Lowering Your Cholesterol

Increased cholesterol manifests itself as atherosclerotic plaque on the artery walls leading to myocardial infarction. Atherosclerosis is also an important reason leading to several conditions relating to caludication. Latest studies have shown that for every 1 percent drop in cholesterol levels, there is a 2 percent decrease in the risk of a heart attack.

A Brief Overview Of Lipids

The processing of dietary fat begins in the intestines and progresses to the liver. The fat requires a delivery stream to the rest of the body in a way where it can be stored in fat cells for future use. Prior to entering the delivery stream, the liver disintegrates dietary fat into Cholesterol and Triglycerides. These chemical variants of fatty acids are packed into vehicles called lipoproteins for being transported throughout the body using the bloodstream to transport the fat cells.

There are three kinds of lipoproteins:

• Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDL)
• Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL)
• High Density Lipoproteins (HDL)

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat like substance that integrates itself naturally in the cell walls and membranes of our body, to produce many hormones and to produce vitamin D and the bile acids that help to digest fat. The cholesterol deposited by LDL creates narrowing of arteries which leads to “Atherosclerosis” which in extreme cases leads to stroke.

Bad Cholesterol And Good Cholesterol

• LDL is known as “Bad Cholesterol”.
• HDL collects the bad cholesterol and delivers it back to the liver and is known as “Good cholesterol.”

Causes

Free radicals are highly reactive elements like polluted air, radiation, tobacco, smoke, herbicides etcetera. Naturally within our own bodies as an offshoot of regular metabolic processes, free radicals hit and injure cells revising normal cell functions.

Anti-oxidants like vitamins C, E, beta-carotene and selenium are needed to battle against free radicals. These free radicals are one of the causes for arterial wall damage.

Also, heredity, weight, age, sex, alcohol, stress and poor life style are causing high cholesterol due to the impact of endocrine strain and bad metabolism which in turn damages the arteries by creating plague, high blood pressure, clotting of arteries and finally heart attack.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing cholesterol levels requires a lipid profile which measures total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides. The normal levels of lipids are as follows:

· Total Cholesterol should be between 200 to 239 mg/dl

· Triglycerides less than 400mg/dl

· LDL between 130-159 mg/dl.

· Higher values are better for HDL.

Treatment

Your doctor is the best adviser in controlling your cholesterol. Apart from medications a healthy lifestyle with required dietary changes is pretty necessary in lowering your cholesterol.

There are various types of medications used to lower cholesterol. They are:

• Statins
• Bile acid sequestrants
• Cholesterol absorption inhibitors
• Nicotinic acid agents
• Fibrates

Natural Remedies

A change in life style and food habits is indispensable in lowering your cholesterol.

Developing the following habits can help in lowering cholesterol:

• Reduce fatty foods in your diet
• Eat no more than four egg yolks a week
• Eliminate fried foods
• Eat vegetables and complex carbohydrates
• Drink fruit juices
• Eat garlic
• Include a lot of fiber in your diet.
• Quit smoking
• Reduce sugar intake
• Eliminate alcohol
• Exercise regularly
• Eliminate caffeine

Cholesterol is getting wide recognition as an epidemic as opposed to its true value as an important component in the body. The main reason behind this is a drastic change in life style and bad food habits. It is important to rectify such things as a part of one’s attempts in lowering cholesterol.

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