholesterol to LDL, I am still confused. Would that not make HDL a bad cholesterol too, since it is aiding and abetting the LDL cholesterol? I will discuss more about LDL cholesterol below, but for now understand that LDL is considered the bad cholesterol.

OK, so let us get back to our typical internist, family doc, pediatrician, or cardiologist. When we ask them how to raise the HDL they will answer exercise, follow a low fat, low cholesterol diet, which means we need to eat more whole grains, fruits and veggies. After sixteen years of practicing medicine I can tell you that this does not work. Some docs will be thinking that, “Of course it works.” And my reply is that in sixteen years of caring for patients I have rarely seen this diet/exercise approach work to significantly elevate the HDL.

Well what have I seen work you might ask? The only thing I have seen work to substantially increase HDL, doubling it, sometimes increasing the HDL by two and a half times its value; is increasing one’s consumption of fat and cholesterol, coupled with a dramatic lowering of one’s carb intake.

That is correct, as crazy as it sounds: increasing one’s consumption of fat and cholesterol in the diet will substantially raise your HDL values. This process can take up to a year, but it works and it works every time. Every time! When patients of mine increase their fat and cholesterol consumption their HDLs oftentimes double. That’s right, double! The best the drug companies can offer is somewhere around a thirty-five percent increase in HDL, but if one increases their consumption of fats and cholesterol and lowers their carb intake, one can increase the HDL by 100%.

To put this in perspective, a thirty-five percent increase means that if your HDL is thirty, not an unusual number to see, the most you can expect as an increase if you are using meds will be from thirty to forty. Sounds impressive until you realize that you are still at increased risk of heart disease even with an HDL in the forty range. How about we take that HDL of thirty and change it into a sixty or seventy, this can be done if you follow the correct diet.

I really am not sure why the HDL doubles. I have read the books, but cannot figure it out. Only thing I can come up with is since the body is not making as much cholesterol, it chooses to make HDL and the good LDL preferentially over the others. So now one may wonder, what happens to the LDL thing, you know, that thing we doctors mistakenly call the bad cholesterol. I will show you in Chapter Six. Before we can talk intelligently about LDL we need to discuss some basic math and I mean really basic math, that is, the math used to calculate all the typical LDLs in our country.

“Nothing is more difficult than competing with a myth”

-Francoise Giroud

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Alternative Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol

January 28, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Cholesterol is a steroid normally found in all body cells and plasma. It is the most abundant steroid in the body. Gonadal and adrenal hormones are produced from cholesterol.

Do you know the function of cholesterol in your body?
What can you do to lower cholesterol naturally? Are we a society deficient in statin drugs?
Why is your cholesterol high in the first place?

If your cholesterol is too high (a total cholesterol over 230), the problem is not the cholesterol, as your body has raised its levels in order to play some type of ESSENTIAL role(s) for your survival.

The cause of high cholesterol is high starch carbohydrate, hydrogenated fats and low thyroid function. Emotional and physical stress can also influence cholesterol levels.

In general, cholesterol is increased in most endocrine or organ hypofunction and decreased in most endocrine and organ hyperfunction.

New research has revealed that LDL or “bad” cholesterol inhibits the breakdown of fat in adipocytes, or fat cells, suggesting that it is a regulator of fat stores. If a person has elevated cholesterol levels, it is a sign that their body, emotions or intellect are subject to excessive stress.

The majority of excess cholesterol is manufactured in times of psychological stress and dehydration. Elevated LDL can be caused from the body attempting to produce hormones as cholesterol is a precursor to hormone production. In addition, those with low thyroid suffer high cholesterol.

Remember that cholesterol is necessary and healthy because it is involved in cellular repair and reducing inflammation; it is oxidized cholesterol that is unhealthy.

Increased triglycerides, in conjunction with decreased HDL, is a more significant factor for coronary artery disease than elevated cholesterol by itself.

In 1990, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that normal cholesterol was considered around 200. Today normal is considered 160! Individuals with cholesterol levels below 160 cannot make sex hormones.

So much has been written concerning the evils of increased cholesterol, however very little has been reported concerning decreased cholesterol. Decreased cholesterol can be normal for a vegetarian and some people with a genetic predisposition to decreased cholesterol.

In addition, individuals with cholesterol levels below 160 are associated with compromised immune system, ‘ risk of depression, anxiety, respiratory illness, stroke and brain-related deaths such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s. Individuals with low adrenal or hypoadrenic (Addision’s disease) suffer low cholesterol. Low cholesterol is one of the signs of cancer (JAMA, Dec 1980).

