why do we need to worry about our high cholesterol levels

8/13/2019 Why Do We Need to Worry About Our High Cholesterol Levels

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22 November 2013

Why Do We Need To Worry About Our

High Cholesterol LevelsBy: - Michael Bennet


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Table of Contents

Topics Page Number Introduction of High Cholesterol Level 3

Different Types of Cholesterol: 3

Interpretations of Cholesterol Numbers: 4

What are the Causes of HighCholesterol?

5

How Cholesterol Affects Our Health? 5

Control High Cholesterol with NaturalRemedies:

6

Secondly, prop up with enoughexercise:

6

Lastly, the credit from some herbalremedies:

7


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High Cholesterol Levels

High cholesterol is a health related concern about which very few people are utterly aware and therefore needs to be

tackled in detail. High cholesterol is actually a devastating health issue which creeps up on you without showing

any early symptom.

It is a common health problem for many Americans and one in six individual appeared to have borderline highcholesterol levels. This statistics may make you think that since it is too common, it wont be having serious healthrisks. But you are absolutely wrong here.

High blood cholesterol levelsincrease your risk of blood vessel diseases and heart diseasessuch as coronary

artery disease, heart attack and stroke. Its a great hitch in staying healthy and long life.

But did you know that cholesterol is actually a nutrient required by our body to carry out various functions and itsthe level of specific type of cholesterol which is to be blamed. Yes, high amount of bad cholesterol, also known

as low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is the culprit .

Different Types of Cholesterol:

Cholesterol is a type of fat (lipid) made by our body and is also obtained after eating foods such as meat, eggs anddairy products. Its essential for good health and serves the body with different roles such as synthesizing hormones,

helping cell membranes to maintain integrity and making up brain cells and not to mention that cholesterol is found

in every cell in our body.

Cholesterol is transported throughout our body by attaching with a protein in the blood and this combination of fat

and protein is called as lipoprotein. Based on the proportion of fat and protein, there are different types oflipoprotein.

1. High density lipoprotein (HDL):In our body, small amount of cholesterol is transported as HDL inwhich more of protein and less of fatis present. It carries excess cholesterol from walls of arteries and tissues

to our liver for clearance. Thus, HDL helps prevent cholesterol build up in blood vessels and circumvents the

further risks. And so is often referred as good (HDL) cholesterol.

2. Low density lipoprotein (LDL):Most of the cholesterol in our body is transported as LDL whichcontains more of fat and less of protein. LDL takes away cholesterol from our liver to the other cells of the

body. It causes cholesterol build up in the blood vessels which upsurges the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Thus, LDL is often denoted as bad cholesterol.

3. Triglycerides (TG): Its a third type of lipid that mostly comes from fats that we ingestvia food. Energy ornutrients from the food which is not used immediately by the body is converted into triglycerides. These

triglycerides get transported to fat cells for storage which provides us with an important source of stored energy.


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Although most triglycerides are stored as fat, low levels are found in our blood which can be harmful if certain level

is crossed. Increased levels of triglycerides in combination with high LDL in our blood can increase risk of heart

diseases. And if you have diabetes, hypertension or smoking habit, the risk is doubled.

The ratio of high cholesterol and total cholesterolis very important as far as the risk of heart diseases is concerned.

According to theAmerican Heart Association (AHA),the most desirable ratio is at least 5:1 which means if our total

cholesterol is 250, our good cholesterol should be 50. And theideal cholesterol ratio is about 3.5:1.

The key is to aim for high levels of HDL or good cholesterol and low levels of LDL or bad cholesterol. And havinga right type of cholesterol also matters a lot in addition to having lower cholesterol.

Interpretations of Cholesterol Numbers:

Cholesterol levels can be interpreted as milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood in the USA and

other countries while they are interpreted as millimoles (mmol) per liter (L) of blood in Canada and most European

countries. Lets take a look at numbers and their interpretations for the above four types of cholesterol.

