Low Cholesterol Diet to Keep your Cholesterol Level Low

May 31, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Genetic factors and diet are the two most common reasons for high cholesterol levels in your body. Though, you may not do anything about what you inherited genetically, you can always control your diet to keep the cholesterol level low, as required by your body.

A high cholesterol level leads to building up of a waxy substance cholesterol plaque in your arteries that obstructs the blood flow. Gradually, it leads a dysfunctional organ and may be a heart attack as well. A planned cholesterol diet is essential to keep it in control. In fact, a minimum level of cholesterol is always required for your body as it helps in repairing cell membrane, and in producing some useful hormones. However, after a certain level, it is dangerous to have high cholesterol level in your body.

Cholesterol Diet

Plan your diet and see what foods can help you lower your cholesterol level. There are some foods that can lower your cholesterol; while others can help it not rising beyond the required level. Generally, you should reduce fat intake and avoid oily and fried foods. Since fats are the main sources of calories, replace the saturated fats intensive diet by natural foods such as fruits and vegetables, and more of complex carbohydrates.

Low Cholesterol Diet

Certain foods are very good for low cholesterol. You should have fish, at least three times in a week. A few kinds of sea fish contain omega-3 fatty acid that helps you lower blood cholesterol. Reduce your fat intake. A low cholesterol diet should include more of complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and potatoes. These are excellent sources of energy and these take care of the benefits that you might miss because of avoiding fats.

While purchasing food items from market that are cooked, baked or roasted, read the label carefully and see there should not be any saturated oils. In addition, have lots of natural fruits, such as fruits or vegetables. These are rich source of fiber that your body requires for many reasons. Apples, carrots, brown rice, barley and legumes form a very good low cholesterol diet. A widely recommended herb psyllium also helps you reduce cholesterol level, if taken daily.

You can also have soya to control cholesterol level in your body. Research has shown that soya milk helps in reducing cholesterol. If possible, have at least 2-3 glasses of soya milk everyday. However, there are a variety of soya sweeteners such as for ice creams or desserts. Read out the sugar content and the amount of calories in those items and select the one that don’t have too many calories.

In true sense, a low cholesterol diet does not require wholesome changes in your diet; rather, it only requires using alternative methods of preparing food. For example, if you are in the habit of having salads, try having potato salad. Cut a few boiled potatoes into thin slices and soak these into plain, low fat yoghurt. Serve these with fresh chive, or even with onions. This is a good low cholesterol diet that is an excellent source of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

High Cholesterol Diet

There is no such defined or standard high cholesterol diet. As long as you take planned diet and take enough of vitamin C, even a diet that is high in cholesterol too is not bad for your body. The problem arises when the excess of cholesterol is not balanced due to lack of vitamin C, or antioxidants. The high cholesterol level leads to arteries’ blockage, and heart related diseases.

If you see that your cholesterol level is higher than required, cut down on fats and oily foods, reduce the sodium content in your meals. A high cholesterol diet usually consists of meats, dairy products and foods that contain hydrogenated or saturated oils. Trans fats are particularly harmful for people who have high cholesterol. Many packed and processed foods that are available at stores contain trans fats or saturated oils, and you should avoid such products for a healthy body.

Even if you are taking required precautions with respect to your diet, ensure to have a decent intake of vitamin C. Have lots ofruits and vegetables as these are generally good antioxidants. Orange, lemon, papaya, cabbage and grapefruit are good sources of vitamin C.

If your doctor says that you should seriously avoid all fats and take minimum of salt, it means that you need to take such food items that have no cholesterol at all. Slowly, a cholesterol free diet helps you neutralize the high cholesterol level in your body. Some of the items that you can take are Orange Juice, Raw Melon, Seedless Raisins, Raw Watermelon, Boiled and Drained Asparagus, Apple, Banana, White Rice, Sweet Potato, Oat Bran, Spinach, Tomato, Cabbage, Cucumber, and Onion to name a few.

Garlic should be integral part of your cholesterol free diet since it is an excellent product for cholesterol control. Research has shown that a clove of garlic for 12 consecutive days starts bringing down the cholesterol level to normal.

Dr John Anne is a herbal specialist with years of experience in the field of Alternative Health Care. For more information visit Cholesterol Treatment at Herbal Supplements. Also visit Home Remedies for Cholesterol for home based Cholesterol Treatment

High Cholesterol – Causes of High Cholesterol

May 28, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Cholesterol is a waxy, fatlike substance that your 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.

Your 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 you have too much cholesterol in your bloodstream, the excess may be deposited in arteries, including the coronary (heart) arteries, where it contributes to the narrowing and blockages that cause the signs and symptoms of heart disease.

At normal levels, cholesterol is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it’s an essential raw material used by the body to build cell walls and produce hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. The body produces its own supply of cholesterol in the liver, and it’s found naturally in all animal products (such as meats, eggs, milk, and cheese). It poses a problem only when the body is unable to use or eliminate excessive supplies.

Cholesterol levels begin increasing for both men and women as age goes up. Women generally have a lower level than men do between the age of 50 and 55. However, once a woman starts into menopause, the natural occurrence is that the cholesterol level starts to increase.

Causes of High Cholesterol

The tendency to build up high cholesterol may run in families, but excessively high levels are usually the result of a poor diet high in saturated fats and calories, combined with little or no exercise. In some cases, an elevated cholesterol level may be associated with an undiagnosed medical condition, such as hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) or diabetes.

Excess weight tends to increase you LDL (bad) cholesterol level. If you are overweight and have high cholesterol levels, losing weight may help you lower it. Weight loss also helps to lower triglyceride levels as well as raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

High cholesterol rarely causes symptoms. It is usually detected during a routine blood test that measures cholesterol levels (see the Exams and Tests section). You may first discover it when you are diagnosed with a condition that is caused in part by high cholesterol, such as coronary artery disease, stroke, or peripheral vascular disease.