Myths:

Cholesterol causes heart disease

Cholesterol is bad

Eating fat is unhealthy

High cholesterol is caused only from eating unhealthy foods

High cholesterol means you’re unhealthy

Lowering your cholesterol is healthy

Cholesterol Tips:

Every hormone in your body requires cholesterol as a precursor

Approximately 80-90% of all cholesterol is made inside your body and does NOT come from the foods you eat.

Elevated cholesterol may be caused from:
” Consumption of too many refined carbohydrates/sugars.
” Congested liver
” Excess amounts of stress either physical, emotional, chemical, electromagnetic, psychological
” Hormonal imbalances
” Inflammation

Cholesterol is vital for:

A precursor to sex hormones, vitamin D, and bile production

A repair substance – repair molecule

Cell membrane integrity helping maintain proper permeability

Child development in mother’s milk

Controlling free radical damage

Digesting the fats you eat

Female hormones. Women with higher cholesterol live longer.

Helping your cells receive serotonin

Side effects from statin drugs include:

Cataracts

Cognitive loss, dementia and memory loss

Deficiencies in fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K

Diarrhea, constipation, gas, nausea

Difficulty breathing or swallowing

Dizziness, fuzzy thinking

Elevation of liver enzymes – Liver damage

Headaches

Increased risk of cancer

Increased risk of suicide

Lack of energy

Muscle weakness

Pain and tenderness in muscles or joints

Rhabdomyolisis (serious degenerative muscle tissue breakdown)

Rashes, hives itching

Robs your body of CoQ10 enzyme which can increase your risk for heart disease

Suppressed immune system

What can you do to lower your cholesterol naturally?

Consume plenty of organic fruits and vegetables, grass-fed beef and free-range poultry

Consider supplementing with:

o Biotics Beta-TCP to lower bile viscosity. This is one of the most important steps to take in high cholesterol.
o Biotics LipidSirt
o Omega-3 fish oil – Biotics EFA Sirt Supreme
o Pantethine, the coenzymatic form of vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) and cysteamine
o Reservertrol, an antioxidant found in red wine
o Tocotrienols – Delta and gamma tocotrienol were found to possess the greatest ability to inhibit cholesterol synthesis
o Vitamins C and E
o Vitamin D – BioD Mulsion Forte

Decrease the amount of refined grains, sugar, dairy, fast food and alcohol. These increase inflammation in excess = ‘ triglycerides which = ‘ cholesterol.

To reduce inflammation: eliminate trans fats, sugars, grains, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, stress, overcooked foods, excessive cardiovascular exercise and excessive alcohol consumption

Drink plenty of water. Bodyweight x .7 = the number of daily ounces to be consumed.

Natural products such as plant sterols and green tea extract can be used to prevent the absorption of cholesterol from the intestinal tract. Green tea extracts have a cholesterol lowering effect.

Eat more good quality fats (raw butter, coconut oil, avocados, extra virgin olive oil and wild salmon).

Identify what you feel stressed about. Reduce the amount of stress in your life by adding in daily meditation and create time for yourself to relax every day even if it’s only 5 minutes.

Implement one change at a time. Gradual, consistent progress over time.

Lab testing to see where there may be hidden inflammation, specifically C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine. CRP is a protein that circulates in the blood, especially when there is inflammation in the body, including inflammation of the coronary arteries. CRP is a biomarker for systemic inflammation and a confirmed risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Homocysteine is an excellent predictor of cardiovascular disease. An elevated homocysteine level is also a risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease.

o Doctors are finding that CRP is a far more accurate indicator of a future problem with heart disease than cholesterol levels alone. The simplest way to lower the CRP level is to reduce inflammation in the body.

Turn the lights out by 10pm. Turn the television and computer off by 8pm. Get restful sleep.

Read more about cholesterol in my book, THE POWER OF 4 – Your Ultimate Guide Guaranteed to Change Your Body and Transform Your Life.

Copyright 2007 Paula Owens

Sources
Cholesterolmyths.com
naturalnews.com/025866.html
Westonaprice.org
Anderson RF, et al. Green tea catechins partially protect DNA from hyrdroxyl radical induced strand breaks and base damage through fast chemical repair of DNA radicals. Carcinogenesis, vol 22, no.8, pp 1189-1193, 2001
Skogsberg J, Dicker A, Rydn M, strm G, Nilsson R, et al. 2008 ApoB100-LDL Acts as a Metabolic Signal from Liver to Peripheral Fat Causing Inhibition of Lipolysis in Adipocytes. PLoS ONE. 2008;3(11): e3771 doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003771

Author: Paula Owens
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What is High Cholesterol?

