Lowering LDL Cholesterol Levels

Answer 1

What are LDL cholesterol levels, and how can you lower yours? Low-density lipoproteins are the "bad" kind of cholesterol that can cause many serious ailments, like heart attacks and strokes. When it comes to lowering your LDL cholesterol levels, a lot of questions and concerns about which methods work start to arise. There are many great ways to naturally lower your LDL levels without using medications, or in addition to medications. Here are some steps that you can take to better yourself and your health.

Eating habits and diet

Having an awareness of how the food you eat affects your body is essential to keeping your LDL levels in check. Certain foods interact positively with your LDL levels, working to lower them, such as whole grains, fruit, vegetables and fish. Adding these foods into your diet regulates your cholesterol levels. Likewise, some foods may increase the likelihood of cholesterol problems, so try to lower your intake of red meats, eggs and whole milk cheeses.

Replacing one steak dinner a week with a meal consisting of lean fish improves your cholesterol levels, and may also aid in losing weight and keeping that weight off. Lose weight

Getting trim and shedding excess pounds really helps in maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol. This is because extra pounds tend to increase LDL levels as well as decrease HDL levels, or high-density-lipoproteins, also known as the "good" type of cholesterol. When you lose weight, both HDL and LDL levels tend to drop; however, once you stabilize at comfortable, healthier weight, HDL levels increase, which continues to aid your body's fight against harmful LDL cholesterol.

Exercise

Of course, the key to any healthy lifestyle includes an exercise routine. Engaging in a short 30 minute workout five times a week assists in increasing HDL levels and decreasing LDL levels, as well as bringing down triglycerides and blood pressure. Exercise not only keeps you healthy, but gets you looking and feeling your best.

Quit smoking

Smoking cigarettes greatly increases bad cholesterol levels, while at the same time it decreases good cholesterol levels. It does not end there: smoking makes it more difficult to work out, harder to stay in shape, and creates a large number of other health-related issues. If you smoke, quit.

You now have the tools to take matters into your own hands, so good luck on your road to better health. Lower your LDL cholesterol levels today!

Answer 2

If your LDL cholesterol levels are outside of the normal or optimal ranges, you should take steps to lower your LDL cholesterol levels. There are many ways to do this, but one of the easiest ways is to cut back on the saturated fat in your diet. Avoid butter, lard, and meat. Stick with canola or olive oil and choose vegetarian options a few days a week.

Answer 3

Cholesterol has received a bad reputation for a variety of reasons including misguided publicity and consumer ignorance. While some cholesterol is, indeed, bad for your health, other types are essential for the proper functioning of your biological processes. For instance, cholesterol is a key component in the structure of cell walls. In addition, it is necessary for the manufacture of many important biological substrates.

Good Vs. Bad Cholesterol

To be sure, the overall level of cholesterol in your bloodstream is an important indicator of heart stress. It leads to the blockage of arteries and an increase in blood pressure. There are other considerations, however. Certain cholesterols are considered "good" while others denoted as "bad."

The trouble with LDL or "bad" cholesterol is that it is insoluble in water and the liver cannot remove it from the blood. This leads to an unhealthy buildup on the artery walls. The heart compensates for this restriction by pumping more vigorously.

"Good" or HDL cholesterol, on the other hand, counteract the effects of LDL. It actually bonds to the LDL cholesterol and transforms it into a water soluble compound that can be processed by the liver. Subsequently, the compound is excreted from the body.

Natural Cholesterol Control

The simplest way to reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol in your system is to never introduce it in the first place. A high fiber diet, most especially oats, and fish with high omega-3 fatty acids are the fast track to heart health. These foods, along with a healthy dose of walnuts, almonds and other nuts can show significant results in a few short weeks.

In short, proper cholesterol levels can be maintained with the proper diet and a certain amount of exercise. Maintenance of this healthy lifestyle should yield a happier, more productive life that is never burdened by heart attacks, strokes or other cardiovascular diseases. The diet and the exercise regimen are not difficult to implement and the results are proven and significant.