About Bad Cholesterol:

LDL cholesterol

mg/dL (US)

LDL cholesterol

mmol/L (Canada)

Interpretation

Below 70 Below 1.8 Ideal for people at very high risk of heart disease

Below 100 Below 2.6 Ideal for people at risk of heart disease

100-129 2.6-3.3 Near ideal

130-159 3.4-4.1 Borderline high

160-189 4.1-4.9 High

190 and above Above 4.9 Very high

About Good Cholesterol:

HDL cholesterol mg/dL

(US)

HDL cholesterol

mmol/L (Canada)

Interpretation

Below 40 (men) Below 1 (men) Poor

Below 50 (women) Below 1.3 (women)40-49 (men) 1-1.3 (men) Better

50-59 (women) 1.3-1.5 (women)

60 and above 1.6 and above Best

About Triglycerides:

Triglycerides mg/dL

(US)Triglycerides mmol/L

(Canada)Interpretation

Below 150 Below 1.7 Desirable


200-499 2.3-5.6 High

500 and above 5.6 and above Very high
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About Total Cholesterol:

Total cholesterol mg/dL

(US)

Total cholesterol m

mol/L (Canada)

Interpretation

Below 200 Below 5.2 Desirable


240 and above Above 6.2 High

All these levels are suggested by MayoClinic which suggests that Canadian and

European guidelines differ somewhat from U.S. guidelines and above conversions are

based on U.S. guidelines.

Thus, people should aim to have less than 100 mg/dL of bad cholesterol (under 70mg/dL if already have heart disease problem), 60 mg/dL or higher of good

cholesterol and less than 150 mg/dL of triglycerides.

What are the Causes of High Cholesterol?

High cholesterol doesnt show up by itself as a normal process of our body but several factors contribute to the

increased levels of cholesterol.And many of these factors are modifiable which means you can improve on them to

lessen the ill effects. So, let us list these factors;

Eating foods which are high in saturated fats such as animal fats, cheese, butter, processed meats and nuts No physical activity or having a sedentary lifestyle Being overweight or obese where body mass index (BMI) is equal to or more than 30 Drinking too much alcohol that leads to toxic effects and also upsurges the level of triglycerides Smoking Uncontrolled diabetes, some kidney and liver diseases or underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) can also

increase cholesterol levels

Well, these factors can be modified with a heedful diet and exercise practice and with other natural remedies .However, factors such as age, gender or family history are not amendable and its just the matter of your fortune.

Cholesterol levels may raise with increasing age therefore its prevalence is more in senior individuals who areabove 50 years of age than the younger ones. In addition, women who have crossed their menopausal age are more

at the risk than the men of same age.

When high cholesterol is caused by a condition that runs in a family it is referred as familial hypercholesterolemia(FH). In the United Kingdom, more cases (one in 500) of high cholesterol can be observed due to this condition

rather than unhealthy lifestyle. Whereas it could be a reverse case for Americans!

How Cholesterol Affects Our Health?

The root cause behind the worse side of the cholesterol which otherwise is essential to body in order to functionproperly occurs due to the buildup of low density lipoproteins in the walls of arteries. When more of this cholesterol

is unnecessarily present than our body needs, it causes formation of plaque in our arteries.

The thick and hard plaque can clog our arteries which avert the sufficient flow and lead tostroke or heart attack.

Increased cholesterol and heart attack: When there is a clog in a coronary artery,heart gets too little oxygenated blood. Lack of enough oxygen in the blood causes ourheart to become weak and dented. In its more severe form, if the plaque gets broken

and opens up, it gives rise to a blood clot on the top of the buildup, further blocking

blood flow. Another possibility is blood clot can break off and flow to an artery in other parts of the body.

When the clot in the artery feeding our heart gets completely blocked, we end up with a heart attack.
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High cholesterol and stroke: The buildup of plaque can also hinder the flow of blood and oxygen to our brain.And when artery providing blood to our brain gets completely blocked we get a stroke.

