High Cholesterol
High cholesterol is a problem shared by millions of people around the world. Cholesterol, a waxy substance found in the foods we eat, can build up in the blood if people take in too much of the fatty substance. Too much cholesterol can build up in the arteries, causing the arteries to narrow or become clogged. This can lead to catastrophic heart attacks and other forms of heart disease.
Avoiding high cholesterol levels can be difficult in today’s world. Many people don’t take the time to exercise as often as they should. Meanwhile, fast food restaurants and process foods are staples in the diets of many American families. This combination of inactivity and unhealthy dieting has caused high cholesterol to become a growing, widespread problem that commands immediate attention. High cholesterol is easy to check for. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize they have a problem until it’s too late.
The Faces of High Cholesterol
If you don’t think high cholesterol could affect you, think again. High cholesterol is a serious health problem that affects more than 98 million adults in the United States. Listed here are some statistics showing how high cholesterol impacts different demographics of people: Roughly 42 percent of white men and 48 percent of white women have borderline to high cholesterol. Of those, 14 percent of men and 18 percent of women have dangerously high cholesterol levels. That’s nearly one in five.
Among African Americans, roughly 35 percent of men and 41 percent of women have borderline to high cholesterol, with 8 percent of men and 13 percent of women having dangerously high cholesterol levels. That’s a rough average of one in 10.
Mexican Americans are the most likely to experience high cholesterol, with roughly 52 percent of men and 48 percent of women having borderline to high cholesterol levels. Of those, roughly 18 percent of men and 15 percent of women have dangerously high cholesterol levels. This demographic is unique because men are more likely to have higher cholesterol levels than women.
High Cholesterol Screening Tests
Do you have high cholesterol? The only way to know for certain is to get tested by your doctor. A quick, easy blood test is all you need to see how high your cholesterol levels are. There are two types of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein. Low-density lipoprotein is known as the “bad cholesterol,” and it’s this number that matters most when gauging your overall health.
Doctors recommend that all adults have their cholesterol levels tested at least once every five years. High cholesterol is a cumulative problem, meaning it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years to develop problematic cholesterol levels. Likewise, it takes time, treatment and healthy lifestyle choices for your cholesterol to return to safe levels.
Treating High Cholesterol
If you have high cholesterol, your doctor will likely recommend a steady regimen of diet in exercise in addition to other lifestyle changes. You may be asked to visit a personal trainer or a physical therapist to learn exercises that will benefit you over time. Meeting with a physical health expert is highly recommended for people who have never worked out for any length of time.
In addition to these lifestyle changes, cholesterol-thinning drugs may be prescribed by your primary care physician. These medications help your body break down cholesterol and prevent the onset of heart disease. There are also numerous types of food that share the same qualities as these medications. Consider meeting with a nutritionist as you undergo your treatment for high cholesterol.
What Causes High Cholesterol?
High cholesterol is a condition that occurs when there is too much cholesterol in the bloodstream. Cholesterol plays an important role in the functioning of the entire body. It carries fat through the bloodstream to help build cells and hormones in the body, and helps the body to produce Vitamin D. However, if there is too much cholesterol in the body, it can be a contributing cause for many diseases.
Our bodies produce 80 percent of our total cholesterol, with the remaining 20 percent coming from foods we consume. High cholesterol occurs when we consume more cholesterol in our diets than the body needs. While cholesterol comes from foods from animal sources, such as meat, dairy products, and eggs, recent studies have shown that some types of cholesterol are worse for us than others.
High Cholesterol
The bad type of high cholesterol is low-density lipoprotein (LDL). When LDL cholesterol flows through the bloodstream, it has a tendency to stick to the artery walls in the form of plaque. As arteries become more and more clogged, blood flow becomes restricted. A blockage to the heart can cause a heart attack, while a blockage to the brain can lead to a stroke.
The good type of high cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), carries cholesterol, including the plaque lining the artery walls, to the liver, where it is excreted from your system.
If you are diagnosed with high cholesterol, it is important to consult your doctor and get started on a program to bring your cholesterol back to healthy levels.
High Cholesterol Symptoms
High cholesterol is when one has an excess amount of cholesterol in his or her bloodstream. This cholesterol often comes from the foods that are consumed; however, a small portion of this cholesterol is made by the body naturally due to genetics.