January 25, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Cholesterol is a type of fat that is part of all animal cells. It is essential for many of the body’s metabolic processes, including hormone and bile production, and to help the body use vitamin D.
Cholesterol is more abundant in tissues which either synthesize more or have more abundant densely-packed membranes, for example, the liver, spinal cord and brain.

The liver is the main processing centre for cholesterol. When we eat animal fats, the liver returns the cholesterol it can’t use to our bloodstream and when there is too much cholesterol circulating in our bloodstream, it can build up into fatty deposits. These deposits cause the arteries to narrow and can eventually block the arteries completely, leading to heart disease and stroke.

Cholesterol is produced by the liver and it is also made by most cells in the body. It is carried around in the blood by lipoproteins. We need blood cholesterol because the body uses it to build the structure of cell membranes, to produce hormones like testosterone, adrenaline and estrogen and to aid the metabolism.

There are two types of cholesterol, good and bad, the difference between them is:
Low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol – called the ‘bad’ cholesterol because it goes into the bloodstream and clogs up your arteries.
High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol – called the ‘good’ cholesterol because it helps to take the ‘bad’ cholesterol out of the bloodstream.
Cholesterol is transported towards peripheral tissues by the lipoproteins chylomicrons, very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL).

Risks associated with high triglycerides

According to the lipid hypothesis, abnormally high cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia), or, more correctly, higher concentrations of LDL and lower concentrations of functional HDL are strongly associated with cardiovascular disease because these promote atheroma development in arteries (atherosclerosis). High cholesterol has also been linked to diabetes and high blood pressure.

Both heredity and diet have a significant influence on a person’s LDL, HDL and total cholesterol levels. Evidence strongly indicates that high cholesterol levels can cause narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis), heart attacks, and strokes. Cholesterol in the bile can crystallize to form gall stones that may block the bile ducts. Cholesterol count also rises during pregnancy.
However, in recent years, scientists have come to realise that to decide whether an individual’s cholesterol levels are dangerous, these levels need to be considered in the light of the person’s overall risk of heart disease. The higher the risk of heart disease (for example, a male smoker with high blood pressure and diabetes), the greater the need to get cholesterol levels down.

Cholesterol tests

Cholesterol testing is recommended as a screening test to be done on all adults at least once every five years.

Foods that contain cholesterol

The cholesterol in your diet comes mainly from the saturated fats found in animal products. All foods from animals contain some cholesterol. Foods from plants do not contain cholesterol. Other sources of dietary cholesterol are full fat dairy foods, eggs and some seafood.

Safe blood cholesterol levels

Health authorities recommend that cholesterol levels should be no higher than 5.5mmols per liter. Approximately 50 per cent of adult Australians have a blood cholesterol level above 5mmols per liter. This makes high blood cholesterol a major health concern in Australia.
How to lower high cholesterol.

The best way to maintain healthy levels of cholesterol in your diet is to limit foods high in saturated fats. Try to avoid: Fatty meats , full fat dairy products, processed meats like salami and sausages, snack foods like chips, most takeaway foods, especially deep fried foods, cakes, biscuits and pastries.

However the most important thing you can do to reduce your cholesterol level is to maintain a healthy lifestyle. You should try to:

Limit the amount of cholesterol-rich foods you eat.

-Increase the amount and variety of fresh fruit, vegetables and wholegrain foods you have each day.
-Choose low or reduced fat milk, yoghurt and other dairy products or have ‘added calcium’ soy drinks.
-Choose lean meat (meat trimmed of fat or labeled as ‘heart smart’).
-Limit fatty meats, including sausages and salami, and choose leaner sandwich meats like turkey breast or cooked lean chicken.
-Have fish (fresh or canned) at least twice a week. Replace butter and dairy blends with polyunsaturated margarines.
-Include foods in your diet that are rich in soluble fiber and healthy fats, such as nuts, legumes and seeds.
-Limit cheese and ice cream to twice a week.
-Some studies have suggested that eating oats and legumes may lower LDL cholesterol. Food components like saponins (found in chickpeas, alfalfa sprouts and other foods) and sulphur compounds (like allicin – found in garlic and onions) may also have a positive effect on cholesterol levels.

Plant sterols can lower cholesterol levels

Plant sterols are found naturally in plant foods including sunflower and canola seeds, vegetable oils and (in smaller amounts) in nuts, legumes, cereals, fruit and vegetables. Some margarine has concentrated plant sterols added to it. Plant sterol enriched margarines may help to lower LDL cholesterol.

