Cholesterol is a type of fat that is manufactured by your body which needs it to bind cells together, produce hormones, vitamin D and manufacture substances that help us digest the foods we eat. By now we all understand the negative health affects that high cholesterol causes. When to much is present in your blood this is where problems arise. When we get into a situation where we have too much cholesterol in our blood the condition is called Hypercholesterolemia or Hyperlipidemia. Health problems from high cholesterol do not appear in a matter of days or months but are a result of the condition persisting over a number of years.

There are basically two ways in which we obtain cholesterol. First our bodies manufacture most of what we need in our liver. The second source is from the foods that we eat. Animals are the only ones that manufacture cholesterol so we get it when we eat animal products such as meat, chicken, fish, butter, whole milk and cheeses. Eating these foods will provide you with more than enough cholesterol. You will not find it in anything that comes from a plant such as fruits, vegetables or whole grains. One way to reduce our intake of cholesterol of course would be to eat more fruits and vegetables and reduce our intake of animal products.

We have all heard of LDL (Bad) and HDL (Good) cholesterol, but what exactly are these and what functions do they play? In order for cholesterol to get to the cells where it is needed it has to be transported through the bloodstream. We all know that oil and water do not mix. Because cholesterol is a fat, like oil and water, it does not mix with your blood and will separate. To travel through the bloodstream cholesterol is surrounded by a protein to create a “cholesterol complex”. This is called a lipoprotein, the two forms being LDL and HDL. These lipoproteins have two functions; first the LDL’s transport this complex from the liver to the tissues that need it. The problem arises when we have too many LDL’s left over. They will let go of the cholesterol and will cause a plague build-up that results in a condition known as atherosclerosis, commonly known as hardening of the arteries. The HDL’s then pick up this excess cholesterol and transport it back to the liver where it can either repackage it for later use or get rid of it. This is why ideally we want high levels of HDL’s and low levels of LDL’s.

Your cholesterol level is a result of two things, first it is affected by what we eat and secondly how fast our bodies manufacture and use it up. Most of the time there is no specific reason why a person has high cholesterol. Modern medicine has not yet been able to identify specific causes for the condition but have come up with a list of risk factors that can lead to it.

Some of these risk factors are things we have control over and others we can not control. Some that are within our control are:

* Diet - Eating foods that are high in cholesterol and saturated fats will increase cholesterol levels. This is believed to be the main reason for high cholesterol and the high rate of heart attacks in this country.

* Weight - Being overweight can increase your cholesterol levels. Losing weight can lower LDL and total cholesterol as well as increase HDL levels.

* Physical Activity - Getting regular exercise can lower LDL levels and increase HDL levels.

Now let us take a look at some of the factors that we can not control:

* Heredity - Your genes determine how fast your body makes LDL and how fast it is removed from the blood. This is why heart disease runs in some families and not in others.

* Age and Gender - As we get older our cholesterol levels rise. For example, before menopause women usually have lower cholesterol levels than men the same age. After menopause women have higher LDL levels and lower HDL levels. After the age of 50 women tend to have higher total cholesterol levels than men their same age.

Each year there are more than 1 million heart attacks in the United States resulting in over 500,000 deaths. Understanding the role that high cholesterol plays and what we need to do to lower it can benefit everyone. The only way to know if you have high cholesterol is by a blood test. If you have concerns that you may have high cholesterol levels due to lifestyle or other factors it is best to discuss this with your doctor who can monitor the situation.

John Bradstreet is an experienced Biochemist with extensive knowledge in nutritional supplementation. He is committed to a healthier lifestyle through natural means. To learn more about the benefits controlling high cholesterol we have included additional links at the bottom of the page to help educate you on the subject. Or you can subscribe to our Vitamin and Supplement blog.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/facts-we-need-to-know-about-high-cholesterol-and-our-health-1171193.html

It should be start by saying that the effects of high cholesterol are not noticeable. Actually, in the case you presently have high cholesterol you can’t feel or even notice any difference in the way you feel and the only method you can discover it is to talk to your doctor and take a blood test.

Well, there is besides one more method to find it out. In order to do this you just need to do a self evaluation of your way of life and age. Sure, this is not a clear indicator of cholesterol level, but it will give you a good idea. So, firstly you need to take into account your age. For example, if you are a 30 years old individual you should test your blood to see if your cholesterol is high and then add to the equation your diet. You should consider if your diet consists of foods with a lot of saturated fats; if your diet consists of processed foods; if your diet consists of salty foods; if your diet consists of vegetables and fruits; if your diet consists of healthy fish and plain nuts/legumes.

Actually, a diet that is high in saturated fats and low in fruits, vegetables, healthy fish, and nuts can be a clear indication that you have high cholesterol.