There are two ways to control and reduce cholesterol levels. The most effective way is through a change in diet that reduces the amount of foods high in carbohydrates and trans fats consumed, as they are often linked to high cholesterol.
For more severe cases of high cholesterol, medicines can also be prescribed to help lower cholesterol levels to safe amounts. However, it is very important that one consults with a doctor before taking any medication to reduce cholesterol due to the serious side effects that may arise.
High cholesterol is often linked to coronary problems such as strokes and heart attacks and can thus be potentially lethal. The best thing is to avoid high cholesterol as it is important that you constantly monitor its level.
If the amount of cholesterol in one’s body has not reached high amounts, it cannot be easily noticed. Hence, many people use special electronic devices to monitor their cholesterol levels. However, if the amount of cholesterol in your body reaches incredibly high amounts, some physical effects may begin to appear.
For example, high cholesterol can lead to xanthoma. Xanthoma is a thickening of your tendons as cholesterols build up in them. High cholesterol has also been linked to xanthelasma palpabrum and arcus senelis. Xanthelasma palpabrum is the development of yellow spots on the eyelids due to excess cholesterol, while arcus senelis is a discoloration of the pupils, making them appear white. Apart from this, if you become tired very fast, this may be another sign of high cholesterol.
Obviously, coronary medical problems can also be directly linked to the effects of high cholesterol. There are no clear cut symptoms of high cholesterol and it can often go unnoticed. Therefore it is very important that you monitor your cholesterol level using the electronic devices that help you measure the amount of cholesterol in your body. These electronic devices are fairly inexpensive and are fairly accurate. There are more accurate methods of determining cholesterol levels in your body; however these methods are also much more expensive.
With the progress of new technology in the science and medicine world, new devices, which are more accurate in measuring cholesterol levels, are being created. However, at the current time demand is high and so is the price. You will not notice the effects of high cholesterol until it may be too late. Hence the best thing to do is to avoid high cholesterol in the first place by constantly monitoring it.
Dangers of High Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is an important component of the cell membranes in the human body and serves several essential functions. It is naturally produced in the liver, which is also capable of removing cholesterol from the blood stream. Cholesterol is also present in certain foods, such as meat and dairy products.
The two components of cholesterol of major interest are LDL (or low density lipoproteins), and HDL (or high density lipoproteins). LDL is more commonly known in its role as the “bad cholesterol”, while HDL is referred to as the “good cholesterol”. In reality, there really is no good or bad as both serve a purpose within the body and are essential to health.
The dangers in high cholesterol result from high levels of LDL, which are associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease. The LDL, or low density lipoproteins, leaves deposits of cholesterol on arterial walls. In time this forms into a thick plaque which will eventually thicken the arterial walls and cause a narrowing of the artery.
This process is referred to as atherosclerosis. In addition to decreasing the blood flow to major organs, such as the heart and the brain, portions of these plaques can break off and form blood clots. These blood clots formed from the arterial plaque can lead directly to a heart attack or stroke.
HDL, or high density lipoprotein, gets its “good guy” designation from the ability to reduce atherosclerosis by removing plaque from arterial walls and cycling them through the liver where they can be removed from the body. Thus it is desirable to lower the levels of LDL, and increasing the levels of HDL.
Many physicians have become firm believers in the potential benefits of lowering the LDL. Among those benefits are slowing the formation of new cholesterol plaques, reducing existing plaques, and widening narrowed arteries. And of course, the very big health benefit of decreasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
5 Diseases Linked to High Cholesterol
High cholesterol is related to a raised risk of cardiovascular disease. That may involve stroke, coronary heart problem, and also peripheral vascular condition. High cholesterol additionally has been connected to high blood pressure as well as diabetes mellitus. In order to avoid as well as take care of these health issues, collaborate with your medical professional to find what actions you should get to lower your cholesterol levels.
Below are 5 diseases that linked to high cholesterol levels:
1. Coronary Heart Disease
The major threat coming from high cholesterol is coronary heart disease. When the cholesterol level is extremely high, cholesterol could accumulate inside the surfaces of your arteries. Gradually, this particular accumulation — referred to as plaque — results in hardening for the arteries or atherosclerosis. This creates arteries to end up being narrowed, that slows down the blood circulation to the heart muscle. Decreased blood circulation could lead to angina (chest discomfort) or in a heart attack in case a blood vessel has obstructed entirely.
