How To Reduce Cholesterol - The Natural Way

By Danny Lewis

If you have been told that you have high cholesterol levels, one of the first things you may want to consider is learning how to reduce cholesterol naturally. Of course this is something that you will need to discuss with your physician, but at the end of the day more often than not they will recommend statins to control cholesterol levels, and while they will most certainly do the job, unfortunately they do have some pretty nasty side effects that come with them. Therefore, if you can learn how to reduce cholesterol naturally you can hopefully prevent yourself being on a lifetime medication of statins.

A great place to start when looking at how to reduce cholesterol is by starting some kind of daily exercise regime. An exercise regime does not have to mean working out so hard until youare red in the face and on the verge of collapsing, for it has now come to light that it is the duration that is important not the intensity. So, bearing that in mind ideally what you want to be doing is approximately 30 minutes exercise on a daily basis, and this can be something as simple as walking briskly.

Although food does not play a hugely significant part in cholesterol levels, there are a couple of foods that you can cut back on that will help. First of all you want reduce the amount of saturated fats that you consume, these often found in red meats and dairy products: but more importantly you want to cut back on the amount of trans fats that are consumed. Researchers found that trans fats can cause a significant spike in the LDL cholesterol in the body; you will normally find trans fats in fast food's and also ready-made meals. When buying ready-made meals if you see the words hydrogenated or part hydrogenated vegetable oils on the labeling then put it back as these contains trans fats.

Another way to help balance your cholesterol levels is to increase the amount of fish oil omega3 that you consume. You can of course do this by eating 2 to 3 portions of oily fish per week: however the best way to do it is to use a fish oil supplement. The reason the omega3 from oily fish is so beneficial is because not only does it help to lower the LDL cholesterol, but it also helps to raise HDL cholesterol; and on top of that reduce triglyceride levels too. Also if your cholesterol levels have been high then chances are that may have been some buildup on the artery walls, the essential fats in this type of Omega3 will help to rectify that.

A further avenue you may want to explore in your quest on learning how to reduce cholesterol levels is naturally blended supplements. In a nutshell what these supplements are is a blend of several ingredients that have been clinically proven to have an effects on cholesterol levels. By this they have to lower the production of LDL cholesterol, increase the production of HDL cholesterol and also ensure that any any excess LDL cholesterol in the blood is turned into bile salts to be excreted from the body. There are several types of these supplements available in the marketplace, however if you pick one you want to ensure that it contains policosanol; the reason being is this been found to be as effective as statins, but without the dangerous side effects that go with them. - 32389

About the Author:

To discover more about how to reduce cholesterol using naturally blended supplements, discover the hidden dangers of using statins then please make sure you visit my website where I explain this in more detail. You can find the site at http://www.clobbercholesterol.com

Three Ways To Reduce Cholesterol

By Joe Dungait

If you're looking to reduce cholesterol levels and you go to discuss this with a physician, chances are that you will more than likely be put on medication such as statins. You need to be very wary before starting this medication because once you are on it, it is a lifetime prescription; and on top of that it does have some pretty nasty side effects too which include severe muscle pain and weakness, and let us not forget that your heart is a muscle as well. Fortunately there are natural ways to reduce cholesterol, so before getting started on medication you may want to give these three little steps to try first.

1.Exercise - We all know that we should exercise more, however when we think of exercising it brings up horror images of expensive gym memberships and killing ourselves on treadmills. Fortunately to help reduce cholesterol this does not have to be the scenario as scientists now appreciate that it is the duration of the exercise and not the intensity that is important. So, the duration needs to be approximately 30 minutes a day five times a week or so and the exercise could be anything of your choice such as brisk walking, cycling or even swimming.

2.Diet - The cholesterol levels in your body are mainly decided by the amount that your liver creates. The food you eat only plays a tiny part in the amount of cholesterol that is created. However, it does play a part so therefore there are certain foods that we want to avoid and certain foods that we want to include to help balance cholesterol levels. The main foods to avoid are foods containing saturated fats such as red meats and dairy, but more importantly the food you really want to avoid is fast food and ready-made meals because these often contain hydrogenated oils which then turn into trans fats and can really help to spike your bad cholesterol. The foods that you want to include to help boost your good cholestero arel oily fish such as salmon and tuna, and also foods like a oat bran and oatmeal because of the soluble fiber that they contain.

3.Nutritional Supplements-- It is also worthwhile taking nutritional supplements to help control your good and bad cholesterol levels. In particular you should be looking for nutritional supplements that contain ingredients such as policosanol (which has been found to be as effective as statins), theaflavins and phytosterols. In the main what you are looking for a nutritional supplement to do is to lower the bad cholesterol, increase good cholesterol and take any excess bad cholesterol and change it into bile salts to be excreted from the body.

Following these three step will not have a dramatic affect overnight, however given the little bit of time they will help to reduce your cholesterol levels. So why not give them a go before opting to go on medication for the rest of your life? - 32389

About the Author:

If you would like to discover more about how to reduce cholesterol naturally through the use of supplements, please visit http://www.clobbercholesterol.com to discover more about the only supplement that has the key five ingredients to help get your cholesterol levels in the right balance.

