6 Natural Ways to Lower Cholesterol

August 5, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in all animal tissue, including humans, and is found in all foods that come from animal sources. The highest sources of dietary cholesterol come from egg yolks and organ meats such as the liver or kidneys.

There are two primary forms of cholesterol; low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). LDL cholesterol is considered the bad cholesterol because its primary purpose is to provide cholesterol to the cells. It is transported through the blood stream and tends to drop off along the way, clogging arteries and blood vessels, and contributing to plaque formation. HDL cholesterol on the other hand removes LDL cholesterol from the circulatory system and returns it to the liver which removes it from the body.

For people who have high LDL cholesterol levels the first thing their doctor will recommend is a cholesterol lowering diet. This can include eating low cholesterol foods and cutting saturated fats from the diet. But there are also other ways to help lower LDL cholesterol levels and those include:

1. Exercise – In the sedentary lifestyle most people live today it only makes sense that our susceptibility to disease is much greater. Just 30 minutes of exercise 3 or 4 times a week can significantly lower the risk for many major life threatening disease. So why does exercise lower LDL cholesterol levels?

The energy the body needs to exercise comes from sugars, fats, and proteins. After the sugars and proteins are burned the body turns to its fat stores which must be converted to a usable form of energy. To do this the liver increases its output of HDL cholesterol which circulates through the blood stream picking up LDL cholesterol which is converted into energy for use during exercise. Just like that going for a walk decreases the amount of LDL cholesterol in the body.

2. Eat a low fat diet – One of the interesting things about cholesterol is that eating foods high in cholesterol is not necessarily bad. While they should be eaten in moderation the big culprit in raising cholesterol is a diet high in saturated fat, from both animal and plant sources.

3. Eat more soluble fiber – Actually it is important to get plenty of both types of fiber, soluble and insoluble, but in the case of cholesterol fiber from fruits and vegetables is the most important. Soluble fiber removes cholesterol from the body by binding to it.

4. Red yeast rice – Many of the Statin drugs made to control cholesterol are made from red yeast rice. It only makes sense that taking it in its natural state would work to help lower cholesterol levels by its ability to limit the production of cholesterol.

5. De-stress your life – Being chronically stressed affects the levels of cholesterol in the body. In fact people who eat a cholesterol lowering diet but have a high stress level may not see any significant reduction in their LDL levels.

6. Smoking – If you smoke you better stop. Smoking increases the build up of plaque in the arteries, exacerbating the affects of high levels of LDL cholesterol.

Reducing high LDL cholesterol levels is vitally important in the prevention of coronary artery and heart disease. It is also important to work closely with your doctor to help insure that the steps you are taking to lower cholesterol are working.

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

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Eating A Cholesterol Lowering Diet For Heart Disease Prevention

June 23, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Balancing the ratios of LDL and HDL cholesterol is the aim of any cholesterol lowering diet because lowering the bad (LDL) cholesterol is a large factor in reducing the risk of coronary artery disease. The effect of lowering cholesterol has been medically shown to reduce the mortality risk associated with heart disease.

Cholesterol levels, which are measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), naturally rise as men and women age and are determined through chemical analysis of a blood sample taken via a finger prick or from a blood draw from a vein. For a healthy person cholesterol intake should less than 300 milligrams daily while someone with an elevated cholesterol level should consume less than 200 milligrams per day. One thing to remember is that although dietary cholesterol can raise your blood cholesterol levels, the bigger culprit in elevated cholesterol levels is saturated fat. Foods that originate from animals are the only source of dietary cholesterol.

The basis of a cholesterol lowering diet revolves around eating a mostly plant based diet rich in cholesterol-lowering foods. In fact this approach has been shown to as effective as using statin drugs to lower cholesterol. This was proved out during a recent study showing that people who ate a rich diet of cholesterol lowering foods, such as soy protein, almonds, plant sterol-enriched margarines and natural fiber from oats, psyllium, okra, and eggplant for one year resulted in a 20% decrease in cholesterol, which is comparable to taking statins.

After starting a cholesterol lowering diet your levels will generally begin to recede after two to three weeks. When starting this type of diet the first thing you need to do is increase your fiber intake. This can be done by increasing the amounts of fruits, lots of vegetables, and whole grain products. The other thing that needs to be closely watched is the intake of saturated fat.

The reason for this is simple; nothing increases cholesterol levels quite like saturated fat. There are four main types of fat. The first two increase LDL cholesterol and need to be avoided.

1. Saturated fat found in most animal products, fast foods, and some vegetables should be avoided or at the least limited. Saturated vegetable fats include hydrogenated shortening, palm oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter.

2. Hydrogenated or Trans-Fat is found in margarine and vegetable shortening.

The two fats that can be eaten in moderation and can help decrease total cholesterol and keep levels of the good cholesterol (HDL) high include:

3. Monounsaturated Fat is found in olive and canola oil.

4. Polyunsaturated Fat is found in safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn and sesame oils.

The best foods for a cholesterol lowering diet are high in starch and fiber and are a good substitute for foods that contain high amounts of saturated fat. You do have to be careful because although foods from plants do not contain cholesterol some do contain saturated fat, such as avocados. Recently the American Heart Association began to recommend that people who have high LDL cholesterol eat foods fortified with plant sterols. These foods that have been fortified with sterols or stanols help block the body\’s absorption of cholesterol.

The thing to remember when undertaking a cholesterol lowering diet is that foods that contain high amounts of complex carbohydrates, if eaten plain, are low in saturated fat and cholesterol and contain the vitamins, minerals, and fiber you body needs. A healthy diet is the first step to successfully lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease that is associated with high levels.

To learn more about a Cholesterol Lowering Diet please visit the websiteLowering Cholesterol by clicking here.

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