Alcohol is “good” because it increases HDL cholesterol (the good one). However, it does not decrease the bad or HDL cholesterol. Plus, drinking too much alcohol damages the liver and heart muscle, leads to high blood pressure and raises triglyceride levels.

Drinking more than the recommended amount of alcohol (ie more than three to four units per day for men and two to three units per day for women).

Women get a natural boost in their HDL cholesterol (the good kind of cholesterol) from their hormones until they reach menopause. After menopause, taking estrogen can help maintain higher HDL cholesterol levels.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL): LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol transports cholesterol throughout your body. LDL cholesterol builds up in the walls of your arteries, making them hard and narrow.

Your chances of a heart attack rise dramatically when your cholesterol gets even moderately out of line. Generally speaking, a man with a total blood cholesterol level of 240 is twice as likely to suffer a heart attack as a man with a level of 200, all other factors being equal. A level of 300 carries five times the risk.

Age and gender–Cholesterol levels begin to increase in both men and women beginning around 20 years of age. Premenopausal women usually have lower levels of cholesterol when compared with men of the same age. After menopause, a woman’s LDL cholesterol level typically goes up, as does her risk for heart disease.

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How Does Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease? What Can Be Done to Help Yourself Avoid It

May 28, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Many of those who have suffered from heart attacks, probably realize the importance of eating healthy in order to avoid repeating this very scary experience. What happens to your heart prior to the heart attack? Eating an unhealthy diet has the tendency to increase the LDL level in your blood and elevated LDL cholesterol is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. LDL deposits on the artery walls, causing the formation of a hard, thick substance called cholesterol plaque.

Through years of keeping the same eating habits (including fast food dining, junk food etc.), the cholesterol plaque will cause thickening of the artery walls and narrowing of the arteries, a process called arteriosclerosis. Scary word, isn’t? The arteries that zigzag in the walls of your heart and supply blood and oxygen to the heart muscles are called coronary arteries. When coronary arteries are narrowed, they are incapable of supplying enough blood and oxygen to the heart muscle during exertion. Lack of oxygen to the heart muscle causes chest pain. The formation of a blood clot in the artery can cause a complete blockage of the artery and lead to the death of the heart muscle (heart attack). Arteriosclerotic disease of coronary arteries (coronary heart disease) is the most common cause of death in the United States, accounting for about 600,000 deaths annually. What a morbid statistic! Are you sometimes wondering if you are next in line? Well, a health club facility isn’t as far fetched as you think, so I guess you know what to do and get your butt, or legs, on the treadmill.

We all know now what LDL does to your body. Well, if there is a “bad”, then a “good” can’t be too far away. When I say “good”, I’m talking about HDL. High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is called the “good cholesterol” because HDL cholesterol particles prevent arteriosclerosis by extracting cholesterol from the artery walls and disposing of them through the liver. It also interferes with the accumulation of cholesterol in the artery walls through the LDL cholesterol particles.
The risk of arteriosclerosis and heart attacks in both men and women is strongly related to HDL cholesterol levels. Low levels of HDL cholesterol are linked to a higher risk, whereas high HDL cholesterol levels are associated with a lower risk.

Very low and very high HDL cholesterol levels can run in families. Families with low HDL cholesterol levels have a higher incidence of heart attacks than the general population, while families with high HDL cholesterol levels tend to live longer with a lower frequency of heart attacks.
Like LDL cholesterol, life style factors and other conditions influence HDL cholesterol levels. HDL cholesterol levels are lower in persons who smoke cigarettes, eat a lot of sweets, are overweight and inactive, and in patients with type II diabetes. HDL cholesterol is higher in people who are lean, exercise regularly, and do not smoke cigarettes. Estrogen increases a person’s HDL cholesterol, which explains why pre-menopausal women generally have higher HDL levels than men do.
For individuals with low HDL cholesterol levels, a high total or LDL cholesterol blood level further increases the incidence of heart attacks.

Therefore, the combination of high levels of LDL cholesterol with low levels of HDL cholesterol is undesirable whereas the combination of low levels of LDL cholesterol and high levels of HDL cholesterol is favorable. Remember to always check your cholesterol blood test for the ratio of LDL to HDL. The total cholesterol is not a good indicator of your health. You will need to obtain the split between the HDL and LDL. Thus, the total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio (total/HDL) is a number that is helpful in predicting arteriosclerosis. The number is obtained by dividing total cholesterol by HDL cholesterol. (High ratios indicate higher risks of heart attacks, low ratios indicate lower risk). An average ratio would be about 4.5. Ideally, we want to be better than average. Thus, the best ratio would be 2 or 3 or less than 4.

All of this is getting pretty complicated, although I have tried my best to make it as user-friendly as possible. We all have many questions to ask our doctors, nutrition specialists, or even our dieticians. Moreover, you should pay attention to the following: Are they being clear in their explanations? This depends again on the specialist. You will need to get outside information to complement what is said between you and the medical professional. To a certain extent, books can be very helpful as well, they will allow you to know what questions to ask your doctor. For those who suffer a mild to dangerous heart attack, the first step after leaving the hospital is to get more information about the subject. Fear and ignorance can make you avoid reality. However, all the medical books available can still be difficult to comprehend when authors use medical terminology that only doctors can understand. Are there hidden secrets that they (the doctors) don’t want to share with us? They write books as if we are supposed to understand all their concepts, terminologies, and theories. Depending on how the author approaches the subject at hand, you will need to use a medical dictionary to understand the wording used in the book. It greatly confuses the reader who doesn’t know where else to turn. Although I haven’t had any heart attacks, I was curious and wanted to understand how the body works and how I can avoid such a terrible experience. A proactive approach will increase my chances of going through life without experiencing any of these ordeals. The power of information will enable me to go on and be more assertive when it comes to my health.

