Cholesterol and Triglycerides - Finding Ways To Lower Your Overall Levels
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Do you have a lipid disorder? With cholesterol and fatty acids and hypertension, the medical terminology can be confusing, to say the least. A “lipid disorder” is just a blanket term for high cholesterol and triglycerides, meaning that you have too many fatty substances in your body, which puts you at risk for heart disease, heart attacks, coronary artery disease and a stroke. This may all sound like bad news, but you can still live many healthy and happy years if you’re willing to make a few dietary sacrifices and take medication.
To get your triglycerides and cholesterol back down to a normal level, you will have to make some dietary changes. For people who have high cholesterol levels from eating too many fattening foods, cholesterol lowering can be accomplished by as much as 10-20% from dieting alone. Reducing calories to 1,200-1,500 for women and 1,500-1,800 for men will help you lose 2 pounds per week. When losing weight, you shouldn’t drink more than one serving of alcohol per day and you should be ingesting eight cups of water daily. Adding just 30 minutes of exercise per day, either all at once or in 3 intervals of 10 minutes, can work wonders for heart health.
A sample diet plan for someone looking to lower cholesterol and triglycerides begins with ½ cup of oatmeal with a cup of nonfat milk, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and a sliced banana or ½ cup of canned peaches. For lunch, slap 2 ounces of lean turkey onto two slices of whole wheat bread, adding a tablespoon of Miracle Whip, a tomato and a slice of lettuce. Carrot sticks and fruit make a nice complement to this midday feast. You can treat yourself to a satisfying snack of yogurt, raisins and peanuts midday if you desire. A great dinner consists of 3 oz. baked or broiled salmon, a cup of brown rice, a cup of cooked broccoli, a slice of bread with one teaspoon of margarine, 1 tablespoon of olive oil used in cooking and a salad with 1 ½ cups of romaine lettuce, ½ cup of tomatoes, ¼ cup of cucumber and 1 tablespoon of oil/vinegar salad dressing. You’ll find that well-rounded eating like this is more satisfying than binging on small, fatty meals.
If your doctor finds that you have an abundance of cholesterol and triglycerides, then there are several things that may be recommended. The first step is usually a diet/lifestyle change. Yes, you’ll need to quit smoking, start exercising a little more, lose some weight and give up some of your favorite foods, but keep in mind that its small potatoes compared to paying the medical bills when you have a heart attack. If lifestyle modifications do not significantly improve your heart health, then you will likely require medication. Statins are the most common prescriptions, but you may also try other drugs, like bile acid sequestering resins, cholesterol absorption inhibitors, fibrates, and nicotinic acid (niacin).You may have heard that cholesterol and triglycerides often require prescription drugs to help the body get back to business. Statins are the most effective and commonly used drugs because they produce little side effects and they can quickly halt the progression of coronary artery disease. They work by reducing bad cholesterol and boosting good cholesterol to restore balance. Statins on the market include: Lipitor, Lescol, Mevacor, Pravachol, Zocor and Crestor.
As we get older there are crucial numbers that start to weigh heavily upon us. We have to concern ourselves about our weight, levels of cholesterol, as well as our blood pressure. Things we may have ignored our entire lives now all of a sudden have great importance. But these are things that should never have been ignored. A lifetime of abuse on the body gives only unfavorable things when left unrestrained.
Your cholesterol level is without question chief if you wish to stay in good health and your body functioning right. High levels can lead to heart attacks as well as stroke, both things you do not want to have to contend with. Being concerned about your cholesterol level is not just for the aging. It is something both young as well as older people need to be concerned with as well as be conscious of if they want to conduct a healthy lifestyle. In this article we will go over the basic principles of cholesterol and hopefully you will understand how crucial a healthy level is to your body as well as peace of mind.
What is good cholesterol?
Good cholesterol is called HDL which is high-density lipoproteins. Doctor’s believe that the high levels of HDL can actually protect your heart whereas low levels of HDL can increase your risk of heart disease. It is thought that HDL can carry cholesterol away from your arteries and back to the liver where it is passed from the body.
What happens when cholesterol gets too high?
Well when LDL gets too high then the cholesterol begins to accumulate on the artery walls and then hardens into plaque. The build up continues until the entire artery is blocked off. This added blockage makes it hard for blood to get to the heart where it can be pumped to the rest of the body. It can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
When HDL levels are high this is a good thing because researchers believe that HDL helps rid the body of cholesterol build-up. That is why a diet rich in foods that promote HDL is always heavily recommended.
In what way is the obstruction from the arteries removed?
The initial stage is through medicines but if there is a crucial narrowing or blockage in the artery or blood vessel then a slightly more invasive operation is called for. The actual processes might vary however one common method is done through the use of a balloon angioplasty. The mechanical device is entered into the artery and then naviagted to the where the blockage is located where the build up of plaque has taken place. The balloon is then inflated to clear the passage. Nowadays the operation is minimally invasive and most patients are able to going home on that very day.
How do I know what my cholesterol is?
Well in order to know what your cholesterol is you should have a blood cholesterol testing performed at least every five years. The most recommended test is a fasting lipoprotein blood profile. This test measures not only your total cholesterol but it also specifies the LDL and the HDL levels. It is a great idea to be knowledgeable about where your numbers are and to ensure that they are in the proper healthy range.
For much more informational value go here: Healthy Cholesterol Levels similarly High Cholesterol Levels in addition to Symptoms Of High Cholesterol
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