The other critical question that you should ask yourself is whether you do your exercise frequently. If the answer is negative then you get one more reason to consider your cholesterol is high. Besides you have increased chances for high cholesterol in the case you have high stomach fat or even a little bit of belly (for men) or thigh (for women) fat.

Finally, it is also vital to think about your family history of high cholesterol. In other words, if a family member has high cholesterol chances are you will have high cholesterol too. Certainly, there is a way to avoid this and in order to do this you should consume healthy food and do your exercises.

Now it?s time to talk a bit more about what the effects are.

Plaque Build Up

The point is that plaque is one of the most hazardous aspects of high cholesterol. To put it simply, plaque is a substance that build up on the walls of your arteries. At any time, the plaque built up on the side of the artery wall can burst letting out fat into the blood stream. Consequently this fat clogs the arteries and causes a heart attack.

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

PAD is a condition in which plaque builds up in the leg and the symptoms will be the next:

? ache in your leg while exercising and after

? lower temperature of one leg compared to the rest of your body

? cut that is not healing on your foot

It will be useful for you to find out that due to that it feels like something is wrong with your legs rather than with your arteries, PAD is rather complicated to be diagnosed.

So, now you want to know how to protect yourself from heart attack and PAD that may be caused by high cholesterol. Take into account (and follow!) the next tips:

? Correct Eating

The truth is that the first and foremost thing you have to do is to change your diet. It is significant for you to include in your diet all types of vegetables and fruits to your diet.

? Exercising

You need to start a walking or jogging routine since it is a great way to lower cholesterol and lose weight.

? Taking a Natural Supplement

Take into account that a cholesterol lowering supplement could be what you need to decrease cholesterol levels.

Reducing High Cholesterol Plaque Buildup in Arteries High Cholesterol Numbers

These days we are all encouraged to make sure that we keep a close eye on our health. This means that we should be aware of the sort of food that we eat and what it could potentially do to our bodies. We also need to make sure that we keep an eye on various health indicators. An example of this is your cholesterol ratio.

There is quite a precise way in which one calculates this ratio. You achieve a number on the cholesterol ration by dividing the level of HDL cholesterol into one’s total cholesterol. According to the American Heart Association, you should have a maximum ratio of 5:1 and the best ratio would be considered a 3. 5:1.

The ratio is so important because it is one of the main ways in which your doctor and of course you, the individual can determine whether there is likely to be any heart risk. So you know that if you fall into the window that is regarded as dangerous that you have to take some precautions.

Most doctors would recommend that you check this regularly at least once every six months. If the measurement that you achieve is not what the doctor ordered then they are likely to prescribe a course of treatment. This could either be in the form of medication or it could mean that you will need to change your diet.

Medication might seem like the easier path but at the end of the day you should choose to go for the eating plan is you have the luxury of choice. This will mean that you get to avoid having to take the medication for the rest of your life which is likely to happen if you go down that route.

Make sure that you try to eat healthy foods as a means of hopefully never having to worry about your cholesterol in the first place. There are a variety of foods that cut down cholesterol. Make sure though that you avoid foods such as too much fatty, red meat and also try to avoid butter and ice cream.

While this may start to sound difficult, let’s focus on what you can enjoy. You are able to take a good old bite into fish. These have the right fats for you and are strong in omega oils which we all need. Other good foods include walnuts and oat bran. Both of these have the additional benefit of aiding your digestive processes. These foods will help to keep your cholesterol ratio within safe levels.

Visit the Cholesterol Scoop for more information on Cholesterol in Eggs.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/all-you-need-to-know-about-a-cholesterol-ratio-1130851.html

Recently there have been several studies done that show the benefits of red yeast rice. These benefits include being able to lower cholesterol levels as well as prevent repeat heart attacks. This is particularly good news for those people that can not take statin drugs. It is estimated that about 15% of patients that are put on statin drugs to lower cholesterol stop taking them due to side effects. The most common one being muscle pain. This leaves this population with no effective cholesterol treatment.

Red yeast rice is produced from cultivating M purpureus on polished rice. The fully cultured rice can be sold in the form of a powder, a paste or as a dried grain. China is the world’s largest producer of red yeast rice. It has been used for centuries in that country as a spice. This is what gives Peking duck the red color that you see. In addition to its culinary uses, it is documented that as far back as the Tang Dynasty that red yeast rice has been used in tradition Chinese medicine. It was used to invigorate the body, aid in the digestive process and remove “blood blockages”.