I am now sharing my knowledge with you and hopefully can help you understand how we can reduce the risk of becoming statistics by year’s end. Healthy eating and exercising are primary factors that will, in many cases, assure great health and reduce the LDL levels in your blood.
I’ve already mentioned some of the other factors that determine the LDL level in your blood. Some people are genetically predisposed to high LDL levels in the blood and do not voluntarily contribute (by eating at fast food restaurants) to elevated LDL levels. Others are aware of what they eat (fast food and sweets) but still go through life wondering what they did to deserve having a heart attack. Both heredity and diet have a significant influence on a patient’s LDL, HDL, and total cholesterol levels. For example, familial hyper-cholesterolemia (FH) is a common inherited disorder whose victims have a diminished number or no LDL receptors on the surface of their liver cells. The resulting decreased activity of the LDL receptors limits the liver’s ability to remove LDL cholesterol from the blood. Thus, affected family members have abnormally high LDL cholesterol levels in their blood. They also tend to develop arteriosclerosis and heart attacks during early adulthood. In order to lower LDL cholesterol, the activity level of the LDL receptors must be increased. LDL receptor activity can be increased through diets that are low in cholesterol and saturated fats and through prescription drugs.

Lowering LDL cholesterol involves losing excess weight, exercising regularly, and following a diet that is low in saturated fat. Drugs are prescribed when diet and exercise cannot reduce the LDL cholesterol to acceptable levels. Some of my acquaintances have used medication to resolve that problem. When all your options are exhausted, the use of prescription drugs can be the only alternative.

Author: Daniel A Amzallag
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What You Need To Know About Cholesterol Drugs And Medications

May 26, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

It is extremely important to educate ourselves before using any kinds of drugs or medications for any kind of illness or medical problems, especially if it something as serious as high cholesterol. This is because it can turn out to be fatal if neglected. That is why we should learn more about drugs and medications used to treat high cholesterol.


Cholesterol is a waxy, fat like substance which is found in our cells and blood stream. Cholesterol is important for our body because it produces hormones and cell membranes. Our body needs some cholesterol to function. However, too much cholesterol will clog our arteries and cause coronary heart disease. This can in turn lead to a heart attack.


Although our body produces the cholesterol it needs, we also accumulate it through our intake of food products which contains it such as: egg yolks, poultry, butter, cheese and whole milk. There are two types of cholesterol which are: the LDL or low-density lipoprotein, which is the bad cholesterol and HDL or high-density cholesterol, which is the good cholesterol. When our bad cholesterol level is high, we must do everything we can to lower it, including the use of drugs and medications.


Choosing The Right Cholesterol Drug


Many cholesterol drugs are now available on the market. Although some of these drugs can be obtained over the counter, you need to consult your doctor before you purchase and start taking any cholesterol medication.


Some cholesterol drugs may have serious side effects which may do you more harm than good. Your doctor is the only person who can advise you which cholesterol drug is best for you since he is the only one who knows your medical history, your state of health and which cholesterol medicine is suitable for you.


One of the types of drugs your doctor prescribe for cholesterol medication could be the statin drug. This drug is known be effective in reducing cholesterol levels. Your doctor may also prescribe an enzyme supplement with the statin drugs because your body will need more of a certain type of enzyme when taking statin drugs.


Another type of drug your doctor may prescribe is a bile acid sequestrate. It will help control bile acids that are secreted in the liver and gall bladder. It will travel through the intestine and softens fatty material in food, helping it become absorbed in a better way through your system.


Non Medical Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol


Besides taking cholesterol medications, you can try other non medical ways to lower your cholesterol. You can lower your cholesterol levels by modifying your diet and start taking only low or no cholesterol foods. Avoid trans and saturated fats from your diet as they are the main causes that raise your bad cholesterol level.


Besides modifying your diet, you should also increase your physical activities. Remember to exercise regularly, as it will not only help you lose weight, but lower your cholesterol level too.


Taking The Right Cholesterol Medication


If your doctor has confirmed that you suffer from high cholesterol levels after a series of tests, he may prescribe a cholesterol medication to help you lower your cholesterol levels and achieve a normal and healthier cholesterol level. Your doctor may also suggest that you make some lifestyle changes, altering the way you live your life and modifying the food you eat to help you achieve normal cholesterol levels quickly. If you take the right medication and make the right lifestyle changes as your doctor advises you, you should be able to achieve a healthy cholesterol level within a short period of time.


You should also be aware that cholesterol medication can be quite expensive. Remember that it can have many side effects that may cause problems for you. That is why you should always consult a doctor before you take any kind of cholesterol medications.


Stop taking any cholesterol medication if you are concerned about a side effect that occurs after taking it. Always consult your doctor should this occur and inform him of the side effects so that he can advise you if you have to discontinue the medication. Also remember that it is important to follow all the instructions on the medication because improperly taking any medication can cause serious problems for you.

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. Visit Cholesterol Lowering Food to learn more about low cholesterol food and other high cholesterol diet.

Cholesterol Levels And Ratios – Are Cholesterol Numbers Confusing You?

May 23, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Cholesterol levels are being tested as part of regular health screening all over the world yet many people are confused by their cholesterol numbers and how they are expressed. Part of this confusion may stem from the fact that most of the cholesterol literature is coming from the United States where they still report cholesterol levels in units that are different from those used in Canada, Europe and a good portion of the rest of the developed world. So if you are looking for information to help you understand your cholesterol test results you might not be able to understand the numbers that are reported in the American literature, that includes the internet.

The United States reports cholesterol levels in mg/dl (milligrams per decilitre) of blood. The rest of the world is using the measurement called mmol (or millimoles per litre). Without going back to basic chemistry from high school, suffice it to say that they are different measurements. So is it any wonder that these two ways of expressing your cholesterol numbers are so different?

Here is how the two different systems of measurement stack up for desirable cholesterol levels.

