Cholesterol Lowering Diet - Learn About a Cholesterol Lowering Diet for Optimal Health

A cholesterol lowering diet is usually one of the first steps physicians take to lower LDL cholesterol, which is the “bad” cholesterol. The other steps include regular exercise and weight loss. In a 1998 study, 103 male and female patients of diverse ages and ethnic backgrounds found that for every 1 percent drop in saturated fat, their was a 1 percent lowering of LDL in the patients. It is suggested that at least a six-month program of reduced dietary saturated fat and cholesterol, along with physical activity and weight control should be the primary treatment before resorting to drug therapy. In some cases the cholesterol lowering diet doesn’t lower the LDL cholesterol sufficiently, possibly due to genetically predisposal to high blood cholesterol, and then physicians tend to lean toward prescription drugs.

Statin Drugs and Their Side Effects

It has been stated that approximately 9 million Americans are on some type of drug therapy for high cholesterol. One of the most prescribed types of drugs is the statin drugs. The statin prescriptions quite often have a slew of side effects that can be worse than the high LDL itself. The statin drugs can block the manufacture of important nutrients like CoQ10, which has been determined to benefit heart health. Other side effects may include debilitating muscle pain, liver problems, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headaches and a skin rash. Aching muscles are extremely common among the statin drug users and can be a sign that body tissues are breaking down and can lead to kidney failure.

Natural Products without Side Effects

The statin drugs tend to get prescribed more than they need to be and quite often in larger doses than necessary. Another option that could be implemented along with a cholesterol lowering diet would be one of the natural products that are on the market. The natural products can help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol, which is the “good” cholesterol without all the side effects. These natural products may help lower LDL cholesterol and possibly replace statin drugs that have been previously prescribed with the support of the prescribing physician.

Thinking about High Cholesterol

A cholesterol lowering diet would be beneficial to most people, even those who have no history of high cholesterol, as it is difficult to live in today’s fast paced society with all the fast food, which is the leading cause of high cholesterol, without developing high cholesterol at some point in life. Researching the options available for treating high cholesterol before seeking the advice of a physician may help one steer away from the problem of cholesterol lowering drugs being prescribed more than necessary.

Len Gibb is a webmaster who focuses on a wide array of niche health topics. His latest website - Natural Cholesterol Supplement focuses on cholesterol as a whole, and in particular, a natural product we personally use with excellent health results known as - Cholest-Natural

Lowering Cholesterol - Our Guide For Lowering Cholesterol

Lowering cholesterol is easier for some people than others. There are a few known factors to this problem. Many experts deduce that genetics is one of the major causes to it being harder for some people to lower their cholesterol on their own without prescription drugs. Another factor may be simply lack of whole hearted effort and/or willingness in following the suggested diet and exercise routine to lower cholesterol naturally. Another reason is lack of knowledge. Many times research is not done thoroughly before starting a regimen worthy of lowering cholesterol. One of the main misconceptions when trying to lower cholesterol levels is that simply avoiding fatty foods that have cholesterol listed on their labels is enough to do the trick.

Thoroughness

While it is not possible to change the genetics that may make it harder to lower cholesterol, it is possible to be thorough in the effort to reduce LDL cholesterol, “bad” cholesterol, levels. Lowering cholesterol requires the knowledge of what foods need to be avoided and what foods need to be added to the diet. Lowering cholesterol in the diet takes more than just reading labels. Even if LDL cholesterol is avoided, tests may not come back with satisfactory results as it is equally important to raise HDL cholesterol, “good” cholesterol, and to have physical activity maintained or added to everyday life. Addition to Cholesterol Lowering Diet

There are products that can help with lowering levels of LDL cholesterol when a cholesterol lowering diet does not work well enough. Physicians tend to lean toward prescription drug therapy when diet and exercise does not lower the levels significantly. The downfall of these drugs is, as with most prescriptions, that the side affects that can range from mere annoyance to serious health issues. Some of these side effects may include: diarrhea, constipation, severe muscle cramps with possible muscle and tissue damage that can lead to heart failure, and nausea. Another viable option may be one of the natural products that are on the market.

The natural products do not have the side effects of drug therapy. Many of those products may even have benefits for other health issues as well. As with any other health related issue it is always best to discuss the treatment plan with a physician as there could be many different factors involved in high cholesterol treatment.