Treatment for high cholesterol

Treatment of high cholesterol is aimed at lowering the low-density lipoproteins (LDL) or “bad cholesterol,” lowering triglyceride levels, and increasing the high-density lipoproteins (HDL) or “good cholesterol. Treatment will be most effective if it also includes appropriate diet, weight loss (if necessary) and physical activity.

The first steps in treating high cholesterol levels are: Regular physical activity and healthy eating. There are also some foods that may help to lower cholesterol levels, particularly garlic, soya, oats, corn and selenium-enriched cereals. Cholesterol-lowering foods are not suitable for children under five years or for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers.

Medication : Statin drugs work by interfering with the cholesterol-producing mechanisms of the liver and by increasing the capacity of the liver to remove cholesterol from circulating blood. Statins can lower LDL cholesterol by as much as 60 percent, depending on the drug and dosage.

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The Importance Of Taking A Cholesterol Test

January 21, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

High cholesterol levels can be a sign of potential heart disease. High levels of HDL cholesterol can be a warning sign of hardening of arteries that can result in heart disease or a heart attack. Even though high cholesterol is a very serious and fatal condition, there are no symptoms to warn you if you are having high cholesterol levels.

To know your cholesterol levels you must take a cholesterol test. As high cholesterol levels can be life threatening, and coronary heart disease is a common occurrence when you have high levels of bad cholesterol you should get a cholesterol test regularly.

Cholesterol is made of two main types: HDL, or the good cholesterol which actually helps prevent heart disease and LDL or bad cholesterol which will clog your arteries and cause heart disease if present in high levels in your body. The right level of cholesterol should be 200mg/dl of LDL or less and at least a minimum of 40mg/dL of HDL or more.

Cholesterol test is done through a blood test that will tell you the levels of both types of cholesterol in your body. This test can be done at the hospital. There are also home test kits for cholesterol testing available. However, tests done in the hospital are more reliable and you should go to the hospital for your first cholesterol test.

If your cholesterol test result show that your bad cholesterol level is too high, your doctor can advise you on how to lower it. He will probably advise you to change your diet and do more exercise. If you cholesterol levels are very high or you have other medical condition like diabetes, he may prescribe you with cholesterol lowering medication. Most doctors recommend that anyone over the age of 20 should take a cholesterol test once every five years.

The Cholesterol Test Kit

Today there is a way to test your cholesterol levels without having to leave your home. A home cholesterol test kit can be purchased from any drug store. This home test kit consists of the tools required to conduct an accurate cholesterol test. With only a couple drops of your blood you will be able to tell the cholesterol levels present in your body in ten minutes time.

The home cholesterol test kit is FDA approved and is available over the counter for you to purchase and use when needed. It has a 97% accuracy rate and is very easy. The home cholesterol test kit cost about $25 for a pack of two test kits. Some cholesterol test kits are sold with only one test strip but the two tests package is more economical. Everyone who wants or needs to keep check their cholesterol level regularly without having to go to a hospital can use the handy cholesterol test kit.

Home Cholesterol Test Kit May Not Always Be Accurate

Although nowadays you can get all kinds of home kits for many medical problems, some of the results from the tests carried out by these kits may not be very accurate. However, the fault may not lie with the test kit itself, but it may lie in the way it is used. The home cholesterol test kit too seldom gives accurate results because it is usually administered wrongly.

That is the reason why doctors do not like to rely on the results of home cholesterol test. If you go for treatment for high cholesterol level, your doctor will ask you to take another test from the lab. The doctor will only proceed with treatment after they get the lab tests results.

The home cholesterol test kit may be useful if you can get your a physician to administer it for you. This is so that after the test is done, he can interpret the results for you. This is why it is better to take a lab test rather than simply buying a home cholesterol test.

Any home cholesterol test done with a home test kit should be repeated in the doctor’s lab for double confirmation, so that if your cholesterol home test results are actually not accurate, you will know it before you undergo any form of cholesterol lowering treatment.

If you do prefer a home cholesterol test kit than going to the hospital for a cholesterol test, you should still consult your doctor and have the test repeated before taking any form of drugs or medications.

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How A Low Cholesterol Diet Can Help You

January 18, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

If you have found out from your doctor or from doing home cholesterol test that you have a high total cholesterol level, one of the first things you need to do is to change your diet to a low cholesterol diet to help you lower your cholesterol. This is because a high cholesterol level is very dangerous for you and might cause you serious heart diseases or even a heart attack.