* Total cholesterol = less than 200 mg/dL
* LDL = less than 100-129 mg/dL (below 100 is best)
* HDL = more than 40 mg/dL (greater than 60 is considered protective against heart disease)

However, as expressed in the SI units (International System of Measurement) that most of the world is using the numbers are stated differently. (You can remember which letters refer to healthy and lousy by remembering it this way…H stands for healthy lipoprotein and L stands for lousy lipoprotein.)

* Total cholesterol = less than 5.2 mmol/L
* LDL = in the range of than 2.6 – 3.3 mmol/L (less than 2.6 is best)
* HDL = in the range of more than 1 to 1.5 mmol/L (higher is better) mmol/L

Can you see the difference in how the cholesterol numbers are expressed? The difference of course is in the units that are being measured.

Think of it like metric and imperial measures. Your weight in pounds might be a three digit number but in kilograms it could be a two digit number. Same weight different measurements.

When used to determine risk of heart disease it is not the specific cholesterol levels that are analyzed but rather the ratio of HDL in your total lipid profile. This number is called the cholesterol ratio and it gives an indication of how much of your total cholesterol is the “good stuff”.

The reason that the ratio is important is because the HDL (good stuff) is so beneficial that it can protect you from the effects of the LDL if it is in your body in sufficient quantities. So even if your LDL is higher that desirable levels, if the HDL is high as well, if the ratio comes within the desired range then the risk to your health is less.

The goal is to keep the cholesterol ratio below 5:1; the optimum ratio is 3.5. The cholesterol ratio comes in at the same number no matter which system of measurement is used to express the specific cholesterol levels.

The cholesterol ratio is obtained by dividing the total cholesterol number by the value given for the HDL. For example, if a person has a total cholesterol of 240 mg/dL and an HDL of 60 mg/dL, the ratio would be 4.

Using the SI system of measurement if the total cholesterol is 7.20 mmol/L and the HDL is 1.8 mmol/L the ratio is still 4.

You can see how this is a better way of understanding risk and prevents confusion that might result from not being familiar with the units that are used to express cholesterol levels.

This information is also helpful for understanding why the strategies why the for cholesterol imbalances work. Some of the best strategies are the ones that raise the HDL levels. In particular, exercise has been found to be one of the best ways to improve the cholesterol ratio because it raises HDL levels. By contrast smoking has been found to lower HDL levels so no exercise and smoking is a recipe for low HDL levels, a poor cholesterol ratio, and a higher risk of heart disease.

Cholesterol is found in every cell of the body and is essential for the maintenance of good health. Low cholesterol levels have been associated with poor health so the goal is not to eliminate or reduce cholesterol entirely but to establish the desirable levels of each type of cholesterol so that the protective benefits of the HDL can work for you in maintaining good health.

So don’t get mixed up when trying to understand you cholesterol levels. No matter what way the numbers are expressed the message is the same. You want to have enough of the good stuff and not so much of the bad stuff!

Beverly Hansen OMalley is a nurse who is passionate about health promotion. You are invited to visit www.registered-nurse-canada.com where Bev explores the uniqueness of the nursing profession in Canada including comparison of nurse salary across the country, preparation for the Canadian nursing entrance test and how to become a nurse in Canada if you graduated in another country.

Healthy Lifestyle to Lower Cholesterol

May 21, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Achieving lower cholesterol is one of the best ways to protect yourself from heart attack and stroke. The more natural and cost effective way to lower cholesterol is to eat foods low in cholesterol. Using herbs to lower cholesterol is safe and effective.

One of the best things that you can to do lower cholesterol is to quit smoking and decrease the amount of fatty foods in your diet. For most people, the best way to lower cholesterol is to reduce their intake of saturated fats and to increase physical activity.

The Hypercet Blood Pressure Formula is a proprietary blend of five essential elements for healthy blood pressure. The Hypercet Cholesterol Formula is designed to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels and to assist normal body functions for optimum health. “Often the only treatment needed to lower cholesterol is thyroid medication.

Diet and exercise are imperative

To lower cholesterol naturally, diet and exercise are imperative. Diets rich in beans, peas, rice bran, barley, oat bran, whole grains, citrus fruits and apple pulp can help lower cholesterol levels, especially when additionally cutting back on animal products and fats. Diet can be a very effective tool for lowering blood pressure.

To keep your cholesterol low, your total fat intake shouldn’t be more than 25% to 33% of your diet –and most of those fats should be the good kind, like vegetable fats(mono unsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats), and omega-3 fatty acids, foundmostly in fish. He began including steel-cut oatmeal, eggplant, roasted soybeans, whole-wheat pasta and Brussels sprouts in his diet. Even better, the story includes a link to two favorite recipes from his cholesterol-lowering diet.

Exercise decreases the bad LDL-cholesterol

Surely, you’ve already asked you these questions: Those higher cholesterol is treating with herbs, good food, exercises or drugs. Exercise decreases

the bad LDL-cholesterol and increases the”good” HDL-cholesterol.

Exercise, not smoking and a high-fiber diet low in cholesterol and fat will improve your cholesterol count. Exercise itself doesn’t directly lower cholesterol, but will strengthen the heart and entire circulatory system. Exercise can apparently help keep a fat person healthy and maintain lower cholesterol levels, keep bad cholesterol levels down, without massive dietary changes,

nor having to lose weight.

Simply out of habit, not caring what foods to eat that lower your cholesterol and not giving your body regular easy-going exercises, the accumulation reaches a point where undesirable consequences as symptoms begin to show up.

Healthy Lifestyle

Healthy lifestyle and diet is key to prevention of high cholesterol levels. Lower cholesterol is important to living a long and healthy life, one that is free from heart disease or stroke. You should also maintain a healthy lifestyle through diet, exercise, and weight maintenance.

As you know, there are populations that have lived healthy lives on all meat diets and populations that have lived healthy lives on all vegetable diets. Some people’s bodies are simply genetically predisposed to make a lot of cholesterol; it doesn’t matter whether they eat a perfect diet or are a healthy weight.