2. Stroke
Atherosclerosis triggers arteries which bring about the brain to end up being narrowed or even blocked out. When a vessel delivering blood to the brain is obstructed entirely, you might get a stroke.
3. Peripheral Vascular Disease
High cholesterol additionally has been connected to peripheral vascular problem. It pertains to conditions of capillary beyond the heart as well as brain. In this particular health condition, fatty sediments accumulate throughout artery surfaces then have an effect on blood flow. This happens primarily in arteries which induce the legs as well as feet.
4. Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus may distress the proportion between HDL and LDL cholesterol levels. Individuals having diabetes mellitus have the tendency to possess LDL particles which cling to arteries and also harm capillary walls much more easily. Glucose (a form of sugar) connects to lipoproteins (a cholesterol-protein bundle which allows cholesterol to go through blood stream).
Sugar-coated LDL stays in the blood stream even longer and also might result in the development of plaque. Individuals experiencing diabetes mellitus usually possess low HDL as well as high triglyceride (yet another type of blood fat) levels. Each of these increases the threat for heart and artery disease.
5. High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure (usually referred to as hypertension) and high cholesterol additionally is connected. Once the arteries end up being solidified and narrowed by cholesterol plaque as well as calcium, the heart needs to strain considerably harder to push blood stream through them. Because of this, blood pressure turns into extraordinarily high. Hypertension is likewise connected to heart disease.
Keep A Sense On High Cholesterol Symptoms
No matter what is your age, you should ask for a risk assessment of high cholesterol symptoms if there has been a family history of early heart disease or stroke.
In your family, if a parent, sibling or child has one of the hereditary lipid disorders such as hypercholesterolemia or combined hyperlipidaemia or in case a male member or a female member before reaching age of 55 years and 65 years respectively has acquired any of these conditions, there is an alert to get yourself examined by your general physician.
How’s your cholesterol? If you haven’t had a test in the last 5 years, it may be time to book an appointment with your general physician.
The NHS acclaims that every 5 years; you should get yourself tested for high cholesterol symptoms. As a part of cardiovascular health risk assessment, this step becomes important between the age brackets from 40 to 74.
A simple tool named “risk factor calculator’ is available with your doctor or a nurse which helps you know using simple factors like family history, age, sex, blood pressure, as well as your cholesterol levels and whether you smoke or not.
What do you think of reducing your cholesterol level to a safer level? Here come 11 simple lifestyle tips to get rid of high cholesterol symptoms within in six months.
1. Routine Bull’s Eye:
Do you know you’ve got to get your cholesterol number down, but how low do you need to go? Depending on your personal and family history of heart disease, as well as whether you have cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking.
Low density lipoprotein, or LDL, is commonly known as ‘bad’ cholesterol. High density lipoprotein, or HDL, is often referred to as ‘good’ cholesterol. ‘Total cholesterol’ is a measure of LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and other lipid components. If you already have cardiovascular disease, your aim is to get your total cholesterol down to less than 4.0mmol/l and LDL cholesterol to under 2.0mmol/l. If you don’t already have cardiovascular disease the aim is to lower your total cholesterol level to less than 5.0mmol/l and LDL cholesterol to under 3mmol/l.
2. Medication:
Visit your doctor who may suggest a cholesterol lowering medicine with statins, if your cardiovascular risk is high.
3. Get Set Move:
According to NHS at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, or as many days of the week can help raise HDL good cholesterol from lower cholesterol up by 10%.
4. Say no to Saturated Fat:
Foods containing high weight of saturated fat are: Meat, Sausages, butter, ghee, lard, cream, hard cheese, cake biscuits, coconut or palm oil.
5. Say yes to More Fibre:
The British Dietetic Association praises fruits, vegetables, whole grains like pulses, oats, beans, barely, as well as fibre products containing psyllium. These are rich in soluble fibre, heart healthy antioxidants, also dietary fibre.
6. Eat Fish:
The British Heart Foundation recommends oily fish, which can help control your cholesterol. Eating two shares of fish a week, one being oily fish like salmon, mackerel or sardines are good sources of cholesterol-lowering omega-3 fatty acids, which some studies show help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Plant sources such as soya beans, grape seed oil, linseeds (flaxseeds), walnuts and their oils, are too the sources of omega 3s.
