Cholesterol at Cure Help Health Tips

 

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Cholesterol Articles, Tips and Information

Basic Information About Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance that is found in every cell of the body. It is involved in the production of cell membranes, some hormones, vitamin D, bile acids, and other tissues in the body. It also insulates nerves. Cholesterol is produced in the liver, but we also get cholesterol from our diet.

The amount of cholesterol in the body depends on factors such as the rate of cholesterol production in the liver, the rate of cholesterol clearance from the body, the amount of dietary fat (particularly saturated fat) and to a lesser extent, cholesterol consumed.

High cholesterol is one of the major contributors to heart disease.

The excess cholesterol in our body circulates in the bloodstream. High levels of cholesterol in the blood can clog blood vessels and increase the risk fro heart disease and stroke.

 

Different types of Cholesterol

Low-Density Lipoprotein (or LDL) cholesterol is a bad type of cholesterol that is most likely to clog blood vessels, increasing you risk for heart disease. High-Density Lipoprotein (or HDL) cholesterol is a good type of cholesterol. HDL cholesterol helps clear the LDL cholesterol out of the blood and reduces your risk for heart disease.

 

Cholesterol & Heart Disease

Research strongly indicates that lowering of cholesterol leads to a drop in the occurrence of heart disease. The main reason for this is because with less blood cholesterol, there is less plaque formation within the arterial walls. This will reduce the chances or an artery becoming blocked and causing a heart attack or stroke. Also, blood will flow through arteries with greater ease and this can lower blood pressure.

 

Reasons which lead to a Rise in Cholesterol:

Poor eating habits
Smoking
Excess weight or Obesity
Heredity factor
Daily Stress
Over Alcohol consumption

Ways to control or lessen Cholesterol:

 

Good eating habits
It is very important to follow good eating habits in order to lower your cholesterol.

 

Regular exercising
Experts recommend at least 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity five days a week for at least 12 weeks for significant cholesterol reduction.

 

Weight loss and maintaining it
You can lower your LDL (“bad cholesterol”) and elevate your HDL (“good cholesterol”) just by dropping some pounds.

 

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As always, before you attempt to self medicate or try a new health regimen or program we suggest you retain the services of a qualified health care professional.

 

Healthy Choices to Lower Your Cholesterol

 

Heart disease and stroke are often triggered by high cholesterol in the blood. Lowering your cholesterol for some is just a matter of changing your diet. Others may need to diet and the help of medications prescribed by their doctor. Either way, lowering your cholesterol can save your life.

 

Changing your diet to lose weight is not the same as changing your diet to control your cholesterol level. While losing weight will certainly improve your health, you also need to monitor your diet to exclude foods that are causing your high cholesterol levels.

 

Monitoring your diet does not mean giving up all the foods you love. Many foods are healthy and good for you. For instance, a good variety of fruits and vegetables (with five or more servings per day), grain products like bread, cereal, rice, and pasta (choose six or more servings per day). In addition, lean meats and poultry (without skin and up to 6 ounces per day), fat-free and low fat milk, beans and peas, nuts and seeds in limited amounts, and fatty fish (which can be baked or broiled, but limited to 2-3 servings per week). You should use vegetable oils like olive oil or corn oil when preparing your foods. There is also a large assortment of spices to give your food that extra pizzazz.

 

Eating healthier involves knowing how to prepare your foods and changing your diet. If you are not able to lower your cholesterol by diet and exercise alone, your doctor may have to prescribe medication.

 

Dieting and eating healthier to lower your cholesterol will improve your quality of life and significantly reduce your risk of other health problems. High cholesterol is a serious health problem, and you can take action to avoid further health complications.

 

For more information about lowering your cholesterol, visit Lower Cholesterol

 

Cholesterol Reduction and Teas

 

According to Dutch Medical Institute of Heart Disease research, drinking tea protects against the build-up of cholesterol in the arteries, especially in women. Results indicated that people who drank one to two cups of tea a day were 46% less likely to develop severe atherosclerosis, rising to 69% in those who drank four cups of tea a day. The protective benefit of tea was most pronounced among women. The authors acknowledge that at least in the West, people who drink tea generally have a healthier lifestyle and diet, which may account for the findings. In this study, for example, the researchers found that people who drank more tea tended to be lean, had a healthy diet, and smoked less.

 

There are a number of foods you should omit from your diet if you want to lower your cholesterol. Whole milk and ice cream should be avoided. Additionally, butter, egg yolks, and cheese and foods that include them should be removed from your diet. Finally, organ meats like liver, high-fat processed meats (like sausage and hot dogs), and limit your intake of fried foods.

 

However the fairly high levels of antioxidant flavonoids in black tea are thought to protect against arterial plaques, the fatty deposits that clog arteries, by preventing fat from being deposited on artery walls. Green tea appears to speed up calorie burning, including fat calorie burning, according to researchers from the University of Geneva in Switzerland. The study authors report that, compared with placebo, treatment with green tea was associated with a "significant increase" (+4%) in daily energy expenditure. They believe that the caffeine interacts with the flavonoids in tea to alter the body's use of norepinephrine, a chemical transmitter in the nervous system, and increase the rate of calorie burning (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, November 1999).