A low cholesterol diet does not have to be hard to stick to, as you can still enjoy some of the foods you always like. However, you really need to stay away from foods that contain saturated or trans fats, as they are among the major leading causes to having a high cholesterol level.

To have a low cholesterol diet means that you should replace the saturated fat in your diet with unsaturated fat besides eating less high-cholesterol food and choosing foods that are high in complex carbohydrates. You should also make sure that you get more physical activity and try reducing your weight if you are overweight.

Determining What is Low Cholesterol Food and What Isn’t

Before starting on a low cholesterol level, you should first know what low cholesterol food is and what isn’t. This will help you create a diet which is low in cholesterol to help you lower your total cholesterol levels. There are many different types of food that can be classified as low cholesterol foods, so that you do not need to give all the food you love to have a low cholesterol diet.

Cholesterol is most usually found in foods of animal origin, such as meat, poultry, and eggs, including milk and cheese. In animals, cholesterol is part of the cell membrane structure of all cells. That is why removing the skin from a chicken will remove most of the fat, but will not remove all the cholesterol.

However, in dairy foods the amount of cholesterol involved depends on the amount of fat as milk is secreted from animal cells and not made up of cells like meat. Although it has no cholesterol-containing cell membranes, but because cholesterol is fat soluble, it can b found in fats in milk and milk-based foods. That is why if a dairy product contains more fat, it will also contain more cholesterol, so always choose low fat dairy products when sticking to a low cholesterol diet.

Converting To A Low Cholesterol Recipe

If you found out that you have high cholesterol, you must start converting some of foods you love to a low cholesterol version. You must also learn to live without some of the foods that have been causing you to get a high cholesterol level in the first place. Learning how to make your foods using a low cholesterol recipe is one way to lower your cholesterol levels

Converting your food to a low cholesterol recipe is not a very difficult thing to do. All you need is a little bit of willpower and you can start enjoying cholesterol free or lower cholesterol version of your favorite foods. The taste will not differ much as long as you know how to add flavor into your cooking without using saturated fats and other harmful foods that contribute to more cholesterol problems.

The easiest way to get started on low cholesterol recipe is to start with one day’s menu. You can include a safe amount of food fats into your diet at first so that you can ease the transition period from your normal food to the low cholesterol diet, and make this change easier on you.

A good way to start a low cholesterol diet with a low cholesterol recipe is trying a serving of oatmeal, honey, and an apple for breakfast. Mixing oats, fat free milk, and a little honey and chopped apple will make a great delicious cholesterol free breakfast. For lunch, you can follow up with a salmon and tomato sandwich with a side salad. For tasty salad dressing, you can try using lemon juice and black pepper as a low cholesterol option. For dinner, you can have stir-fried chicken breast, veggies, and some rice will make you enjoy your low cholesterol diet. You can also try using brown rice instead of white rice for a lower cholesterol diet.

Make changes one step at a time, and in no time you will start enjoying a healthier life with lower cholesterol level. These changes will prevent you from having heart diseases caused by your diet. You will soon find that you enjoy the low cholesterol food as much as or more than your previous high cholesterol food.

Author: Cindy Heller
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The Normal Range of Cholesterol Levels and How To Maintain A Healthy Balance

January 18, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

With more and more people eating a poor diet high in saturated fat, it is no wonder that fewer people have the normal range of cholesterol levels. It is thought that over 30% of those over 40 have unhealthy levels.

The normal range of cholesterol levels is:

Total Cholesterol: 200mg/dl

LDL: Less than 100mg/dl

HDL: At least 40mg/dl

Triglyceride: Less than 150mg/dl

If your total is between 201–239 you have an increased risk of heart disease and over 240 puts you much more at risk unless you have high HDL levels too. This is because HDL is the good type which helps to clear away excess amounts of LDL or the bad one, to keep you healthy.

It is good not to get too hung up on your total levels but rather ensure you have a healthy ratio. A good one is 3:1 LDL to HDL with an optimal one being 2:1.

You can help balance these out in many ways and concentrating on one at a time is usually the most successful way.

Increasing the amount of exercise you do is very beneficial and 30 minutes a day of a raised heartbeat can significantly reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke and lower your bad cholesterol level.

Eating less fast food, red meat, dairy, cakes and pastries while increasing your intake of fruit, vegetables, oatmeal, nuts and wholegrains will have a positive impact too.

