Health Tips: Natural Ways To Decrease Cholesterol

Cholestorel can be both bad and good depending on its source. LDL is the bad variety, and must be kept at a healthy level.

If you are a medical journal junkie you are probably aware of the overwhelming amount of conflicting information out there.Doctors, scientists, and the Dear Abby's of the world seem to have their own opinions about medical issues, and often they do not mesh.Lately the cholesterol topic has been full of mixed messages.Recent reports have come out and suggested that a healthy level of LDL (the good cholesterol) is seventy milligrams per deciliter or less.According to many doctors this level is considerably lower than what the recommended dosage ought to be for a healthy individual.The truth, these doctors say, is that a healthy level is almost thirty percent higher for people not at risk for a heart attack.A healthy range for people without cardiovascular complications, high triglycerides or low HDL (good cholesterol) should be between one hundred to one hundred and sixty milligrams per deciliter.

Before you decide whether you need to lower your cholesterol or not, here is some background on this controversial substance.Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like substance that is found in the bloodstream and in every body cell.It is an important element in your system because it is instrumental in the synthesis of new cell membranes and hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, and adrenaline.While cholesterol is needed for the healthy production of cells and hormones, too high of a level can cause a major risk for coronary heart disease and stroke.Hypercholesterolemia is the term to describe high levels of blood cholesterol and can be fatal.

Cholesterol is made by your body and is ingested from the animal products you consume.Meats, eggs, fish, butter, cheese and whole milk have large quantities of cholesterol in them.Foods from plants do not contain cholesterol.Since cholesterol and other fats do not dissolve in the blood they must be transported from the cells.Lipoproteins, the taxis of the blood stream do the transporting of cholesterol.Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is known as the "bad cholesterol" because it a poor transporter and tends to build up in the inner walls of the arteries.Too much LDL can clog the arteries and increase your risk of stroke and heart attack.High-density lipoproteins, HDL, are made by your body for your own protection and are efficient transporters.HDL carries the cholesterol away from your arteries.Studies suggest that high levels of HDL will actually lower your risk of stroke and heart attack.

If you have recently gone to the doctor and have been told that your levels of LDL cholesterol are too high you will have to modify your lifestyle.It actually quite easy to decrease LDL if you have the will power to change.An increase in exercise and a modification of diet it all you need to get your levels down.Eating foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol will lower levels.Exercising at least thirty minutes a day will also prove beneficial in the fight against LDL.Specifically reducing the intake of red meat and eggs, avoiding products containing palm oil and coconut oil, and relying on cholesterol-lowering margarine instead of butter are some easy ways of lowering the LDL bar.

Supplements are also available to aid in lowering cholesterol levels.Tocotrienols are a form of vitamin E that when taken in doses of two hundred milligrams at dinner, will help decrease LDL levels.It should be noted that all other vitamin E supplements you may be taking at the time should be taken in the morning so that they do not interfere with the tocotrienols.When taken twice a day (eight hundred mg) red yeast rice will be beneficial to lowering LDL in your body.Inositol hexaniacinate is a times-release niacin that aids in the lowering process.It, unlike most niacins, does not cause flushing and is not toxic to the liver.It should be taken three times a day with meals in six hundred milligram doses.Before you taking a new supplement you should consult your doctor.Some supplements are potentially dangerous to your health when used in conjunction with other supplements or medications.

Medicine is available for people with very high cholesterol levels.Some of the commonly prescribed drugs are statins, resins, gemfibrozil, clofibrate, and nicotinic acid.You must see a doctor and be evaluated for high cholesterol before you begin medicinal treatment.

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