How to Lower Cholesterol | Lowering Cholesterol

Lowering Cholesterol

Understanding the substances that our bodies naturally create is one of the most important things in learning how to lower your cholesterol. A couple of examples are Insulin and Cholesterol. Insulin is secreted from your pancreas. The amount of insulin secreted into your blood is dependent on the levels of sugar in the food your body takes in. Your cells then absorb it and give you body energy. Your DNA assists in establishing the natural level of cholesterol that is produced in your body. Another factor with cholesterol, is simply, the type of food your body intakes.

There are two types of Cholesterol, good and bad. Bad Cholesterol is known as your LDL. If you LDL level is too high, this can put you into a high risk for heart attacks or strokes. Good cholesterol is known as your HDL. Simply put, your HDL helps to regulate your LDL by filtering out the bad cholesterol that’s in your system. Two other factors doctors keep an eye on is your total cholesterol, as well as your triglyceride levels. In order for your blood test to show healthy levels, you must stay within the range for your body. 200mg/dl or under is a safe level for your cholesterol and 15mg/dl for triglycerides.

If your levels are too high, the first thing you need to do is decide that you will get your levels under control. When your levels are too high, you are a candidate for high blood pressure and/or heart disease. Once you have made the decision to get your levels under control, you’ve made the most difficult step.

Correcting your cholesterol levels gradually is the most effective way to handle this situation. Most people make the first change by changing their diet. This means that you are cutting down on saturated fats. Red meat and dairy products should be replaced with fish, fruits, nuts, oatmeal and vegetables. Studies have shown a drop in LDL and triglyceride levels, when eating oatmeal on a regular basis. These levels can start reducing in as little as two weeks. The second step to take towards lowering your cholesterol is exercise. If you haven’t been physically active for a while, start slow.

Take walks around your neighborhood and gradually work up to a jog. Before you know it, you will be running around your neighborhood. Changing your eating habit is a good start, but when you combined it with exercise…your success is endless! Another thing you may do to increase your chances of reducing the bad cholesterol is adding supplements to your diet. These come in many forms from prescription to natural. They include, but are not limited to bible acid resins, ezetimibe, fibric acid, niacin and statins.

Studies have shown that these can reduce your cholesterol between 15 and 30%, when taken regularly. If you have tried exercise and dieting and your levels are still not dropping your physician can give you a prescription to lower your cholesterol. As with any medication, there can be side effects. Talking with your doctor and keeping regular check-up can avoid a hospital stay.

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