As only a small proportion of your total cholesterol comes from your diet, it is good advice to take a natural cholesterol supplement as well with a quality one proven to lower your LDL and raise your HDL levels to maintain a healthy balance and ratio.

Now you know what the normal range of cholesterol levels is and how to achieve it, you can take the appropriate action and help yourself maintain optimal health and help to avoid a premature heart attack or stroke.

If you would like to learn more about the natural cholesterol balancing supplements I personally take, visit my website below today.

Discover the best natural cholesterol balancing supplements today.

Reuben Hopkins is a dedicated researcher of nutrition, diet and the amazing health benefits of natural cholesterol balancing supplements. Take a moment to visit his site now at http://www.balanced-cholesterol.com and discover the latest supplements he recommends after extensive research.

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The Dangers And Causes Of High Cholesterol

January 15, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

As most of us may have read about, cholesterol is the fatty, wax like substance present in our cells and blood steam. Cholesterol has an important part in our body. This is because it produces cell membrane and contributes to a number of hormones as well. However, cholesterol can be dangerous to us if it is present in large amounts in our body.

The Two Types of Cholesterol

There are two types of cholesterol, one is the good cholesterol known as HDL or high density cholesterol and the other is the bad cholesterol known as LDL or low density cholesterol. The good cholesterol HDL, should be in levels of minimum 40md/dL or more and the bad cholesterol should be less than 200mg/dL.

The bad cholesterol is the cholesterol responsible for causing dieses including clogged arteries and can provoke a coronary heart disease.

What Causes High Cholesterol In Your Body?

High cholesterol level in your body is primarily due to the food products you consume which contain trans fat, saturated fats and cholesterol. This is the major cause of raising cholesterol levels in the blood stream. However, there is more than one cause of high cholesterol. Besides the foods you consume, excess weight, genes, gender and age all can cause high cholesterol levels.

Obesity is one of the major cause of high cholesterol as it occurs when the body mass is mostly made up of fat. Fat in turn, contain cholesterol. That is why, it is important to keep an ideal weight at all times.

Family’s health history transmitted through the genes is also a cause of high cholesterol levels. So, if anyone in your family has suffered from high cholesterol, you may have a tendency to suffer from it too. High cholesterol caused by heredity can be controlled with medication under a doctor’s supervision.

Men are found to be more prone to high levels of cholesterol in their teens while women become more prone to high cholesterol after menopause. Both men and women can control their cholesterol levels and maintain a normal level of cholesterol with proper health care and diet and with the right medication.

How To Prevent High Cholesterol

As most of the causes of high cholesterol are our own negligence in our diet and physical activities, we could easily manage our cholesterol level by modifying our diet and daily activities. We should pay more attention to the food we consume everyday and the amount of exercise we do everyday. This will help prevent and improve the levels of bad cholesterol in our body and maintain it at the right level.

Another factor that causes high cholesterol levels is triglyceride, which is a form of fat. It comes from food and is also made in your body. People with high triglycerides will often have a high total cholesterol level too.

The Importance of Understanding Your Cholesterol Level

It is extremely important to know your cholesterol levels. This is because having untreated high cholesterol can make you very prone to heart attacks and strokes. Although obesity is one of the most obvious causes of high cholesterol, just because you have an ideal weight does not mean that you have the right cholesterol level.

Basically your level of cholesterol can be categorized in one of three categories of cholesterol levels, which are: desirable, borderline risk, or high risk. You are considered as being in the desirable category if your total cholesterol is less than 200mg/dL, and the risk of getting a heart attack is relatively low, unless if you have other risk factors for the condition.

If your cholesterol is between 200 and 239mg/dL, you are considered in the borderline risk category. About a third of all people are in this category. If you are in the borderline category, you should check your cholesterol level at least once a year, especially if your HDL is less than 40mg/dL and/or you don’t have other risk factors for heart disease.

Lastly, if your cholesterol level is at 240mg/dL or more, you are in the high risk category. This means your risk of heart attack and stroke is very high. You will also have twice the risk of other coronary problems. If you are in this category, you must be more careful and start taking steps to improve your condition.

The most important to remember is lower LDL cholesterol, means lower total cholesterol level. Take all of the possible measures to keep your LDL cholesterol as low as possible. If you still are not able to lower your cholesterol, you can ask your doctor to prescribe medications to assist you in this process.

Author: Cindy Heller
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Guide Of Choosing The Cholesterol Lowering Drugs

January 12, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

What Cholesterol is and why it is so Important

Cholesterol is a waxy, greasy like substance that our body needs in order to produce a number of hormones and cell membrane. There are two types of cholesterol, the good and bad cholesterol. While the good cholesterol is accountable for the proper functioning of our body, the bad cholesterol will lead you to have heart related diseases like coronary heart attack.