Just as you wouldn’t bet all your money on a single stock, Jenkins says you shouldn’t bet your health on a single kind of healthy food.

Natural way to lower cholesterol

Natural way to lower cholesterol is to have low cholesterol diet and exercise regularly. Or you can choose a natural means where the only side effect is better health. And since your cholesterol naturally rises as you get older, it seems to sneak up on you without warning.

The good news is, you can lower you cholesterol naturally by taking responsibility over your body and your health and award yourself with a complete lifestyle makeover. There are natural herbs, vitamins and minerals that can help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol in the body.

Supplements lower cholesterol naturally

Research also shows that improvement results can be dramatic if you were to strongly consider the combined use of regular exercises and the regular use of nutritional supplements, which are clinically proven to lower cholesterol naturally with no side effects.

Remember that the approach with drugs and / or dietary supplements is to supplement and not to replace a healthy diet and exercise. The most effective way to lower cholesterol when all of this does not work sufficiently, is with drugs and / or herbal dietary supplements. However, there are quite a number of supplements that have been clinically proven to lower cholesterol.

Conclusion

To lower cholesterol is one of your greatest health challenges, cholesterol induced strokes are not a pretty sight. A significant way to lower

cholesterol is to include adequate amounts of healthy fiber in your diet.

Another important element to a persons lifestyle that can be enhanced when wondering how to lower cholesterol is by establishing an exercise program or increasing an exercise program. As such one way to lower cholesterol is to avoid foods that contain high cholesterol or at least minimize their consumption, that is animal and dairy products. The most popular and well known food that can actually lower cholesterol is eating adequate amounts of oatmeal every day.
To Find Out More…

Paul Rodgers specializes in marketing online fitness, diets, health and beauty products and services. You are invited to visit the following Website

The Cholesterol Myth

May 21, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Cholesterol. What images come to mind when you see this word? Is it positive or negative? Is it health, or is it heart disease?

If what came to mind was negative, as something to avoid, and heart disease, then the pharmaceutical companies food industries have been successful in getting you to believe a fabricated myth!

According to George V. Mann, M.D., professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt University, “Saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet are not the cause of coronary heart disease. That myth is the greatest scientific deception of this century, perhaps of any century.”

Russell L. Smith, Ph.D. is the author of the book, The Cholesterol Conspiracy. Dr. Smith states that “Both the public and clinical physicians have simultaneously been swamped by an ever-growing tidal wave of exaggerations, distortions and even fabrications of the facts.”

Here’s the truth. Cholesterol is good! It is a necessary part of every cell in your body and is essential in virtually all aspects of metabolism. Without it, we would die. That’s not the impression you got from the advertisers, is it!

Cholesterol is necessary for the brain, nervous system, hormones, digestion, liver function, heart muscle contraction, calcium metabolism and bone structure and skin. Cholesterol forms 50 percent of the nervous system and serves as the conductor of nerve impulses. It is so important that your body produces four to seven times as much as you ingest and reduces its production to accommodate cholesterol intake from the food you eat.

A deficiency of Cholesterol results in obesity, emotional disturbances, fatigue, impotency, and many more imbalances.

How the Scam Begun

In the early 1900’s, experiments were done in which rabbits were given extremely high amounts of dietary cholesterol. Their blood cholesterol rose twenty fold and a soft plaque like disease formed on the coronary arteries. But the cholesterol levels returned to normal and the plaque disappeared when the feeding was stopped. This formed the basis of the theory that cholesterol caused coronary heart disease in humans.

Here are the flaws. The rabbits were given a synthetic form of cholesterol that easily oxidized when exposed to air (which made it toxic). Rabbits also do not metabolize cholesterol as do humans. Humans and other animals like dogs and rats do not develop atherosclerosis-like disease as do rabbits when given dietary cholesterol. And finally, humans do not develop soft plaque as did the rabbits; humans develop hard plaque which does not reverse, and it is not caused by dietary cholesterol.

Eggs and Cholesterol

One of the many foods we are warned about is eggs. In one study, seventy men were divided into three groups which ate either 3, 7, or 14 eggs a week for five months. They all had similar cholesterol levels in the beginning. The total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides did not change during the study for any of the groups.

An 88 year old man consumed 20-30 eggs a DAY for more than 15 years, yet maintained normal blood cholesterol levels of 150 to 200.

Cholesterol occurs only in animal foods. Yet the consumption of animal fat since 1909 actually decreased by 10 percent, whereas vegetable fat increased by over 200 percent. The increase of heart attacks has paralleled the increased use of margarine, homogenized milk and processed foods such as sugar.

According to Judith DeCava, in her book, Cholesterol, Facts and Fantasies, in one study, almost half of the patients had total cholesterol levels under 200, which is supposed to be safe. Yet half of this group had coronary heart disease. Of the almost 1200 who did have heart disease, one third had cholesterol levels under 200. Dr. Michael DeBakey, the famous heart surgeon, reports that 30 percent of patients who have a coronary bypass have “normal” cholesterol levels.”

The Real Culprit

Here’s what IS clearly linked to heart disease: sugar. Judith DeCava, in her excellent book, Cholesterol, Facts and Fantasies states,

“John Yukin analyzed the refined sugar consumed by men with atherosclerosis. The men who had heart attacks ate almost twice as much sugar as those who not having heart attacks. In fact, in persons with coronary heart disease, the degree of atherosclerosis was proportional to the amount of refined sugar consumed.” (The Lancet 1964); 2 (7349):6-8.

As further evidence of this is the fact that the consumption of fat in the Caribbean countries is very low, but the use of sugar is very high. Cuba has one of the highest levels of sugar use, and has a higher death rate from heart attacks in men between ages 55 and 64 than the U.S.!

The Fox Guarding the Hen House

So what’s perpetuating this campaign of misinformation? It’s the money from the drug companies who want you to buy their cholesterol reducing drugs (that have serious side affects) and from the food industries that benefit from this scam.

