What is Cholesterol?
Beside coming from food source such as eggs, dairy products, and meats , our livers produce cholesterol that we would ever need to keep our bodies function normally. Although it is important to have cholesterol in order for the body to perform properly, too much of it can cause major health problems, including cardiovascular disease , and hardening of the arteries which is known as atherosclerosis.
The body uses cholesterol to produce Vitamin D, hormones, and many of the bile acids that are required to digest fat in the stomach and intestines. However, to function properly, the body requires only a small amount of cholesterol to perform all of its duties.
Heart Disease and Cholesterol
When there are too much cholesterol in the blood, plaque starts to build-up against the artery walls. Over time, the accumulation of plague slows down the circulation of blood flow to the heart. Hardening of arteries or atherosclerosis will be developed when plaque continues to buildup which will eventually lead to heart disease, or at the worse case, even death if left untreated.
With cholesterol build-up on the artery walls and the restriction of blood that carries oxygen, the individual might experience heart chest pain (angina). When the blood flow has been completely cut-off to the heart, a heart attack could result. This is usually a result of a sudden block in the artery caused by a blood clot which is formed from the plaque.
Foods, Life-style & Conditions
There are various factors that can significantly affect the levels of cholesterol in the body. Based on these underlying conditions, the individual can experience various levels of cholesterol at any point in their life, even at a young age. These factors include:
Bad Cholesterol Foods - Foods that high in saturated fats are considered to be bad cholesterol foods as they increase the level of LDL, the bad cholesterol. It is recommended to eat no more than 7% to 10% of saturated fats in your diet.
Obesity - Overweight people are more likely to have high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, than people who are not overweight. Very high blood levels of cholesterol can also increase risk of heart disease and often are linked to being overweight.
No Exercise Routine - Living a sedentary lifestyle can be disastrous in a person's health, allowing their cholesterol levels to rise. Routine exercise will help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol while raising HDL (good) cholesterol. Performing physical activity for at least a half hour every day can dramatically drop harmful Cholesterol level.
Your Age and Gender- Cholesterol naturally begins to rise as metabolism begins to slows down at age after age 20. In men, cholesterol level generally stabilized after age 50. In women, cholesterol level stays relatively low until menopause, then it rises to about the same level as in men.
Taking cholesterol lowering medicines should be the last resort, when life-style change approach such as avoiding bad cholesterol foods, quitting smoking and working out in a regular basis, fail to achieve the desire cholesterol levels. For those who have family record of high blood cholesterol, it is recommended to have their cholesterol levels tested once a year as this condition can be developed with any symptoms so preventive measure is the best approach before problem arise.
Beside coming from food source such as eggs, dairy products, and meats , our livers produce cholesterol that we would ever need to keep our bodies function normally. Although it is important to have cholesterol in order for the body to perform properly, too much of it can cause major health problems, including cardiovascular disease , and hardening of the arteries which is known as atherosclerosis.
The body uses cholesterol to produce Vitamin D, hormones, and many of the bile acids that are required to digest fat in the stomach and intestines. However, to function properly, the body requires only a small amount of cholesterol to perform all of its duties.
Heart Disease and Cholesterol
When there are too much cholesterol in the blood, plaque starts to build-up against the artery walls. Over time, the accumulation of plague slows down the circulation of blood flow to the heart. Hardening of arteries or atherosclerosis will be developed when plaque continues to buildup which will eventually lead to heart disease, or at the worse case, even death if left untreated.
With cholesterol build-up on the artery walls and the restriction of blood that carries oxygen, the individual might experience heart chest pain (angina). When the blood flow has been completely cut-off to the heart, a heart attack could result. This is usually a result of a sudden block in the artery caused by a blood clot which is formed from the plaque.
Foods, Life-style & Conditions
There are various factors that can significantly affect the levels of cholesterol in the body. Based on these underlying conditions, the individual can experience various levels of cholesterol at any point in their life, even at a young age. These factors include:
Bad Cholesterol Foods - Foods that high in saturated fats are considered to be bad cholesterol foods as they increase the level of LDL, the bad cholesterol. It is recommended to eat no more than 7% to 10% of saturated fats in your diet.
Obesity - Overweight people are more likely to have high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, than people who are not overweight. Very high blood levels of cholesterol can also increase risk of heart disease and often are linked to being overweight.
No Exercise Routine - Living a sedentary lifestyle can be disastrous in a person's health, allowing their cholesterol levels to rise. Routine exercise will help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol while raising HDL (good) cholesterol. Performing physical activity for at least a half hour every day can dramatically drop harmful Cholesterol level.
Your Age and Gender- Cholesterol naturally begins to rise as metabolism begins to slows down at age after age 20. In men, cholesterol level generally stabilized after age 50. In women, cholesterol level stays relatively low until menopause, then it rises to about the same level as in men.
Taking cholesterol lowering medicines should be the last resort, when life-style change approach such as avoiding bad cholesterol foods, quitting smoking and working out in a regular basis, fail to achieve the desire cholesterol levels. For those who have family record of high blood cholesterol, it is recommended to have their cholesterol levels tested once a year as this condition can be developed with any symptoms so preventive measure is the best approach before problem arise.
About the Author:
About the Author: Terry Howser has suffered with high levels of cholesterol since he was a teenager and now he is dedicated to teach others on how to fight cholesterol through his own blog hoping to help those who have problems with high cholesterol levels.
