What is Cholesterol?
High Cholesterol Symptoms
5 Diseases Caused by High Cholesterol
9 Factors that Affects High Cholesterol
8 Effective Ways to Reduce Cholesterol from your body
High Cholesterol Reducing Foods
Foods that Increases Cholesterol
How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally

In Today’s world, High Cholesterol is estimated to cause 2.6 million deaths worldwide.

It’s really difficult to regular check your cholesterol  level.

But by reading this whole article you can easily maintain your cholesterol  level and live a healthy life.

And Today I will give you a complete guide on how to increase good Cholesterol and decrease bad Cholesterol.

First we will understand what actually Cholesterol is:

Actually Cholesterol is a type of fat found in your blood. Your body makes all the Cholesterol that your cells need.

But the catch is

You also get Cholesterol by the food you eat. Meat, fish, eggs, butter, cheese, and whole or low-fat milk all have cholesterol in them.

There are different types of cholesterol:

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) : Most cholesterol is LDL and is referred as “bad” cholesterol. This can raise the possibility of heart attack, heart diseases and stroke. LDL carries the cholesterol away from the liver into the bloodstream, where it can stick to the blood vessels.

HDL (high-density lipoprotein) : It is referred as “good” cholesterol. It carries the cholesterol back to the liver where it is broken down.

If you have too much of bad cholesterol it starts to build up in your arteries. (Arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.) The buildup can lead to heart attack and stroke.

The National Cholesterol Education Program suggests that total blood cholesterol level should be:

Cholesterol Level Chart
Blood Cholesterol Level Chart	Desirable	Borderline (high)	High Risk
Total Cholesterol		200-240	> 240
Triglycerides		150-500	> 500
Low Density Cholesterol		130-160	> 240
High Density Cholesterol	> 50	50-35

High Cholesterol Symptoms

High cholesterol has no symptoms.

A blood test is the only way to detect high cholesterol.

In most cases it only causes emergency events. For instance, a heart attack or stroke can result from the damage caused by high cholesterol.

5 Diseases Caused by High Cholesterol:

• Coronary heart disease

The main risk associated with high cholesterol is coronary heart disease (CHD). Cholesterol builds up on the wall of your arteries. This condition causes arteries to become narrowed, and the narrowed blood vessels reduce blood flow to the heart.

This can result in heart attack.

Signs of a heart attack include:

• tightness, squeezing, fullness, pain, or aching in the chest or arms
• difficulty breathing
• anxiety or an a feeling of impending doom
• dizziness
• nausea, indigestion, or heartburn
• excessive fatigue

• Stroke

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain becomes blocked or bursts.

• Peripheral arterial disease

Cholesterol is also linked to Peripheral arterial disease in which fatty deposits build up along artery walls and affect blood circulation, mainly in arteries leading to the legs and feet. The arteries of the kidney can also be affected.

• Diabetes

High Cholesterol also causes Diabetes in your body. People with diabetes tend to have increased triglycerides, decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and sometimes increased low-density lipoprotein (LDL).

• High blood pressure

High blood pressure (also called hypertension) and high cholesterol also are linked.

When the arteries become hardened and narrowed with cholesterol plaque and calcium, the heart has to strain much harder to pump blood through them.

As a result, blood pressure becomes abnormally high.

9 Factors that Affects High Cholesterol:

• The foods you eat

  Eating saturated fat, found in animal products, and trans fats, found in some commercially baked cookies and crackers, can raise your cholesterol level.

  Foods that are high in cholesterol, such as red meat and full-fat dairy products, will also increase your total cholesterol.

Eating a heart-healthy diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and low-fat     or nonfat dairy foods.

• Obesity
  

  Having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater puts you at risk of high cholesterol. This may lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

• Large waist circumference

  Your risk increases if you are a man with a waist circumference of at least 40 inches (102 centimeters) or a woman with a waist circumference of at least 35 inches (89 centimeters).

• Being inactive
  

  Exercise helps boost your body’s HDL, or “good,” cholesterol while increasing the size of the particles that make up your LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol, which makes it less harmful.

Not exercising may lower HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

• Smoking
  

  Cigarette smoking damages the walls of your blood vessels, making them likely to accumulate fatty deposits.
  Smoking may also lower your level of HDL, or “good,” cholesterol.

• Diabetes
  

  High blood sugar contributes to higher LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol. High blood sugar also damages the lining of your arteries.

• The foods you eat
  

  Eating too much saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol can raise your cholesterol.

• Age
  

  Cholesterol starts to rise after age 20.

• Family history
  

  If family members have or had high cholesterol, you may also have it.

Now find out

8 Effective Ways to Reduce Cholesterol from your body

• Start Eating Healthier Food

Yes Changing your food habit will lower your Cholesterol.
You should Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.

•  Quit Smoking

If you smoke, stop. Smoking can raise LDL and lower HDL. And the benefits don’t end there.

Within 20 minutes of quitting, your blood pressure and heart rate decrease.
In one year, your risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker.
And in 15 years, your risk of heart disease is similar to someone who never smoked.