Here are some examples. The American Medical Association’s Executive Vice-President, Dr. James Sammons, promised physicians in 1988 of their financial rewards by stating, “the AMA’s campaign against cholesterol will bring both old and new patients to you for necessary testing, counseling and care.”

One researcher who later became a director of the National Institutes of Health bought stock in a pharmaceutical company just before announcing the results of a study favorable to the drug’s effects. The editor of the AMA’s publication, Circulation, also received stock options on the same drug company.

Jane Heimlich began doing extensive research on this cholesterol issue in 1989. In her book, What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You, she concludes,

“There is no question that the cholesterol program…benefits three powerful groups in our society to the tune of billions of dollars. These three are the medical profession, the pharmaceutical industry, and the food companies.”

Author: Lori Wilton
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Fighting High Cholesterol While Aging

May 18, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Too much cholesterol causes many medical problems for one. Cholesterol is something that clogs the arteries in your heart. In addition, cholesterol when out of control could cause massive heart attacks, or series of strokes.

What can I do about my cholesterol? If your body has too much cholesterol, it isn’t good for you. You have the power within you however to take control. Failing to take control only leads to problems. The problems will accumulate; wear you down until finally abnormal aging takes your life. You can gain control by exercising each day and eating the right foods. Visiting your doctor regularly is another way to work toward healthy aging. Your family doctor will give you medication to take to help lower your cholesterol.

When you have high cholesterol, you have to eat right and exercise daily. To lower your cholesterol take action now. It will take some time to get your cholesterol at bay, but it will happen if you take action now. You also want to take time out for self, activities, socializing etc to keep your cholesterol at bay. When cholesterol is out of control, the cause comes to focus, which is arteriosclerosis. If you lower your cholesterol by taking action now you can avoid strokes, heart attacks, and even death. Learn more about statins to control cholesterol. You can also avoid smoking to lower your cholesterol. In addition, you can lower your risks of diabetes, heart attack, and obesity and so on by controlling your cholesterol.

Keep in mind that high cholesterol problems include the worst case scenario and the not so bad. The worst type is the LDL. HDL cholesterol at higher levels is a good thing. If these levels combined with triglycerides increase, thus your chances of stroke or heart attacks are high.

What kind of foods has cholesterol? There is cholesterol in all foods in less it has cholesterol free on the package. Some food has more in it then others. Like your cooking oils and grease has a lot of cholesterol in it, some of your bread has cholesterol. Eggs are very high cholesterol foods and so are your butters. You have to read the back of the packages to determine the level of cholesterol.

What can happen to me if my cholesterol is high? The only way that you can tell if your cholesterol is high is to go to your family doctor and get a blood test. If you go to your family doctor like your suppose to you will have it checked in the blood they draw. However, some of the things that can happen to you if its high is that your arteries will harden. This means your body is building fats and too much cholesterol. The normal or average reading should be 140 or 130 over 200 mg/dl. If you can maintain this level, you will be ok.

If the cholesterol gets out of hand, it hardens the arteries. This means the blood will not flow through to the heart, making it to pump naturally. The heart will pump at unnatural rates, working harder to keep you alive. High diastolic is high cholesterol that increases risks of heart attacks, since your heart doesn’t get any blood to it due to clotting or breaking of blood vessels, then there is stroke which is when the brain don’t get enough blood due to oxygen decrease to it because of clotting or broken blood vessels. High-cholesterol puts you at risk of diabetes also, since it affects the hemoglobin. To learn more, visit your doctor.

Information on cholesterol ratio can be found at Cholesterol Guidelines.

Components Of A Diet To Lower Cholesterol

May 16, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

The first line of defense against rising cholesterol levels is a healthy diet. The National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III report has targeted lowering LDL cholesterol as one of the most important aspect of heart disease prevention. This report recommends that in order to lower the risk of coronary heart disease that a therapeutic lifestyle change (TLC) must be undertaken. The components of this therapeutic lifestyle change include a diet to lower cholesterol that includes the following.

1. Saturated Fat and Cholesterol – Reducing saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet is the foundation of the TLC diet. The strongest nutritional influence on serum LDL cholesterol levels is saturated fats. There is also a dose response relationship between saturated fats and LDL cholesterol levels. For every 1% increase in calories from saturated fats as a percent of total energy, serum LDL cholesterol increases roughly 2%. On the other hand a 1% decrease in saturated fats will lower serum cholesterol by about 2%. Although a weight reduction of even a few pounds will reduce LDL levels, weight reduction achieved with a diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol will enhance and maintain LDL cholesterol reductions. Although dietary cholesterol does not have the equivalent impact of saturated fat on serum LDL cholesterol levels, high cholesterol intake will increase LDL cholesterol levels.

2. Monounsaturated Fat – Substituting monounsaturated fat for saturated fats at an intake level of up to 20% of total energy intake is recommended with a cholesterol lowering diet. Monounsaturated fats lower LDL cholesterol levels relative to saturated fats without decreasing HDL cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Plant oils and nuts are the best sources of monounsaturated fats.

3. Polyunsaturated Fats – When used instead of saturated fats, polyunsaturated fats such as linoleic acid reduce LDL cholesterol levels. Unfortunately they can also cause a decrease in HDL cholesterol when compared to the effects of monounsaturated fats. The recommended intake of polyunsaturated fats is about 10% of total energy intake. The best sources for this type of fat include liquid vegetable oils, semi-liquid margarine, and other margarines low in transfatty acids.

4. Total Fat – Saturated fats and transfatty acids increase LDL cholesterol levels, while serum levels of LDL cholesterol do not appear to be affected by total fat intake. For that reason the report suggests it is not essential to limit total fat intake as long as saturated fats are decreased to goal levels.