7. Drink Healthy:
Balanced intake of alcohol can increase the HDL good cholesterol. As per the British heart foundation says, one drink a day for women, and two drinks for men are safe. Excess consumption is unsafe. It doesn’t mean you start drinking if you don’t do it already.
8. Go Green Tea:
Ponder green tea in your kettle. This contains compounds catechins that may help lower cholesterol. As per studies and research, consumption of green tea every days help lowering cholesterol.
9. Put Nuts in your Diet:
Ponder nuts in your diet every day, which helps lower cholesterol. Walnuts and almonds are richly beneficial. Be Careful of the calories, so restrict to a balanced portion in a day.
10. Revise Spreads:
Spreads and other foods stimulated with cholesterol-lowering plant compounds called stanols and sterols can help cut high cholesterol and also retain normal cholesterol levels.
11. Get Out Smoke Habits:
Smoking lowers the good cholesterol and is a major threat to heart disease.
7 Easy Steps for Treating High Cholesterol During Pregnancy
A short while ago, research studies have revealed that pregnant women who possess high blood cholesterol levels are at risk of getting pre-eclampsia, a dangerous health condition in which the pregnant woman’s blood pressure comes to be alarmingly high which is specifically connected to pregnancy as well as high cholesterol. These cholesterol adverse effects otherwise given under control may result in seizures which are going to threaten the life of the mother as well as the expected baby.
In the course of pregnancy, the majority of medical professionals advise that merely diet as well as physical exercise be employed in order to manage cholesterol.
This is typically fine, due to the fact that: pregnant women are commonly young, and high cholesterol brings about issues in middle age as well as old age (therefore no prompt issues should occur). Women are pregnant for merely a fairly brief amount of time (even though it appears forever during the time), and the long-term threat of heart problem in case cholesterol is not managed for 9 or 10 months is experienced to be pretty minimal (even though this has not been examined).
According to recent thinking, it is because of the impact of raised levels of estrogens and also progesterone on your liver. They’ll get back down soon after delivery, and they’ll get back down even quicker with breastfeeding, that prevents estrogens.
Try to adopt the steps suggested for a healthy and balanced cholesterol level.
Easy Steps for Treating High Cholesterol During Pregnancy
Step 1
Considering that pregnancy demands you to take in additional calories and also stay away from a number of food items, it is essential to look for the recommendations of a nutrition professional prior to attempting to manage your high cholesterol by means of your diet regimen.
Step 2
Come out with more fibre into your diet plan. Both soluble and insoluble fibre have been proven to aid lower cholesterol in a large number of individuals and could be discovered in food items which are suitable for a pregnant woman’s diet regimen, including veggies, fruits, as well as whole grains like oatmeal.
Step 3
Get in touch with your physician whether or not a decrease in the quantity of fat you consume is recommended in the course of your pregnancy. Your doctor might recommend you to take in a particular quantity of fat every day for the neurological health of your baby yet may advise you to look for much healthier resources for it like the monounsaturated fats discovered in olive oil and avocados.
Step 4
Talk about workout alternatives with your physician. Women who remain active early in pregnancy might possess much lower cholesterol levels in comparison to those who unwind, new research study indicates. In case you have been working out regularly prior to your pregnancy, you ought to have the ability to carry on working out during most of your pregnancy. Nevertheless, your physician might suggest you against participating in high-impact aerobics that might place excessive tension on your heart.
Step 5
Try to exercise on low-impact cardio equipments like elliptical treadmills as well as stationary bikes. These types of equipments enable you to boost your heart rate to an appropriate level without placing extra pressure on your joints as well as back. Bear in mind that exercise aids lower cholesterol levels regardless if it features day-to-day tasks such as stair climbing, lawn mowing, vacuuming, or gardening or a structured workout program. Workout aids lower cholesterol levels by means of boosting the quantity of HDL cholesterol (good one) within your blood stream while at the same time decreasing the quantity of LDL cholesterol (bad one).
Step 6
Give yourself to a bunch of water right after working out as well as during the day. Through staying away from sugar as well as caffeinated drinks, you could maintain your triglycerides low during pregnancy — a crucial factor in sustaining a low cholesterol level.