•  Exercise

Exercise on most days of the week and increase your physical activity.
Workout on daily basis can raise LDL and lower HDL.
Start doing Aerobic, Full Body and Stretching exercises.

• Loose Weight

Carrying even a few extra pounds contributes to high cholesterol. Losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of your weight can improve cholesterol levels.

Adding physical activity, even in 10-minute intervals several times a day, can help you begin to lose weight. Just be sure that you can keep up the changes you decide to make. Consider:

• Taking a brisk daily walk during your lunch hour
• Riding your bike to work
• Swimming laps
• Playing a favorite sport

•  Drink Less Alcohol

Drink alcohol only in moderation.

Too much alcohol can lead to serious health problems, including high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke.

•  Remove Stress

When you are stressed your Cholesterol Level increases.
So just relax and chill out with friends whenever you feel stressed.
It’ll help keep your cholesterol in check.

•  Stay Happier and laugh more

Laughter is like medicine: It increases HDL and helps in controlling Cholesterol.
So start laughing More.

• Eliminate trans fats

Trans fats affect cholesterol levels by increasing the “bad” cholesterol and lowering the “good” cholesterol.
This bad combination increases the risk of heart attacks.
Trans fats can be found in fried foods and many commercial products, such as cookies, crackers and snack cakes.

High Cholesterol Reducing Foods

• Herbs

Spices like garlic, curcumin, ginger, black pepper, coriander, and cinnamon do more than flavor your food, they can also improve cholesterol.

Add a variety of spices such as basil, rosemary and turmeric to your food which contain antioxidants that are cardio-protective and help lower cholesterol naturally.

• Omega-3 fats

Foods which are higher in Omega-3 fats can help in increasing HDL cholesterol.

Some types of fish — such as salmon, mackerel and herring — are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Other good sources of omega-3 fatty acids include walnuts, almonds and ground flaxseeds.
Check out more benefits of Omega-3 here.

• Increase soluble fiber

There are two types of fiber — soluble and insoluble. Both have heart-health benefits, but soluble fiber also helps lower your LDL levels.
You can add soluble fiber to your diet by eating oats and oat bran, fruits, beans, lentils, and vegetables.

• Add whey protein

Whey protein is one of two proteins in dairy products — the other is casein.

Whey protein may account for many of the health benefits attributed to dairy.

Studies have shown that whey protein given as a supplement lowers both LDL and total cholesterol.

• Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans

Plant foods high in soluble fiber are especially beneficial in lowering total and LDL bad cholesterol levels.

Good sources include beans (pinto beans, black beans, etc), yams, oats (yes, eat your oatmeal!), barley, and berries.

• Soya Foods

Being naturally low in saturated fat, soya foods help lower cholesterol.

Studies show you can lower your cholesterol by around 6% by including as little as 15g soya protein per day.

• Nuts

30-35g a day of nuts (a handful) has the potential to lower cholesterol by an average of 5%.

All nuts are rich in vegetable protein, fiber, heart healthy unsaturated fats, vitamin E, magnesium, potassium which helps in lowering Cholesterol.

• Oats and Barley

Both oats and barley are rich in a form of soluble fibre called beta glucan.

Once eaten beta glucan forms a gel which helps bind cholesterol in the intestines and prevent it from being absorbed.

It is recommended that we eat about 3g of beta glucan per day.  Foods which contain 1g or more of beta glucan can carry a cholesterol lowering claim.

• Foods Fortified with Plant Stanols or Plant Sterols

Sterols and stanols are naturally found in plants in very small amounts.

Foods fortified with plant sterols and stanols have been shown to lower cholesterol levels by reducing the amount of cholesterol our body can recycle.

List of other foods which lowers Cholesterol :-

• Porridge
• Oatbran
• Oat breakfast cereals
• Bread made with 50% oat flour or oat bran
• Oatcakes
• Pearl barley
• Baked beans
• Adzuki beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, butter beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas, edamame beans, kidney beans, lima beans, mung beans, navy beans, pinto beans, split peas, white beans
• Red lentils, green lentils
• Vegetables rich in soluble fibre such as okra, aubergine, citrus fruits, turnip, sweet potato and mango
• Unsalted soya nuts (also called roasted edamame beans)
• Soya alternative to milk
• Tofu
• Almonds, pistachios, walnuts, pecans, cashews, peanuts (always unsalted)

Foods that Increases Cholesterol

Eating too much saturated fat increases cholesterol levels.

This is why it is best to limit the amount of foods we eat that are high in saturated fats such as:

• Butter
• Ghee
• Hard margarines
• Lard, dripping and goose fat
• Fatty meat and meat products such as sausages
• Full fat cheese, milk, cream and yogurt
• Coconut and palm oils and coconut cream
• Additionally, many foods such as milk chocolate, toffee, cakes, puddings, pastries, pies and rich biscuits, which are made from the list above can also increase cholesterol.

How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally – HealthGuruTips 

Maintaining Cholesterol in our body is a easy task, if we focus on what we are eating and doing regular exercises and check-ups.

Stay Healthy and Stay Fit.

The post High Cholesterol – Causes, Symptoms, Factors, Food List appeared first on HealthGuruTips.