5. Carbohydrates – LDL cholesterol decreases when saturated fats are replaced with carbohydrates. But high consumption of carbohydrates, over 60% of total energy intakes, are shown to decrease HDL cholesterol and increase serum triglycerides. This response to carbohydrate intake can be decreased by increasing soluble fiber intake. In fact by increasing soluble fiber to 5 to 10 grams a day LDL cholesterol can be decreased about 5%.

6. Protein – Although dietary protein generally has little effect of serum LDL cholesterol levels, substituting plant-based proteins for animal proteins appears to lower LDL cholesterol. This may be caused by the lack of cholesterol and lower saturated fat content of plant based protein foods. Of course not all animal proteins are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Fat-free and low-fat dairy products, egg whites, fish, skinless poultry, and lean cuts of beef and pork are low in saturated fat and cholesterol.

Using diet to lower cholesterol is the first step for anyone who has tested for high LDL cholesterol levels. By lowering serum cholesterol the risk of coronary heart disease is lessened, along with all the other health benefits of eating a more healthy diet.

To learn more about a Diet to Lower Cholesterol please visit the website Lowering Cholesterol by clicking here.

Lower Cholesterol Naturally Using a Smorgasbord of Fiber

May 14, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

With a high cholesterol and heart disease in the family, Phil’s doctor had urged him to adhere to American Heart Association’s low-fat, low-cholesterol diet.

“Your LDL cholesterol is 181–it’s down only 7%. That’s still too high, Phil,” the doctor said, sighing. “At your age (46 years old), you can’t afford to walk around with an LDL that high. You’ll end up with a heart attack. Here’s a prescription for —–, a statin drug. This’ll drop your cholesterol like a stone.”

Phil took the doctor’s prescription but never filled it. He’d read somewhere about the muscle and liver side-effects of the so-called “statin” cholesterol drugs. Despite his doctor’s reassurances, he was more scared of the drug than of the prospect of a heart attack in his life. Instead, he embarked on a program that included several readily-obtainable foods and included them in his daily routine for several months.

On his return to the doctor, Phil’s LDL was down to 112–a 38% drop. “Wow! That’s a great result on your medicine,” the doctor declared. But Phil informed him of his reluctance to take the medication and how he used foods instead.

Mention fiber and nearly everyone thinks of the dry, cardboard-like breakfast cereals found in the grocery store. It’s as if healthy ingredients come at the cost of taste. But the majority of fibers these products contain really provide limited benefits. Wheat-fiber based products like these have essentially no effect whatsoever on cholesterol in your body (though it’s good for your bowels.)

Fiber comes in a broad variety of shapes and sizes that you can incorporate into your nutritional program in interesting, delicious ways that can deliver powerful health benefits. With knowledge of superior sources of fiber in food and supplements, you can create a smorgasbord of fiber to substantially lower cholesterol.

But I already eat whole wheat bread!

Most Americans take in a meager 14 grams of fiber a day. Processed foods created for convenience and temptation (and profit) are generally stripped of fiber content. Sugary, dried, instant, microwavable, just-add-water foods in glitzy packaging are therefore miserably deficient in fiber.

The benefits of fiber begin when you take in at least 25 grams every day. This is the level of fiber intake recommended by most national organizations like the American Heart Association. But something unexpected happens when your fiber intake is 50 grams or more a day: cholesterol plummets, blood sugar is lowered, diabetes can be prevented–and you can lose weight, too.

The diet advocated by the American Heart Association lowers cholesterol around 7%. (Yawn.) Compare this to a diet with more stratospheric quantities of fiber (>50 grams per day): cholesterol is lowered 30% or more– that’s as good as the statin cholesterol medicines. (Imagine what would happen if you combined a cholesterol-lowering medicine and super-high fiber intake.)

Oat bran

Beta-glucan is a soluble fiber that avidly absorbs water and transforms into a gooey gel. This gel, as it traverses the twenty-some feet of intestines, is an efficient absorber of cholesterol. Beta-glucan is responsible for the cholesterol-lowering properties of oatmeal that you’ve likely heard about. You know what’s even better than oatmeal? Oat bran. Ounce for ounce, oat bran has twice the soluble fiber of oatmeal. You can buy oat bran in bags and boxes in most grocery stores. Oat bran is also more versatile. You can use it as a hot cereal microwaved in skim milk or soy milk (add raw sunflower or pumpkin seeds, fresh berries, or sliced fruit), or you can add it to yogurt, fruit smoothies, or protein drinks. Like oatmeal, you can also use it in your baking.

One ounce of oat bran (1/4 cup) contains 4 grams of fiber, of which 3 grams are soluble. Including ¼ cup of oat bran a day in your diet can powerfully lower cholesterol.

Pectins

Pectin is the soluble fiber found in abundance in apples and citrus fruits, especially grapefruit. In citrus, the pectin is most concentrated in the white rinds, not the pulp, so don’t do such a good job when you peel. The quantity of pectin in a single piece of fruit is relatively modest (around 1.5 grams), but when reaching for a piece of fruit, an apple or citrus fruit can be one way to add modestly to your net daily soluble fiber intake.

Flaxseed

Flaxseed is an ancient food, described in Egyptian writings dating back thousands of years. When the seeds are ground, the lignans, a structural fiber, are exposed and available as soluble fiber. (In addition to powerful cholesterol-lowering properties, the lignans are being intensively investigated for their cancer-preventing properties.) Flaxseed is available both as whole seeds and already-ground. Whole seeds need to be ground (e.g., in your coffee-grinder) to release the fibers. Don’t confuse flaxseed oil with the seed itself. When the oil is extracted from flaxseed to produce flaxseed oil, it can be a source of linolenic acid, which in turn is converted by your body to a small quantity of omega-3 fatty acids (as in fish). But the bulk of benefit from flaxseed is found in the lignan, or fiber, content, and the ground seeds are therefore required, not just the oil.

Use flaxseed just as you would oat bran: Mix with skim or soy milk, raw seeds, and berries to make a warm cereal; mix with yogurt, fruit smoothies, protein drinks. Two tablespoons a day provides 17 grams of fiber, of which 6 grams are soluble.