 

In Japan, a study of 1,306 males who received the retirement health examination at the Self-Defense Forces Fukuoka Hospital between October 1996 and December 1998, showed serum total cholesterol levels were found to be inversely related to the consumption of green tea while no association was noted with serum triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Adjusted mean concentrations of total cholesterol were 8 mg/dl lower in men drinking nine cups or more of green tea per day than in those consuming zero to two cups per day.

 

Another Japanese study found that "the main constituent of green tea, EGCG, is a practical cancer chemopreventive agent available in everyday life The British Medical Journal has published a Japanese study on the benefits of green tea consumption in preventing cardiovascular disease, liver disorders and possibly cancer.

 

The study, begun in 1996, concerned 1371 men over the age of 40. Tea consumption was classified as less than 3 cups, between 4 and 9 cups, and over 10 cups per day. It was found that consumption of green tea was significantly associated with lower serum concentrations of lipids and lipoproteins. "An increase in consumption substantially decreased serum total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, and this strong association remained almost unaltered even after age, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and relative body weight were controlled for."

 

The Good, The Bad, And The Truth About Cholesterol

With all the talks of obesity and America’s race for thin bodies, cholesterol has suffered a beating. It is even one of the main figures in the development of hypertension, that contribute much to coronary heart disease. Often seen as the culprit in “fattening” America, cholesterol has become a food taboo, something that must be avoided at all costs.

 

What people do not know though is that there are two kinds of cholesterol and one kind is actually beneficial to the body. In fact, it is one of the essential substances that our bodies need to maintain balance.

 

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a substance that can be found in fats or in lipids. Lipids are important because it is used to form cell membrane, used to balance hormones and help in other bodily functions. Too much cholesterol though tends to clog the bloodstream, eventually leading to heart disease. And because cholesterol cannot easily dissolved, only transported, the risk of build-up is great. As mentioned earlier, there two kinds of cholesterol, the LDL and the HDL cholesterol.

 

The bad cholesterol

The LDL cholesterol is frequently referred to as the "bad cholesterol" because too much of these can accumulate in the walls of the arteries and clog the blood stream that leads to the heart and the brain. This build up, called atherosclerosis, which can eventually lead to a heart attack or a stroke (brain attack) depending on where the arteries are leading to.High LDL increases the risk for heart disease so it important that it is kept at normal range, which is below 100 mg/dL.

 

The good cholesterol

The HDL cholesterol on the other hand is referred to as the good cholesterol as high levels seem to protect a person from heart disease and hear attacks. According to some experts, instead of staying at the arteries like the LDL, HDL leaves the arteries and instead goes to the liver. In contrast with LDL levels, a low HDL increases the risk for heart attack. Levels of HDL should not be below 40 mg/dL for men and 50 mg/dL for women. Regular exercise has been found to increase the levels of HDL.

 

Cholesterol in food

Foods that come from animals contain cholesterol levels. Just how much depends on the kind of animal food. vegetables however do not contain any cholesterol.

 

In addition to the cholesterol that we get from food, the body is also capable of producing its own cholesterol. This creates a problem in overproduction since we also take in cholesterol through the foods that we eat. Average individuals or those who do not have any heart problems should only take in about 300 milligrams.

 

For people who are already at risk for coronary heart disease and heart attack, physicians recommend the reduction in the intake of cholesterol. They should only take in less than 200 milligrams. Everyone is also advised to keep their consumption of saturated fats to a minimum, as these can significantly help in lowering the risk for heart disease.

 

People, who have severe high blood pressure, are however advised to take in no more than six ounces of lean meat and fish daily. They should also choose the products thatv they buy and ensure that they are fat free or low-fat.

 

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides cholesterol resources on http://www.your-cholesterol-resource.info

 

Killer Cheeseburgers, Cholesterol and Common Sense

 

If I could pronounce it right, I would call cholesterol onomatopoeic. It’s a word that, to me at least, conjures up clogged arteries, fried foods and early death. I probably stand alone on this but when I pronounce it, it sounds like the passage of congealed plaque working their way down your arterial routes. Definitely not pretty, and actually not very right either if you look at the facts.

 

Cholesterol is an entirely natural substance, produced in the human body and other mammals that is a constituent of cell membranes and a precursor to other important proteins. It is the body’s method of transporting and processing cholesterol that is thought to be the problem. I say “thought to be”, because some studies have contradicted other studies when it comes to defining what the correlations with heart disease are. Complex proteins called low density lipoproteins (LDL’s) transport the cholesterol from the liver, where it is produced or processed around the bloodstream to where it is needed, which includes the cell walls. High density lipoproteins (HDL’s) carry the cholesterol back to the liver, where it is processed for excretion, which is thought to be the best direction for the stuff. The main thing to remember is that it is not cholesterol that you should be worried about, it is heart attacks.

 

Cholesterol used to be a generally demonized term until the idea of “good and bad” came about. Back then, the majority of people were not too sure what this substance was. All we knew was that it was present in cheeseburgers, it was very bad for us and it was probably planted by communists. Then scientists started discussing LDL/HDL ratios and reduction pathways and people started to think that maybe these were good molecules after all, and that maybe they just needed to learn the error of their ways.

