How to lower your cholesterol naturally without medications.

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Why lower your cholesterol?

It seems that everywhere you look, people are telling you that you need to lower your cholesterol. Well, maybe you do, and maybe you don't. The only way you'll know for sure is to see your doctor and get it tested. But what is cholesterol, why is it bad for you and why should you want to lower it?

What is Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance present in all animals (including us) and to a lesser extent, in plants. One important thing to remember is that cholesterol is VITAL to us. Without it, our bodies would not be able to function. It is present in cell walls, it is involved in the production of hormones, including sex hormones, and is necessary for the digestion of fats.

Don't let anybody tell you that cholesterol is dangerous. What IS dangerous is TOO MUCH cholesterol. If you have too much cholesterol, you can get fatty deposits in your arteries, which can lead to your arteries getting blocked, causing a heart attack. This is why you need to take action to lower your cholesterol if it is high.

So what level is too high? The National Cholesterol Education Program developed the following classifications for people over age 20 who do not have heart disease:
Desirable blood cholesterol:
Total blood cholesterol is less than 200 mg/dL; LDL is lower than 130 mg/dL.
Borderline high cholesterol:
Total level is between 200 and 239 mg/dL or LDL is 130 to 159 mg/dL.
High blood cholesterol:
Total level is greater than 240 mg/dL or LDL is 160 mg/dL or higher.

If you have heart disease, an LDL level above 100 mg/dL is too high. Additionaly, an HDL level less than 35 mg/dL is considered too low and increases the risk of heart disease.

LDL and HDL? Whats that?
Cholesterol is simailar to fat, so it pretty much doesn't dissolve in the blood. To get it round the body it has to be transported by special carriers called lipoproteins. There are several kinds of lipoprotein, but the important ones are low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

These are often referred to as "bad" cholesterol (LDL) and "good" cholesterol(HDL).

LDL is what causes the problems, HDL actually cleans the arteries and takes cholesterol deposits away, back to the liver, so part of getting your cholesterol down can involve increasing your HDL level.

Get your cholesterol down

What you can do to lower cholesterol

There are quite a few things that you can do to get your cholesterol levels down. Remember that the body produces cholesterol to help with the digestion of saturated fats. So just by cutting out or reducing the amount of saturated fat (animal fats, dairy products) in your diet, you will reduce the amount of cholesterol that your body makes. Go for white meat instead of red, more fruit and vegetables.

But you can do more than just avoiding things which increase your cholesterol - you can eat foods that actively lower it.

Any food that contains soluble fibre, such as oats, (including oatmeal, oat cookies, oat cereals) as well as many fruits and vegetables will reduce your cholesterol. This is because the soluble fibre binds the cholesterol in the gut that has been produced to aid the digestion of fats and prevents it from being absorbed back into the bloodstream.

Other foods reduce your cholesterol in other ways. Nuts, especially walnuts, contain omega-3 fatty acids which increase HDL levels and reduce LDL levels.

Over the past few years products, such as margarines, have started to come on the market which help to reduce your cholesterol. These contain ingredients called plant sterols and stanol esters that have been shown to have decreased cholesterol levels by up to 10%.

There are also quite a few natural remedies available, some of which have been used for thousands of years. Remedies to look out for include Red Yeast Rice Extract, Policosanol, Gugulipid Extract and Green Tea Extract.

Alcohol in moderation, especially red wine, has been proven to reduce cholesterol. Moderation has been described as 1 or 2 drinks a day for men, 1 drink a day for women. Bear in mind that even drinking in moderation can cause other problems in some people. It is NOT RECOMMENDED to start drinking alcohol to lower cholesterol if you don't already drink.

What about "low cholesterol food"
There is little evidence that cholesterol in food (dietary cholesterol) has any major effect on your cholesterol levels. In fact it is more likely that the body will compensate for cholesterol taken in food by producing less so that the total is the same.

Lifestyle changes.
Lowering cholesterol is not just about what you eat. Lack of exercise, excess weight and smoking all raise your cholesterol levels - so if you want to lower your cholesterol, get more exercise, lose weight and quit smoking.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE.The publisher takes no responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this lens. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider

Cholesterol Information

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Cholesterol Information Site

Find out more about reducing your cholesterol

How to lower your cholesterol naturally without medications.

Why lower your cholesterol?

What is Cholesterol

Get your cholesterol down

What you can do to lower cholesterol

Disclaimer

Cholesterol Information

Cholesterol Information Site

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