Despite these health risks ofheart diseasesmany individuals dont give enough importance to testing of cholesterol

levels. Probably because it doesnt impart any symptoms or cause any pain and even the health risks of high

cholesterol are not instant.

But the damage takes place over years of accumulation of cholesterol and high cholesterol in your 20s can

start taking its toll in your 40s and 50s. Therefore you shouldnt neglect your high cholesterol levels and have it

checked regularly to take proper control over it.

Having high cholesterol may not hurt us tomorrow or day after tomorrow but if we dont do something about it, we

will surely pay abysmal cost down the road. Taking right steps for controlling high cholesterol then becomes

imperative.

Control High Cholesterolwith Natural Remedies:

When we go to doctor to examine our cholesterol count, he often prescribes medications like statins to keep the

levels low. But drugs can bring together a whole host of problems or side effects and sometimes may not even work

efficiently. Therefore unplugging from medicines and plugging into natural remedies is best approach.

First comes the food:

Foods (bad foods) have the power of increasing our blood cholesterol levels and they

have the power of reducing it too. Certainfoods can effectively fight high cholesterol

levelsand these foods are high in fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids.

Oats: Having a bowl of oatmeal is a good start to get good amount of solublefiberin our diet. Oat fibers bind with cholesterol molecules in the intestine and

take them out of our body. You can also try soluble fiber from other sources suchas fresh Apple, Broccoli, Spinach or Beans such as Pinto Beans.

Omega-3 fatty acid rich fish: Omega-3 fats present in fishes such as Salmon,Mackerel, Herring or Halibut offers goodness for your increased cholesterollevels.Omega-3s diminish triglyceridesand LDL (bad) cholesterols in the blood. We must opt to have two

servings of such fishes for at least two times a week.

Nuts: Almonds, macadamia nuts and walnuts helps maintain health of the blood vessels of the heart. Being richin polyunsaturated fats, they fight against bad cholesterol . Try to have 2 ounces of nuts to reduce

cholesterol.

Olive oil: Replace unhealthy cooking oils in your kitchen with healthy ones such as olive oil. It is rich inantioxidants which supports the production of good cholesterol.

Garlic: Several research studies indicate that garlic help arrest the formation of plaque and clogging of arteriesby preventing the attachment of cholesterolmolecules to the walls of arteries.

Secondly, prop up with enough exercise:

The linkbetween exercise and reduced cholesterol stems from its weightreducing ability. Because being overweight or obese is the biggest risk

factor of high cholesterol. Physical activity also supports the transport

of bad cholesterol from blood vessels to the liver and small intestine

from where they can be easily eliminated out of the body.

We all must follow the principle of 30 minutes of regular exercise that will benefits us control cholesterol and

maintain good health. Some researchers also suggest that vigorous type of exercise offers more value than moderate

or low intensity exercise.
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Another important aspect of exercise is a mix up of different activitiesrather than just doing a same activity for 30

minutes daily. Because each offer specificheart health benefitfor example, aerobic exercise help us get our heart

rate up while strength training help build strong muscles.

Lastly, the credit from some herbal remedies:

Naturally available herbs ranging from Garlic, Guggulipid, fenugreek seeds and

leaves,Arjuna,artichoke leaves to yarrow and holy basiloffer a positive effect in lowering

blood cholesterol levels. Besides these natural herbs, there are several herbal supplements which

are prepared by combining different herbs.

Abana from Himalaya and Mangosteen from Savesta are two of the renowned cholesterollowering herbal medicines. Natural ingredients present in Abana effectively reduce LDL, VLDL (very low densitylipoprotein) and triglycerides which keeps our cholesterol levels on the right track.

OnlineHerbsis one of the leading online herbal stores to avail these cholesterol lowering herbal remedies. My

experience ofbuying Abana onlinefor my mom was quite good, just see how it works for you and dont forget to

post the comments about how you feel it.

This is all about cholesterol, its types, effects on health and important natural remedies to control high cholesterol. Itmust be now clear that why do we need to worry about our high cholesterol levels. So, lets start fighting our high

cholesterol levels from today itself!

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