Today’s normal diet contributes to problems with high cholesterol. High cholesterol contributes to problems with heart disease and can lead to heart attacks. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs in your liver, and this cholesterol will help make and maintain cells, insulate nerves and produce hormones, and even helps your body to digest fat. The cholesterol you don’t need comes from your food.

Controlling Your Cholesterol

In order to control cholesterol you need to know what the correct levels are you should have at first: a minimum of 40mg/dL or more for the good cholesterol and bad cholesterol should not over 200mg/dL. One thing you should know that cholesterol is not measured depending on your body weight through if your body weight is over the normal levels you may be at risk if you have a high bad cholesterol levels.

You are able to purchase a cholesterol lowering drug over the counter, and then there are some that can only be administered through a prescription by doctor because of their side effects. It is highly suggested that before you even consider taking any type of drug that you should consult your physician first so that they can help you to decide on which cholesterol lowering drug is best for you.

How Cholesterol Medicine Works

Different types of cholesterol medicine are very helpful combined with diet and exercise to lower your cholesterol. Most types of cholesterol medicine are: niacin, statins, bile-acid resins or fibric acid derivatives. Statins is to block the production of cholesterol in your liver; bad cholesterol and triglycerides are then reduced and good cholesterol can be increased a bit.

If you require cholesterol medicine, your doctor may prescribe a statin. Your doctor will then watch for such side effects such as intestinal problems and liver damage. A small handful of people can suffer muscle tenderness.

Niacin, aka nicotinic acid, is a B-vitamin. This cholesterol medicine is a natural ingredient in food and is also added to some manufactured foods. Higher doses can be prescribed. Niacin lowers bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol. Side effects such as flushing, itching, tingling and headache may happen. Bile-acid resins work within the intestine.

Bile is largely composed of cholesterol. Ideally, your body should make good cholesterol, integrate it into the bile which travels into the intestine and is reabsorbed for distribution throughout your bloodstream. Bile-acid resins bind to bile to prevent its reabsorption. Side effects like constipation, gas and stomach upset may be encountered. Fibrates limit production of triglycerides and can help increase good cholesterol.

All cholesterol medicine has side effects such as digestive problems, allergic reactions and muscle aches. The most dangerous side effect of cholesterol medicine is signalled by muscle aches. You shouldn’t take more than one kind of cholesterol medicine at a time or take them with anticoagulants. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can hinder with the metabolization of cholesterol medicine. Over the long term, effective cholesterol medicine can help you maintain a healthy life.

Taking The Right Cholesterol Medication

If you have determined that you have high cholesterol through a doctor, you may want cholesterol medication to help lower your cholesterol levels back to a normal or healthier level. Your physician, along with suggesting a cholesterol medication, should also advise that you make some lifestyle choices that will change the way you live your life and the food you eat to help mould it to a better and healthier environment for your cholesterol levels. With the right medication and the right lifestyle changes, you should be able to get back to a reasonable level of health in a period of time.

The thing to know about cholesterol medication is that it can be quite costly. It can also feature a host of side effects that may be difficult, so always consult a doctor before you take any sort of medication. Do not continue taking medication if you observed a side effect. Consult with your doctor at once and you should stop your medication for any reason. It is important to also follow all of the information on the medication itself so that you can prevent any problems that may arise from improperly taking your medication.

Other Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol

Most foods that we eat everyday contain cholesterol such as, poultry, meats, eggs, butter and milk. The trick to eat all those items and still keep your cholesterol levels low is to minimize your quantities. Once you require taking a cholesterol lowering drug, you need to watch your diet closer and take necessary measures not to reach in an emergency situation.

Author: Cindy Heller
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Understanding Your Cholesterol Numbers

January 9, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

One of the most useful tests an adult can take is the cholesterol test. The results of this test can indicate a potential problem when taken in combination with other risk factors. The usual cholesterol test is the lipoprotein profile. Cholesterol is made in your body by your liver.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that combines with protein and travels in bile into the intestine where it is absorbed and enters the bloodstream to help make and maintain cells, make hormones and strengthens nerves. However, bad cholesterol builds plaque in the arteries blocking blood flow and causes heart disease and heart attacks.

The Importance of Your Cholesterol Reading

If you are older than 20 of age, your doctor has probably already taken a cholesterol test as part of a physical exam. You should have probably already had your cholesterol reading explained to you and, if necessary; have discussed any necessary actions you need to take to change your lifestyle. You should understand how your cholesterol reading impacts your life by now.