Benefits of Regular Exercise

No matter which method of lowering cholesterol is chosen, experts agree that results are more impressive when regular exercise is added to the equation. Regular exercise helps keep the blood flowing well, which in turn helps the body move cholesterol to the liver for excretion once the cholesterol has served its purpose helping to build cell walls and produce hormones such as estrogen and testosterone.

Len Gibb is a webmaster who focuses on a wide array of niche health topics. His latest website - Natural Cholesterol Supplement focuses on cholesterol as a whole, and in partcular, a natural product we personally use with excellent health results known as - Cholest-Natural

Natural Ways To Lower Cholesterol - 5 Natural Treatment Tips To Lower Cholesterol Quickly

How long does it take to lower cholesterol? That is a question that seems to plague almost anyone who suffers from high cholesterol. If you’re suffering from high cholesterol, lowering your cholesterol level can never be fast enough; whether you're seeking a natural way to lower cholesterol or via some other alternative treatment. According to an article by CNN in November 2006, “more than 70 million Americans live everyday with some form of heart disease." And the number is expected to rise steadily over the next 10 years.

Heart disease is America’s number one killer and probably, the number one killer in the industrialized world. The myth being perpetuated that cholesterol is never high before the age 40 is exactly that – a myth. Don’t believe a word of it.

The facts necessitate a quick guide to lowering your cholesterol quickly – preferably opting for a natural and alternative treatment for high cholesterol.

But first … for some good news. Cholesterol … contrary to popular belief … is not the cause of heart disease. The inflammation of arteries does that. Heart attacks occur in people with normal cholesterol levels. That’s right. There's a lot of misinformation being passed around that cholesterol is bad - that cholesterol is the cause of heart disease. That's so far from the truth. In fact, your body needs cholesterol to stay healthy. Your body uses cholesterol to produce hormones, vitamin D and bile acids to digest fat. And the truth of the matter is - your body requires only a small amount of cholesterol in the blood to meet these needs.

So why should you worry about lowering your cholesterol levels and maintaining it preferably at less than 200mg./dl.? Because failure in doing so can lead to the inflammation of your arteries ... and that is when cardiovascular events like heart attacks will occur. It's only when you have too much cholesterol in your bloodstream (referred to as hypercholesterolemia) that problems start to arise. And this is where you need to pay attention. Because a high cholesterol level ... let's say … north of 250, can and will lead to problems such as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis clogs arteries including your coronary arteries (arteries that feed the heart) and if left unchecked overtime, will lead to heart disease like angina and heart attack.

This is why you need to lower your cholesterol level and why it's so important to keep those levels in check. Statins such as Zocor and Lipitor may be powerful, cholesterol-lowering drugs and helps to some extent, but ... whether you believe it or not ... these can cause more damage (liver toxicity is a common side effect) than good to your body in the long run. You don't need these ill-effects creeping into your life just as you're about to kick back and enjoy your retirement.

Don't get me wrong ... I'm all for taking prescriptions drugs under doctor's orders if no other alternatives are made available. I'm sure you'll agree with that.

But I’m about to show you 5 tips you can go about lowering your unhealthy cholesterol levels without drugs right now – and fast!

Here’s how to lower your cholesterol the natural way:

Consume more “healthy" fats

You must have heard of monounsaturated fats. Usually found in some types of nuts like almonds and walnuts, olive oils, canola oils and avocados. These “healthy" fats lower “bad" cholesterol (LDLs – Low-Density Lipoproteins) but at the same time, help maintain the “good" cholesterol (HDLs – High-Density Lipoproteins).

Your doctor can vouch for the fact that consuming monounsaturated fat instead of saturated fat can lower your cholesterol levels quite drastically. You would have probably come across health advice about lowering cholesterol such as, “Replace whole milk with skim milk," “Cut down on that refined sugar," or “Dump butter for margarine." Most of that information is true except for dumping butter for margarine. Margarine increases the bad cholesterol and even worse, lowers the good cholesterol – almost tripling the risk of a coronary heart disease.

Don’t believe the TV ads and stay away from margarine. Dr. Allan Spreen calls margarine, “plastic butter." And he has a point. Why? Because being hydrogenated, margarine is in fact one molecule away from actually being plastic – no kidding! To put it mildly, you’re actually about one molecule away from eating Tupperware. You’re more than welcome to carry out a simple test to prove this. All you have to do is leave a container of butter and a container of margarine out for a while and watch. It will only be a matter of time when you see flies hovering your container of butter - avoiding the margarine altogether. If it's not good enough for flies, you know you're in trouble!

