The cholesterol issue

Cholesterol, a soft fat-like substance, aids vital bodily functions such as building new cells and producing new hormones. Everyone’s body needs cholesterol but too much can spell trouble for some people. The body get cholesterol in 2 ways: 80% of it is produced by the liver and the rest comes from the diet. Cholesterol is found in foods derived from animal products like meat, cheese, poultry or fish. Food that don’t contain animal products may contain another harmful substance called TRANS FATS, which cause the body to produce most cholesterol. Food high in sugar are also associated with developing higher cholesterol levels in the blood. Cholesterol is carried through the blood stream by attaching to certain proteins. The combination is called the LIPOPROTEIN. There are different types of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol in the blood. They are:
1. High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) or “good” cholesterol.
2. Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol.
3. Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) or “very bad” cholesterol.
4. Chylomicrons, which carry very little cholesterol but lots of another fat called triglycerides.
Everyone age 20 and above should have his or her own cholesterol measured at least once every year. A blood test called a lipoprotein panel can help show whether one is a risk for coronary heart disease by looking at the substances in the blood that carry cholesterol. The test gives information about the total cholesterol in the blood, the good and bad cholesterol and the triglycerides. This test is done after a 9-12 hours fast.
Desirable total cholesterol is <200mg/Dl
HDL cholesterol level is >60mg/Dl ( the higher, the better)
LDL cholesterol level is <100mg/dL
Major risk factors that affect LDL are smoking cigarette, age, high blood pressure, family history, low HDL, diet and weight.
A variety of things that can help lower LDL cholesterol level and raise HDL includes:
1. Weight management- being overweight is a risk factor for heart disease. Losing weight can help lower LDL, triglycerides and total cholesterol and as well as raise HDL.
2. Physical activity- regular activity can help lower LDL and raise HDL by helping to lose weight.
3. Heredity- genes partly affect how much cholesterol the body makes.
4. Age and gender- as men and women get older, their cholesterol level rise. Before the age of menopause, women have lower total cholesterol level than men of the same age. After the age of menopause, women’s LDL levels tend to rise.
5. Drug treatment- you will need to continue treatment with lifestyle changes, even if you begin drug treatment as this will keep your dose lower. Several types of cholesterol lowering drugs available are; statins(e.g. atorvastatin, rosuvastatin etc – block the liver from making cholesterol), bile acid sequestrants(e.g. cholestyramine – decrease the amount of fat absorbed from food), cholesterol absorption inhibitors( e.g. phytosterols – decrease the amount of cholesterol absorbed from food and lower triglycerides) and vitamins and supplements(niacin, vitamin B3 blocks the liver from removing HDL and omega 3 fatty acids increasesd the level of HDL.
6. Diet- reduce the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet. Food that lower cholesterol level naturally are:
a) Oats, to lower cholesterol, the key may be simply changing your morning meal to oats which can lower LDL by 5.3% in only 6 weeks. Beta-glucan, the key to this cholesterol buster is a substance in oats that absorbs LDL, which the body then excretes.
b) Nuts like almond, cashew and walnuts are good for healthy heart, they are high in calories, so practice portion control.
c)  Chocolate, the sweet side of a heart healthy diet. This powerful antioxidant helps to build HDL cholesterol level. Remember to choose the dark chocolate.
d) Garlic has been found to lower bad cholesterol, Prevent blood clot, reduce blood pressure and protect against infections. It also helps stop artery clogging plaque at its earliest stage by keeping cholesterol particles from sticking to artery Wall.
e) Black Tea is a great defense against LDL cholesterol level asiee been known for cancer-fighting antioxidant. It also help to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
f) Beans, the key to this heart-healthy food is its abundance of fiber which has been shown to slow the rate of absorption of cholesterol in certain foods.
g) Margarine, switching to margarine with plant sterols could help lower cholesterol. Plant sterols are compounds that reduce cholesterol absorption.
h) Avocado are great source of heart healthy monounsaturated fat, a type of fat that may actually help raise HDL cholesterol while lowering LDL. Use in moderation since they are high in calories.
i) Olive oil also contain same as avocado and they have the welcome side effect of trimming belly fat.
If you are already eating plenty of the cholesterol lowering foods, keep up the good work!!! Watch your cholesterol level.