Beans

Beans are an excellent and easy addition to most dinner menus. A ½ cup serving of starchy beans–pinto, Spanish, black, red, white–provides around 2 grams of soluble fiber and 4 grams total fiber. (Green beans are great for many reasons but are not a significant source of soluble fiber.) Vegetarian chilis and bean soups are among the many ways you can use these tremendous sources of fiber. Although beans are a carbohydrate source, the glycemic index (sugar-raising effect) is relatively low.

Psyllium Seed

Psyllium seed is the main ingredient in the familiar Metamucil, as this seed has the capacity to absorb many times its weight in water, making intestinal contents bulkier and softer. But it also lowers cholesterol 7-10%, just like oat bran and flaxseed. Psyllium is useful for its convenience: Just dissolve a teaspoon in 8-12 oz of water and drink. However, it is much less versatile than oat bran and flaxseed in that you really can’t conceal it in yogurt or fruit smoothies or protein drinks. A teaspoon of psyllium (containing 2.4 grams of soluble fiber, 3 grams total fiber) is most useful when you are unable for one reason or another to use another soluble fiber source (e.g., when you’re traveling). Taken 30 minutes prior to meals, you can also use it to produce satiety, or the feeling of fullness that discourages you from overeating. Many people use this as a helpful weight-loss strategy.

Nuts

Nuts are little powerhouses of beneficial nutrients. Unfortunately, manufacturers will roast them in oils (often hydrogenated), add salt, or coat them in sugar and other less healthy additives (“honey-roasted”). Stick with the raw variety for greatest benefit. In particular, raw almonds and walnuts pack the greatest punch when it comes to lowering cholesterol. A ¼ cup serving of either each day lowers cholesterol 8%. The route by which nuts accomplish this is not entirely clear, but the content of fiber, phytosterols (in almonds and similar to that found in butter-substitutes Take Control and Benecol), and other phytonutrients likely all contribute to the effect. Nuts are also rich in monounsaturated oils (similar to that in olive oil) and this may contribute to cholesterol-lowering. What’s more, the generous fiber content of nuts has been shown to lower blood sugar and can even lower the effective glycemic index of carbohydrate foods (slows sugar release into the blood). This effect can help prevent diabetes. The wonderful satiety effect (feeling full) of raw nuts will permit you to eat a handful of nuts and feel satisfied. Up to a ½ cup a day is advised for full benefits.

Phytosterols

Phytosterols (also known as stanol and sterol esters) are found in abundance in many plants and closely resemble human cholesterol in structure. But when 2 level tablespoons are taken orally each day, they lower cholesterol around 15%. Curiously, phytosterols need to be “esterified”, or bound, to a chemical side-group that gives them an oily consistency in order to exert their full cholesterol-lowering effect in the intestine. This is the reason that phytosterols come in oil-based forms as butter substitutes (Take Control, Benecol) and more recently as a mayonnaise-substitute. You can find the butter substitute products in the dairy aisle of the grocery store. Beware of their calorie content, as excessive quantities can still cause you to gain weight despite the cholesterol-lowering effect.

Soy protein powder

Soy beans have many beneficial nutrients. Among them are isoflavones, which are believed by many to help relieve menopausal symptoms in women, as isoflavones resemble estrogen. However, it is the protein we’re interested in for cholesterol-lowering properties. The protein has been shown to lower cholesterol 15-20% by shutting off the liver’s production of cholesterol. Soy protein, in fact, is one of the foods endorsed by the FDA to lower cholesterol.

The easiest way to get the 25 grams (3 tablespoons) of soy protein required for full cholesterol-lowering benefit is through powders that you can purchase in canisters at grocery and health food stores. Use the powder as part of health shakes (with yogurt or kefir, fresh fruit, oat bran, skim milk, soy milk, etc.) Other sources of soy protein include soy milk, textured-vegetable protein used as a meat substitute, soy nuts, soy cheese, low-carb pasta, and soy butter.

Create a smorgasbord of fiber

Including just a little of one or two of these strategies will help lower your cholesterol. But if you’re looking for a super-charged benefit, combine several of these foods and nutrients. It is entirely possible to lower LDL cholesterol a full 30% or more when you put several together each and every day. A sample approach might be:

o Raw almonds–½ cup per day (total fiber 5.8 g; soluble 0.6 g)

o Oat bran–¼ cup per day (total fiber 4 g, 3 g soluble)

o Psyllium seed–2 tsp per day (6 g total fiber; 4.8 g soluble)

o Citrus fruit–e.g., 1 orange (around 1 g soluble fiber)

o Beans–1/2 cup per day, cooked (4 g total fiber; 1 g soluble)

o Soy protein powder–3 tbsp in protein shake (25 grams protein)

The fiber content of this regimen alone–over 20 grams added–packs a powerful effect on cholesterol. Most people lose a modest quantity of weight, as well, because of the feeling of fullness that fiber-rich foods provide. If you are diabetic or have “borderline” or “pre-” diabetes, blood sugars are often lower on this regimen. (Discuss this with your doctor to avoid excessively low blood sugars if you take oral diabetic medications or insulin.)

But beware. . .

Start with too much fiber all at once and you may–paradoxically–end up with constipation. The safest way to proceed if you begin with an average low-fiber American diet is to add one or two fiber sources at a time, and add another form only after two weeks. This permits your intestines to accommodate to the increased bulk. Also be sure to take in plenty of water, as these fibers will draw water into the intestine and can actually cause you to be dehydrated if you do not drink enough. If the fiber cannot draw enough water into the intestine, you can end up with a very nasty case of constipation. Not pretty! (Consult your doctor if you have a history of congestive heart failure, kidney or liver disease, edema, or have been advised to follow a fluid restriction before you embark on a program that requires greater fluid intake.)

Author: William Davis,MD
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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