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High cholesterol – what is it?
When you have high cholesterol, it means you have excess cholesterol
circulating in your bloodstream. This isn't a disease in itself, but it may
lead to serious health problems, including peripheral vascular disease,
coronary heart disease, and stroke.
What causes high cholesterol?
The three main causes of high cholesterol that you can't control are
your:
- Genetics or family history;
- Age;
- Sex.
There are people that due to genetics or family history, have high
cholesterol even though they're young in their 20's for example.
If your parents, grandparents, brothers, or sisters have high cholesterol,
you and your children may be at risk. All family members should consider
being tested.
Women have a lower rate of high cholesterol, since before menopause they
have lower cholesterol levels than men of the same age. However, as the
women get older, their blood cholesterol levels rise until about 60 to 65
years old. After the age of 50, women often (but not always) have higher
total cholesterol levels than men of the same age.
There are four secondary causes of high cholesterol, which with some
discipline you can avoid.
- Weight.
Excess weight tends to increase you LDL (bad) cholesterol level. If you
are overweight and have high cholesterol levels, losing weight may help
you lower it. Weight loss also helps to lower triglyceride levels as
well as raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
- Diet
Diet is the most important of the secondary causes of high cholesterol,
which affect almost everyone.
Remember that the liver produces all the necessary cholesterol needed by
the body. As such, it is not necessary to get additional cholesterol
from food. Foods to consume without fear are fruits and vegetables.
Limit as much as you can animal and dairy products.
- Alcohol.
Alcohol is "good" because it increases HDL cholesterol (the good one).
However, it does not decrease the bad or HDL cholesterol. Plus, drinking
too much alcohol damages the liver and heart muscle, leads to high blood
pressure and raises triglyceride levels.
4. Smoking.
Smoking reduces your good or HDL cholesterol and is linked to about 20%
of deaths from heart disease.
How is high cholesterol diagnosed?
The only way to know whether you have high cholesterol is to have a
simple blood test. Experts recommend that healthy adults have the test at
least every five years. You may need to be tested more often, depending on
your age and other factors.
How lifestyle changes help lower cholesterol?
Your lifestyle -- what you eat and drink, how much you exercise, and
habits such as smoking -- can contribute directly to high cholesterol and
heart disease. Conversely, positive lifestyle changes can help lower your
cholesterol.
Talk to your doctor about what steps you can take to lower your
cholesterol and your risk of heart disease. He or she may recommend:
- Diet
- Exercise
- Stress reduction
Diet
Eating healthy can lower your cholesterol, help you lose weight and lower
your risk of developing heart disease. In fact, research has shown that
lowering the cholesterol and saturated fat in your diet can help lower your
total blood cholesterol and LDL levels up to 15% (amount varies). The best
way to determine the cholesterol and fat content of the food you eat is to
read food labels.
Your physician or a registered dietitian can also help you choose the
best foods to eat. One's diet needs to be higher in fruits and vegetables (5
servings per day) and higher in fiber (bread, cereals, fruits and
vegetables). Consider replacing butter with olive oil. Eat fatty fish twice
per week (salmon, mackerel).
Exercise
According to the American Heart Association® Aerobic exercise can help you
control your cholesterol, as well as lower your blood pressure and increase
your physical fitness, energy, and self-esteem. It can also keep the weight
off and increase HDL. Each person's fitness needs are different. Your needs
will depend on your age, current health and health goals, so be sure to talk
to your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
Stress reduction
Reducing and controlling stress is important for good health, but especially
important for people with high cholesterol and heart disease. When under
stress for long periods of time, the body reacts by constricting blood
vessels, making circulation more difficult. Healthy ways to reduce stress
include relaxation exercises, meditation, time management and a flexible
attitude. If you feel stressed, try to figure out why and make changes where
you can.
Dietary Supplements that help lower cholesterol
Squalene
Health Benefits of
Squalene include:
Adaptogen ( Adaptation Syndrome )
Squalene is non-toxic, 100% natural and has no side effects. Its
beneficial action is not limited to a particular organ.
If any, initial reactions result from toxins being released from
the body.