Lower your intake of “bad" fat

Lowering cholesterol without drugs begins with this very important step – simply limit your consumption of saturated fat. Saturated fat is said to stimulate your liver to produce LDLs – or bad cholesterol that would simply clog up your arteries. According to Dr William Castelli, co-author of Good Fat, Bad Fat, he recommended that a smart diet to help lower cholesterol would take into consideration the amount of “bad" fat consumed per day – ideally being 20 grams a day. And that’s just for those who are healthy.

A good idea would be to simply check your food labels when grocery shopping to get a sense of how much fat grams will be going into your body at any given day. Make this a habit because a simple precautionary measure like this can mean a lot to your long-term health.

Also, take note of trans-fatty acids. The name probably already gives it away – it is another bad fat. Trans-fatty acids are chemically processed and will not only raise your total cholesterol levels but can also lower your HDLs. These acids are usually found in deep-fried fast foods, biscuits, shortenings and packaged pastries. They’re not usually indicated on food labels so be extra prudent about your food choices.

Get a blood test

You will want to get a blood test if you find yourself gaining weight, losing hair, feeling depressed, feeling more tired than usual, more sensitive to cold than usual and sudden stiffening of your joints. These could be symptoms of an underactive thyroid – medically termed as hypothyroidism. Diagnosing this condition with a blood test could nip the problem in the bud and save you from a rising cholesterol level.

While you’re at it, ask your doctor to check your homocysteine level as well. Recent studies are pointing towards homocysteine as a better predictor of cardiovascular events. And there is a connection between hypothyroidism, homocysteine and heart disease. If you have an underactive thyroid, this prevents the absorption of B vitamins – causing homocysteine levels to shoot up. The result is a 300 percent risk of a heart attack.

A good homocysteine level is under 8. Anything above that and your doctor should be able to prescribe you some supplements. These supplements would usually center around vitamins B2, B6, B12 and folate.

Can I have my eggs back?

Yes, you definitely can. According to the British Nutrition Foundation's Nutrition Bulletin, dietary cholesterol in eggs "has no clinically significant impact" on heart disease. In fact, eggs are such a rich source of nutrients that avoiding them could cause more damage than good to your health.

I mentioned homocysteine. Well, according to a study from Harvard Medical School, choline may be effective in managing homocysteine. And where is choline found? You guessed it. Eggs. In fact the best source of choline is egg yolks. But if you’re someone with elevated cholesterol or heart disease, you should check with your doctor about the number of eggs you can consume per week. Such cases are usually limited to two eggs per week.

Stop smoking and get moving!

Those are two obvious actions to take to keep your body in good working order. If you’re overweight, you can be sure that your HDL readings will be low. Shed the weight and watch your HDLs rise. It’s quite difficult to raise HDLs by dieting alone. You will need the combination of regular exercising and watching what you eat. Exercising helps in lowering your triglycerides (a blood fat linked to heart disease) as well. If you are serious about lowering your cholesterol levels, pay attention to triglycerides. Because apart from clogging up your coronary arteries, high triglycerides can lead to kidney disease and pancreatitis.

There is not much to be said about smoking that has not been said already. It’s just bad. Smoking depresses HDLs considerably. It is a cause of heart and blood-vessel disease and basically causes irreversible damage to your overall health. There are no two ways about it. Smoking kills.

Here is a rough checklist to monitor your cholesterol levels and as always, consult with your doctor.

LDLs

Keep it less than 130mg./dl. Anything above 160mg./dl. is high.

HDLS

The higher the better. 35mg./dl. or less increases the risk of heart-disease.

Triglycerides

Keep it less than 150mg./dl. Anything above 200mg./dl. is high.

Total cholesterol

This is the combined measure of all blood cholesterols. Keep this less than 200mg./dl. Anything above 240mg./dl. is high.

This is just a snippet of what you will discover in The 60 Day Prescription Free Cholesterol Cure. To learn more natural ways to lowering cholesterol, visit http://mineyourmind.blogspot.com now to get the details and your health back on track!

Now’s your chance to dramatically lower your cholesterol, lead a healthier life and look and feel better without emptying your wallet on prescription drugs. Cut your risk of dying from a heart attack by half with simple, alternative but effective measures you can start implementing today! Get all the information you need about lowering your cholesterol naturally with the The 60 Day Prescription Free Cholesterol Cure at, http://mineyourmind.blogspot.com …