 

The media has done these misconceptions no favors and it has driven us into a frenzy over good cholesterol, bad cholesterol and functional foods. The fact of the matter is that, as always, there is no quick answer and no easy way. If all we needed to do was to eat some margarine that was high in good cholesterol then we would be laughing all the way to the buffet. Cholesterol is just one of the risk factors in cardiovascular disease. Exercise, weight and a healthy lifestyle are the other essential factors. Stop smoking and drinking excessively and get fit. Obvious advice? Yes, and don’t say you didn’t know it already.

 

III. Physical Activity

If you are not physically active and have a sedementary lifestyle, you have a greater risk for heart disease. Regular exercise can help lower cholesterol level, and has many untold physical benefits. Consult a doctor about a training regimen that suits you. Overexertion is equally bad for the health.

 

Of course it is always easier to take a pill than go jogging and there are some interesting drugs on the market today, with their attendant risks. There are also some other simple ways to lower your risk of heart attacks, by just eating well.

 

Vitamin C alongside its multitude of health benefits is a reduction in cardiovascular risk. Citrus fruits, many vegetables.

Pantothenic Acid available in eggs, milk, fish, whole grain cereals, broccoli.

 

Red Yeast Rice used in traditional Chinese medicine for years and is produced by fermenting with a particular yeast. This is what makes the Chinese dish Peking duck red and it is thought to reduce LDL levels. However I am sure cardiovascular surgeons would not recommend this high fat dish too many times a week.

 

Soy Isoflavones, Garlic and Gugul all help to lower total cholesterol and help the HDL, LDL ratio (a good thing).

CoQ10, Ester C and Vitamin E are a group of powerful antioxidants that prevent dangerous oxidation of cholesterol that can damage the arterial walls and encourage the buildup of plaque.

 

If you want to find which foods are harboring these nutrients – check the National Institute of Health’s Encyclopedia.

These are all also available in supplement form in health stores or online. Before you take anything, be sure to check for interaction with your medication first.

 

Mark is a nutritionist and chemist and currently works as a consultant for a Californian nutraceutical laboratory – Mitamins. Mitamins have developed formulas for hundreds of complaints and diseases and their specialist software can check over 1,600 drugs for interaction with your custom vitamins capsules.

 

Mitamins.com - custom multivitamins with your choice of vitamins, minerals or herbs in one bottle.

Keep Your Cholesterol Down!

Everybody knows that cholesterol has much to do with heart disease. Do not worry too much about the dangers of high cholesterol. Knowing what cholesterol is and how it affects you will undoubtedly help you avoid high cholesterol.

 

1. Cholesterol And Heart Disease

Your blood cholesterol is a major factor in the risk of suffering from heart disease. In fact, the higher your cholesterol level, the greater the chances you have of getting a heart attack. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States. Every year more than a million Americans suffer heart attacks, and half of that number die from heart disease.

2. How Does Cholesterol Cause Heart Disease?

 

When your body has too much cholesterol, it builds up in the walls of your arteries. This causes your arteries to harden. Your arteries, as a result of this, narrow down or get blocked. This reduces the flow of blood through your body. Oxygen is carried throughout your body by blood. If an inadequate supply of oxygen to your heart occurs because of reduced blood flow, you may experience chest pains. And if the blood supply is completely cut off, the result is a heart attack.

 

Unfortunately, high blood cholesterol has no symptoms. So it is hard to gauge the status of your arteries. Whether or not you suffer from heart disease, lowering your cholesterol is important to maintain good health.

 

3. What Affects Cholesterol Levels?

 

I. Diet

- Oils, Eggs, Margarine and Butter
- Saturated fat
- Fatty foods

 

II. Weight

Being overweight is also a factor for heart disease. There is a correlation between weight and cholesterol levels. Following that, losing weight can help lower cholesterol levels.

 

IV. Age and Gender

Cholesterol levels rise as men and women get older. Before menopause, women have lower total cholesterol levels than men of the same age. After menopause these levels have been observed to rise.

 

V. Heredity

High cholesterol levels are sometimes inherited from your ancestors. If your family has a history of heart disease you may want to consult a doctor regarding possible preventive medicine.

 

4. Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC)

You can lower your cholesterol through the help of TLC. It is a set of activities that can help lower your LDL (the bad part of cholesterol). The main parts of TLC are:

 

I. Diet

- Eat low-fat, low-cholesterol meals
- Eat fruits, vegetables and high-fiber grains
- High fiber foods are very effective at ‘sweeping’ away cholesterol

 

II. Weight Management

- Don't be overweight
- Consult a chart to see the recommended weight value for your height, gender, and age
- Scan your body to determine its fat percentage. Healthy bodies will contain fat!

 

III. Physical Activity

- Exercise for 30 minutes per day
- Always consult a medical professional regarding this regimen
- Health is wealth

 

For more great cholesterol related articles and resources check out http://Info-About-Cholesterol.com

 

 

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