Control LDL Cholesterol To Control Heart Disease
Sunday, November 15th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Medical research proves beyond doubt that there is an unholy nexus between LDL cholesterol and heart disease. The long and the short of it is: LDL cholesterol is bad for the heart! What then is LDL cholesterol and what can we do to control it? The answer to that question is the burden of this article. Please do take the time to read it, it can mean the difference between robust good health and a lifetime of illness.
HDL cholesterol is beneficial to the body and must be transported to all parts of the body by the bloodstream, whereas LDL cholesterol must be eliminated from the body via the very same bloodstream. The body has a mechanism to regulate the levels of LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol in the blood. Bad eating and lifestyle habits cause the cholesterol levels to exceed the normal healthy bounds thus overloading the regulatory mechanism. If this condition continues for a long time our health is jeopardized.
Excessive LDL cholesterol sticks to the inner walls of the blood vessel and forms a plaque which reduces the blood flow. This condition is called arteriosclerosis, which is the harbinger of critical heart diseases.
If this situation carries on for a long time, the blood flow is obstructed and the blood pressure increases leading to overloading of the heart. The plaque can accumulate to such an extent that it completely blocks the blood vessel, or it may get dislodged from one location and lodge itself in a narrower blood vessel, like a capillary, creating a blockage there. Blood supply is choked off at that point, and leads to blood starvation in the region beyond the blockage. If this blood starvation occurs in a critical area of the body, as for example in the brain, then we get a crisis. The affected area of the brain shuts down and this leads to a ’stroke’ wherein the body experiences paralysis in those areas controlled by the area of the brain which has shut down. If the blood vessels of the heart are affected by blockage, then we get a critical situation known as a heart attack. All this is due to an excess of LDL cholesterol in the blood.
The best way to recover from this situation is to help the body to regulate the amounts of HDL and LDL cholesterol. We can do this by changing over to a low-fat diet, free of foods that are rich in LDL. Some fats, like the omega-3 fats found in fish, are actually helpful in reducing LDL cholesterol. So we should include fish in our diet. Drink a lot of water to increase blood circulation and excretion.
Change your cooking medium from heavy saturated fats to unsaturated fats and oils. Virgin olive oil is good for your heart. These dietary changes will be very beneficial in your battle against heart disease.
Quit smoking. We all know that smoking is bad for the lungs and is also a carcinogenic activity. What most of us don’t know is that smoking aggravates the high LDL cholesterol condition. The LDL cholesterol will drop almost immediately from the time you stop smoking, and it will drop further if you do as mentioned in this article.
Medical research shows that stress leads to LDL cholesterol buildup. Lowering your stress level will lower your blood LDL cholesterol too. The moral of the lesson is that you should relax more often, give up those activities that add to your stress, and pick up those activities that reduce your stress.
Say no to saturated fats, both as food and as a cooking medium. Say no to cigarette smoking. Say no to stress. Say no to inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle. Say yes to regular exercise. If you do all this, you’ll be saying: “Good riddance, LDL cholesterol! Hello, health!
To learn additional information about how to reduce cholesterol visit www.reduce-high-cholesterol.com. You’ll also find out how a simple over the counter cholesterol test can help you keep an eye on your levels and decrease the number of costly trips to the doctor.
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Stress & Heart Disease – How Does Stress Affect Your Heart?The LDL Cholesterol Connection With Heart DiseaseUsing Tea To Reduce Your Cholesterol