Cell-Invigorating
Squalene revitalizes weakened body cells and helps revive cell
generation. Its chief attribute is the protection it affords
cells from oxidation reactions.
The human body has about 6 billion oxygen reliant cells.
Oxygenation promotes good health to the most basic level of life
- the cell.
Purifying
Squalene helps clean, purify, and detoxify the blood from
toxins, facilitating blood circulation. It cleanses the
gastrointestinal tract and kidneys, causing better bowel
movement and urination. Many diseases are cured if the blood is
purified, a condition Squalene contributes to.
Curbing
of Bad Cholesterol
Squalene is good cholesterol that is made up of high density
lipid (HDL) which prevents the hardening of blood vessels and
deposition of cholesterol plaques.
Omega-3 fatty acids are
a form of polyunsaturated fats, one of four basic types of fat that the body
derives from food. (Cholesterol, saturated fat, and monounsaturated fat are
the others.) All polyunsaturated fats, including the omega-3s, are
increasingly recognized as important to human health.
Scientists made one of the first associations between omega-3s and human
health while studying the Inuit (Eskimo) people of Greenland in the 1970s.
As a group, the Inuit suffered far less from certain diseases (coronary
heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus, psoriasis) than
their European counterparts. Yet their diet was very high in fat from eating
whale, seal, and salmon. Eventually researchers realized that these foods
were all rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which provided real disease-countering
benefits.
In particular, omega-3s in fish oil or other forms may help to:
Improve heart health. Omega-3 fatty acids have been
shown to play a part in keeping cholesterol levels low, stabilizing
irregular heart beat (arrhythmia), and reducing blood pressure. Researchers
now believe that alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), one of the omega-3s, is
particularly beneficial for protecting against heart and vessel disease, and
for lowering cholesterol and triglyceride levels. An excellent source of ALA
is flaxseed oil, sold as both a liquid oil and a semisolid margarine-like
spread.
Omega-3 fatty acids are also natural blood thinners, reducing the
"stickiness" of blood cells (called platelet aggregation), which can lead to
such complications as blood clots and stroke.
Reduce hypertension. Studies of large groups of people
have found that the more omega-3 fatty acids people consume, the lower their
overall blood pressure level is. This was the case with the Greenland
Eskimos who ate a lot of oily, cold-water fish, for example.
Krill Oil
Krill oil is being studied as a natural remedy for high cholesterol. In
one study, 120 people were given krill oil, fish oil or a placebo. Krill oil
reduced LDL (commonly referred to as "bad") cholesterol by 34% and increased
HDL ("good") cholesterol by 43.5% compared to the placebo. In comparison,
fish oil reduced LDL cholesterol by 4.6% and increased HDL cholesterol by
4.2%. Krill also lowered triglycerides.
Benefit of Grape Seed Extract?
-
Strengthens and
Repairs Connective Tissue
-
Helps Patients
With Multiple Sclerosis
-
Helps Teeth and
Gums
-
Reduces Allergic
Responses By Minimizing Histamine Production
-
Enhanced
Capillary Strength and Vascular Function
-
Reduces Blood
Pressure and Cholesterol Levels
-
Helps Prevent
Cancer
-
Strengthens The
Immune System
-
Increases
Peripheral Circulation, Improving Vision
-
Reduction in Skin
Aging and Loss of Elasticity
Bee Propolis
may also helps lower blood lipid and cholesterol levels as well
as lower blood pressure. Some suggest that propolis improves
energy and endurance in athletes.
Garlic
oil has benefits for the immune system, when suffering
from infections and colds, for heart disease and blood pressure regulation.
Royal Jelly Extract
Health Benefits of
Royal Jelly include:
-
Enhance
immunity
-
Prevent
arthritis and multiple sclerosis
-
Treat
asthma
-
Slow
the signs of aging
-
Stimulate hair growth
-
Improve
sexual performance
-
Reduce
symptoms of menopause
-
Accelerating the healing and consolidation of fractured bones
-
Lower
cholesterol
-
Alleviate cardiovascular ailments
-
Remedy
liver disease, pancreatitis, insomnia, fatigue, ulcers, and
digestive and skin disorders
-
Reduce
tiredness and overwork, asthenia, anxiety states, insomnia and
anorexia.
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