The Numbers

The results of the test will show cholesterol numbers such as low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density protein (HDL) and triglycerides as well as the total of all cholesterol. LDL is bad cholesterol. The density is the ratio of fatty cholesterol to protein.

Low density means that the ratio of protein is low and the cholesterol is high in fat. HDL, of course is the good cholesterol with high protein ratios. Triglycerides are fats traveling in the blood. Extra calories, alcohol and sugar convert to triglycerides and are stored in fat cells. So far, only the HDL is good.

Your cholesterol reading should have LDL levels under 100 for the best results and below 130 is still acceptable. LDL is the bad cholesterol and you should keep that number low. If your cholesterol reading shows LDL of 130 or above, your doctor will suggest some action for you to improve the diet or exercise.

Your cholesterol reading should have HDL levels over 60. You have to keep HDL number high. If you are a man and your HDL is below 40 (50 for a woman); your doctor will provide you advices to improve it. Your cholesterol reading for triglycerides should be under 150. Lastly, your total cholesterol reading should be below 200.

Understanding the Cause of Your High Cholesterol

Your doctor will ask you about your important cholesterol information. Know your numbers: Get a cholesterol test and find out how much HDL and LDL cholesterol you have. Like so many other medical problems, high cholesterol is made worse by smoking.

Your medical history also played an important part for the cholesterol information. If you found that your blood pressure is high, it may be due to high cholesterol. Some medical conditions, such as diabetes, can increase cholesterol as well. Your family medical history is just as important.

While you may not know the cholesterol numbers of your families, their medical conditions can give your doctor a good idea of possible problems and whether they can be avoided by change of lifestyle or will require medication.

Information about your lifestyle is also important: To play your part well, you should have a healthy diet, keep your weight under control and exercise regularly..

However, your body needs some cholesterol to function and your liver manufactures it. Good cholesterol information includes where to find cholesterol in your food. Since cholesterol comes from your liver, a good rule of thumb is if your food had a liver, it contains cholesterol.

As for dairy products, cholesterol is found in the fat part of the food. Whole milk contains more cholesterol than non-fat milk. Cholesterol also found in the egg yolks. If your food has a nutrition label, look at the listing for saturated fat. The best amount is zero grams. Besides meat and dairy products, palm and cocoanut oils contain saturated fats.

Here’s some good cholesterol information: polyunsaturated fats are not bad for you unless they are hydrogenated. This is done to keep them stable in manufactured foods.

Get the cholesterol information you need now to stay healthy.

Author: Cindy Heller
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Can Oatmeal Reduce Cholesterol Levels?

January 8, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

So does oatmeal reduce cholesterol in the body? We know that it is very important to have a low cholesterol intake in our diet and there many different foods that help you achieve that. Studies have shown that oatmeal does help significantly reduce the level of cholesterol you have in your blood.

There are many reasons to why the amount of cholesterol should concern you. A high level of cholesterol in your blood causes many health problems. These include thickening the arteries, which puts a pressure on the normal blood circulation. As a result, this affects the heart adversely leading to high blood pressure and other heart problems.

Oatmeal is roughly ground oats that are included in many foods, mostly in cereals and breakfast foods such as muesli. It is a complex carbohydrate that breaks down slowly in your body. The sugar is released into the blood slowly and steadily providing you with energy over a longer time. This release of sugar slowly is very helpful for people suffering from diabetes.

Oatmeal is high in fiber and it is this quality that reduces cholesterol in the blood. Oatmeal is a soluble fiber and that means it is able to dissolve in water. This happens in the intestines after the oats are ingested.

This substance gets in the way of the LDL cholesterol from being passed onto the bloodstream as it is absorbed by the soluble fiber. Eventually, like fiber this goes out as waste from the body.

A lot of research has been conducted to see the effects of soluble fiber in our diet. Scientists are not yet exactly sure how the process works but research has shown that a fiber-based diet reduces cholesterol.

Going by that, it is still very beneficial to increase your oatmeal intake which is not too difficult. Most cereals will include oats. You may use it in preparing other foods especially in baked items.

You should also remember that not every product that has the word ‘oat’ in it’s name actually contain oatmeal and is therefore good for you. The best example for this is oatmeal cookies that are basically made up of sugar and fat. So, always check the label for the level of soluble fiber in the product before buying.

Visit the Cholesterol Scoop for more information on Cholesterol Chart.

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