In one study done on patients that had heart attacks showed a 45% reduction in subsequent attacks. It also concluded that mortality rates and the need for by-pass surgery were reduced by a third. The study was a multi-center, randomized, double blind study conducted on 5,000 patients at 60 hospitals ranging from age 18 to 70 over a 5 year period in the Peoples Republic of China. Researchers of this study were quoted as saying, “It’s very exciting because this is a natural product and had very few adverse side effects including no abnormal blood changes”.

In another study done by the University of Tromso in Norway, Shanghai University of Traditional Medicine and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine conducted a meta-analysis of 93 randomized studies that tested the effectiveness of 3 different red yeast rice preparations. They were trying to access the effectiveness in treating hyperlipidemia, which is a condition where patients have an abnormally high concentration of lipids (fats) in the blood. This is a very serious condition for people having it. They found that all three preparations significantly reduced total blood cholesterol as well as triglyceride and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. At the same time it increased HDL or good cholesterol.

This study also concluded that all three preparations were as effective in lowering cholesterol levels as popular statin drugs such as Lipitor, Zocor and Mevacor. In addition they did this without the negative side effects such as muscle pain, liver damage and sexual dysfunction that are associated with statin drugs. The side effects of all three preparations seemed to be dizziness and some gastrointestinal discomfort. These side effects are much more tolerable for patients than those caused by statins.

Most recently two Philadelphia Cardiologists studied the effects of some over-the-counter dietary supplements found in health food stores and pharmacies as an alternative to treating patients with high cholesterol that could not take statin drugs. They published the findings of there study “Red Yeast Rice for Dyslipidemia in Statin-Intolerant Patients”, in the June 16, 2009 edition of Annals of Internal Medicine”.

According to Dr. Becker, one of the authors, “Every physician has patients who refuse to take statins or have significant side effects from them”. And he goes on to say “One of the largest challenges in the medical community has been that there is no agreement or consensus on how to treat these patients. We are convinced that our research may lead to some answers.”

The conclusions of their study showed that:

* LDL or bad cholesterol levels decreased more in patients taking red yeast rice than it did in patients not taking it.
* Total cholesterol levels improved more in patients taking red yeast rice than in those taking the placebo.

This study has added significance because it was funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania rather than the pharmaceutical companies with there commercial interests in mind.

John Bradstreet is an experienced Biochemist with extensive knowledge in nutritional supplementation. He has more than 25 years of increasing responsibility in his field. To learn more about the benefits of Red Yeast Rice we have included additional links at the bottom of the page to help educate you on the subject. Or you can subscribe to our Vitamin and Supplement blog where you will find information on many topics concerning natural supplementation.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/you-can-lower-cholesterol-and-prevent-repeat-heart-attacks-with-red-yeast-rice-1129304.html

The Truth about Cholesterol

Every day, more people discover they have high cholesterol; and this in itself is not surprising as cholesterol is a health problem that affects individuals who are over weight, which is 70% of the current population.

Cholesterol is basically fat which accumulates on the walls of veins, capillaries and arteries causing blockage and poor circulation. This can be very dangerous to the heart and brain which depend on good blood circulation to get oxygen and nutrients. Eventually, cholesterol can block a vein or artery enough to stop the blood flow which can then cause stroke or heart failure.

Many people abstain from eating any type of fat under the misconception that all fats are bad and cause cholesterol. But just as there are good fats (such as Omega oils) and bad fats (such as saturated fat), there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol.

In a lot of cases, individuals are found to have high levels of bad cholesterol simply because they don’t eat enough foods which provide them with the good cholesterol they need to fight the bad.

In other words, you may have cholesterol not because you eat too much red meat, but because you’re not eating enough fish, avocadoes and nuts!

To fight cholesterol, it is vital to create a very balanced diet that includes plenty of essential fatty acids and Omega oils that will help your body clean out the bad cholesterol, much like soap (which is often made from lard) cleans grease off your hands.

But in addition to a balanced diet, regular exercise is essential for a healthy body, even if its only 30 minutes each day. In the case of individuals who suffer from cardiovascular problems, it is recommended they exercise in the evenings or at night before bed as this improves the overall circulation through the night. Most heart attacks occur between the hours of 12 AM and 7AM, and nightly exercise is a way of preventing this.

There is a vitamin that is highly recommended for anyone who needs to clear out cholesterol and improve circulation. This vitamin is Niacin and has the amazing effect of dilating even the tiniest capillary veins.

Remember that cholesterol is a health issue caused mainly by bad eating habits. If you change your eating habits you change your health.

For more articles like this one or to contact Cristal, visit:

http://www.CristalMunoz.com

Cristal Munoz is a nutrition consultant and has written numerous articles relating to health and nutrition. For more info, visit: http://www.CristalMunoz.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-truth-about-cholesterol-1110132.html