Moderate alcohol consumption linked to healthy hearts
Calgary, Canada (AHN) – Two reports came out this week linking moderate alcohol consumption with significantly lower risks of developing heart disease.
The two reports from the University of Calgary, both published in the British Medical Journal, concluded that people who drink in moderation are 14 to 25 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who don’t drink at all.
One of the studies says the reason is likely because alcohol raises a person’s high density lipoprotein cholesterol, or so-called “good cholesterol.” This has a protective effect on the heart.
The researchers acknowledged that previous research linked moderate drinking with reduced heart disease risk, but they said in a statement that those studies were out-of-date and needed updating.
The researchers also stressed moderation. This means about one glass of wine, beer or other alcoholic beverage a day for women and about two for men.
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Mediterranean Diet Can Lower Cholesterol
You’ve probably all heard about the health benefits of eating a Mediterranean diet, right? This diet that’s high in nuts, fish, legumes, fruits and vegetables, has been shown to even prevent type II diabetes and lower heart disease risk. According to new research, this popular diet can also help reduce cholesterol levels.
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Reduce Heart Attack Risks With Diet And Exercise
High cholesterol and heart disease have shown that go hand in hand. It is so important if you have high cholesterol as low as soon as possible. There are many simple things you can start doing every day to lower your cholesterol. This article will show three elegant and simple things you can do:
Less fat – there are fats that are more likely to increase the risk factors of heart disease. These fats are commonly found in animal foods such as cheese, meat and butter. These fats are also present in foods made with coconut and palm oil. Stay away from these foods.
More fiber – get your fiber from natural foods such as vegetables, nuts and cereals decrease the risk of heart disease.
Magnesium, selenium, chromium and potassium are essential minerals. It is important to note that a daily multiple vitamin does not provide the proper amount or type of essential nutrients. Choose a font that is not synthetic from whole foods. The amino acids lysine and proline in combination with vitamin C (Pauling therapy) can be used for advanced protection against heart disease.
There are many causes of heart disease. Most heart diseases are caused by high blood pressure contributes to hardening of the arteries. High levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) accumulate in the arteries as a result of uncontrolled diet with high levels of saturated fats and trans fats. All these add to the formation of atherosclerotic arterial lesions and, finally, blocking or anything that serves to damage the inner lining of blood vessels and prevents the transport of oxygen and nutrition to the heart can be defined as a heart disease risk.
People see sparkling zigzag lines or loss of vision before a migraine attack may be at particular risk of future cardiovascular problems. In general, headaches do not cause heart disease, but a sudden onset, severe pain explosive can.
Cow’s milk, ignoring for the moment the fact that this product was not designed by nature to human beings, has changed considerably over the past century. Now break down fat molecules in milk particles are easily absorbed by homogenization, and feed these foods to our children, resulting in cases of atherosclerosis by the age of five years.
Turning to the measures, the most dangerous risk factor is smoking and contributions. Therefore, smoking in any amount that must be followed. Even coffee, drink or chewing snuff should be avoided, since they block the arteries and restricts blood flow in the body. Secondly, people turn more aggressive often found to be more prone to heart disease. Hypertension makes the heart beat slower and with less force, so it is somewhat boring. Therefore, the situation of high blood pressure occurs.
How many times have you seen the Cheerios commercial that tells you to eat Cheerios can lower your cholesterol? Well they’re right! Meal whole grain cereals can actually help lower cholesterol a bit!
Lower Cholesterol Will Help Reduce Heart Disease Risk
This article discusses the risks involved with having a high cholesterol level. It discusses how lower cholesterol will improve significantly your risk of heart disease.
Do you personally need a lower cholesterol reading to help reduce heart disease risk? If you do not know the answer, then it is highly important that you consult your doctor to have tests taken. There are multiple risks involved, if untreated.
Many people do not realize that high cholesterol plays a role in increasing the chance of developing heart disease. Paying attention to having a lower cholesterol reading is important.
Cholesterol is not all bad as it is an essential building block for new cells; it produces hormones in the body and it serves as insulation for nerves. Cholesterol comes from two sources – it is produced by the liver and also comes from food sources that are animal based, examples being eggs, meat and milk. A certain amount of cholesterol is necessary but when it gets to be too much, it constitutes a high risk factor for heart disease. At that point, achieving a lower cholesterol reading is extremely important.
High cholesterol is a widespread problem. When there is too much cholesterol circulating in the blood it ends up building up in the artery walls and if this problem is left unchecked then atherosclerosis (or hardening of the arteries) takes place. The arteries do not really harden but they instead narrow and cause blood flow to and from the muscle of the heart to become blocked or slowed down tremendously. Blood carries oxygen back and forth to the heart and a narrowing of the walls of the arteries makes it difficult for the sufficient passage of blood and oxygen to take place. Chest discomfort and pain is often noted when atherosclerosis is taking place. When the supply of blood is totally cut off to any areas of the heart, the consequence of this is a heart attack.
There are basically two different kinds of cholesterol. There is the low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is often commonly called in laymans terms, “bad” cholesterol and the high-density lipoprotein (HDL), which is the “good” cholesterol. The letters correspond with how the cholesterol circulates in the bloodstream and delineate the amount of proteins and cholesterol. For example, LDL has a great deal of cholesterol but a minimum of protein whereas HDL has lower cholesterol (minimal) and a tremendous amount of protein. It is LDL cholesterol that is responsible for causing plaque to clog the arteries whereas the HDL or good cholesterol helps get rid of the bad cholesterol from the bloodstream. Another type of fat that is found in the bloodstream is triglyceride. More and more research is being done into triglycerides all of the time and they have been found in high amounts to be connected with the development of heart disease.
High cholesterol in and of itself does not produce any symptoms therefore it is essential to have your cholesterol levels checked through a simple blood test in order to determine what your HDL and LDL levels are. It is recommended by the medical community that every individual over the age of 20 years should have their cholesterol levels checks at least once in a five-year period. The blood analysis that is used to determine cholesterol levels is known as a lipoprotein profile. Four measurements will be taken on a cholesterol test and these include the total cholesterol level, the LDL “bad” cholesterol, the HDL “good” cholesterol and the triglycerides.
A person whose total cholesterol is less than 200 (lower cholesterol) is at a desirable rate; total cholesterol that is 200 to 239 is borderline high and 240 and over is high. LDL cholesterol that is less than 100 is optimal, while 100 to 129 is near optimal or above optimal and with HDL, the higher the number, the better it is. HDL cholesterol that measures 60 or more is at a desirable rate while less than 400 considered a major risk factor. Triglycerides that are less than 150 are at a normal or desirable rate while 150 to 199 is borderline high and 200 or more is high and may necessitate the need for medication in some individuals.
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