Step 7
Acknowledge that the majority of medical professionals do not bother too much regarding high cholesterol in pregnant women. The majority of do not think that 9 months of neglected high cholesterol gives a high threat to the general health and wellness of their pregnant patients.
In short, pregnant women are recommended to minimize cholesterol side effects by means of eating healthy, working out routinely, taking in a lot of water, as well as preventing alcohol and tobacco smoking, including second hand smoke.
What Can You Do To Treat High Cholesterol Naturally?
To start with, if you are already taking medicine to reduce your Cholesterol then you wants to modify this. But never just stop using your tablets. It is quite challenging to wean your entire body off specific statins and you ought to consult with your medical practitioner and build the greatest way for you to quit.
Secondly, you need to have to function on minimizing the inflammation. There is no “rapid resolve”. The inflammation and injury has possibly been developing very slowly more than a interval of numerous many years. The answer shouldn’t consider that lengthy but could nicely involve a number of months of gradual treatment method. Diet plan is essential but so is a new health supplement, created to aid very clear arteries and reduce inflammation in a organic way.
Meals to Stay away from
Modern research has revealed main flaws in the conventional recommendations to lower out butter, dairy, eggs, red meat and so on. The true enemy is processed foods. These are the primary contributors to irritation:
- Ingesting plenty of sugars and processed flour (grains)
- Processed food items
- Food items cooked at higher temperatures
- Trans fats
- Oxidised Cholesterol (overcooked eggs)
- Smoking cigarettes
- Lack of physical exercise
- Pressure
Meals to Enhance
- Food items that contains organic omega 3 (oily fish)
- Improve consumption of raw foods – especially vegetables
- Consume eggs lightly cooked with yolks intact (keep away from scrambled)
- Use olive oil or coconut oil in cooking
- Avocados, raw nuts and seeds are excellent
- Try to eat grass fed meat – ideally natural
- Fresh salads
- Increase exercise
Ethozyme II is an all organic enzyme overall health supplement which has been exclusively and scientifically formulated to give a synergist, all-goal system to drastically enhance well being & wellbeing and combat condition. It is very useful for many various well being conditions, but is specifically very good at combating cardiovascular vascular illness, atherosclerosis, plaque formation in the arteries, and thrombosis. This, in switch, greatly minimizes the danger of stroke which is the world’s commonest cause of premature demise.
A basic 6 months course of therapy gets rid of a long time of arterial plaque develop-up.
As the irritation decreases then so will your generation of Cholesterol. Not only will this please your physician but it really should also drastically reduce your threat of coronary heart attack and/or stroke.
How to Prevent High Cholesterol
The total cholesterol should be around 200 or below, the LDL cholesterol levels should be 70 to 129, and the HDL levels should be around 60 for optimum health.
1. A High Fibre Diet
The best way to prevent high cholesterol levels is to stick with a healthy diet that consists of many high fibre foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Fibre is very important because it helps to eliminate bad cholesterol from the intestines before it gets absorbed into the body. This naturally helps to prevent and lower high cholesterol, and at the same time raises the HDL levels.
In addition, fresh fruits and vegetables also contain substances known as plant sterols and plant stanols. These substances resemble the cholesterol that can be obtained from animal products; only these are good for the body, as they help to prevent high cholesterol.
2. Monounsaturated Fats
Monounsaturated fats can be found in foods such as walnuts, peanuts, almonds, pistachios, avocados, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. These are healthy fats, which studies have shown to be able to not only prevent high cholesterol, but they can also reduce the levels if they are too high.
It is the saturated fats that contribute to a cholesterol imbalance, and thus they should be avoided, or at least reduced.
3. Exercise
Exercise not only helps the body to remain strong and lose weight, but it also helps to improve circulation and flushes out harmful toxins that are wrapped up in fatty tissues. As those toxins are eliminated from the body, the fat cells can also be eliminated, as the body no longer has a use for them. Therefore exercise is an important key for preventing high cholesterol.
Breaking a sweat 3 to 5 times per week is sufficient for preventing high cholesterol levels.
4. Reduce Stress
Stress can cause individuals to consume an unhealthy diet, or abuse other substances such as alcohol and/or cigarettes and drugs. Studies show that those substances and an unhealthy diet have an effect on cholesterol levels.
Making sure to get plenty of sleep can help to reduce stress levels. Yoga and daily meditations can also help the body to cope better in stressful situations.