How To Raise Low HDL Cholesterol

By Joe Dungait

If you have low HDL levels then you should look to remedy it ASAP. You are more than likely already aware of the fact that your body has two types of cholesterol in it HDL (often referred to as the good) and LDL (the bad). Truth is that neither of them are really good nor bad as your body needs them both to work correctly, the problems occur when they become out of balance. If you have low HDL cholesterol then there will be too much LDL as it is not being mopped up and taken back to the liver (this is the job of the HDL). This in turn can lead to blocking of the arteries and heart disease.

Ways To Increase Low HDL Cholesterol

1)Have More Omega3 - The vast majority of people do not get enough omega 3 in their diet, yet omega 3's have a huge impact on your cholesterol levels. Good sources of omega 3 are flax seeds and walnuts, however the best source is oily fish such as salmon or tuna. Fish such as the ones we have mentioned have essential fats in their omega 3's that help raise low HDL cholesterol, lowr LDL levels and also help to lower triglyceride levels too.

2)Exercising - Exercising has an important part to play in helping raise HDL. Do not worry about taking out any gym memberships or doing intense aerobic routines, if you can start off by getting out for a walk and then build it up to walking briskly for 30 minutes a day it will help with your cholesterol levels. Remember it is the duration that is important not the intensity, so bear this in mind when picking the type of exercise you want to do.

3)Lifestyle - Specific changes in lifestyle can go a long way in helping to raise low HDL cholesterol. Stopping smoking is a major one for obvious reasons. Another area you can cut down on is consuming fast food or ready made meals. The reason for this is because they often contain hydrogenated oils which turn into trans fats and raise your LDL cholesterol not your HDL.

So is following these 3 steps to raise low HDL cholesterol worth it? The answer to that is of course yes, it may take a little bit of getting used to in the beginning, but when you consider the alternative is being on statins for the rest of your life, and all the side effects that they have, then it is a small price to pay. - 32389

About the Author:

If you'd like to discover more ways to help boost low HDL cholesterol, make sure you visit http://www.clobbercholesterol.com for more free info on how to protect your heart from high cholesterol

What You Can Do About Cholesterol And Heart Disease

By Dr. Sam Robbins

Your body builds new cells, insulate nerves, and produces hormones with the help of cholesterol. The liver normally makes all the cholesterol the body needs. However, cholesterol enters your body from food, like animal based foods such as milk, eggs and meat. A major risk factor for heart disease is too much cholesterol.

Atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease, is caused by too much cholesterol in your blood which builds up in the walls of your arteries. The arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the heart muscle is slowed down or blocked. The heart gets oxygen from the blood. If you do not get enough blood and oxygen to reach your heart, you might suffer chest pains. When the blood supply to a part of your heart is completely cut off by a blockage, a heart attack takes place.

The two forms of cholesterol Americans are familiar with are low density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad" cholesterol) and high density lipoprotein (HDL or "good" cholesterol). Cholesterol travels in the blood in this form. LDLs have little protein and high levels of cholesterol and HDL has a lot of protein and very little cholesterol.

The main source of artery clogging plaque is LDL. The HDL works to clear cholesterol from the blood.

Another fat in the bloodstream is triglycerides. According to research, high levels of triglycerides are linked to heart disease.

People are unaware that their cholesterol levels are too high because there are no symptoms of high cholesterol. This makes it vital to find out what your cholesterol numbers are because lowering the cholesterol level that are too high reduces the chance of heart disease, even if you already have heart disease.

It is recommended that everyone over the age of twenty get their cholesterol levels measured at least every five years. Lipoprotein profile is the blood test that is performed. - 32389

About the Author:

For additional information about Cholesterol and Heart Disease please send all correspondence to Dr. Sam Robbins

Revealed - The Dangers Lurking In Cholesterol Lowering Drugs

By Joe Dungait

Cholesterol lowering drugs have been used for quite a long time now. Originally the most often prescribed ones were statins, however recently the most commonly prescribed cholesterol lowering drugs have been Vytorin and Zetia. Lately though, it appears many physicians are actually going back to prescribing statins because they are finding these latest additions have just not been effective at reducing cholesterol levels. Statins are very effective at reducing high cholesterol levels, but unfortunately they also bring with them some severe health concerns as part of their side effects.

One organ in your body that is particularly susceptible to damage by statins is your liver. This is due to the fact that statins mess around with the enzymes in your liver and an increase in certain enzymes which is allowed to build up over a significant period of time will ultimately lead to your liver being severely damaged. It is not just statins that do this though, a drug that we mentioned earlier, Zetia also can list liver damage as one of its side effects along with a whole host of other side effects too. The challenge with liver damage is that it does not have any early warning signals and therefore strikes without any prior symptoms; thus if you on cholesterol lowering drugs make sure you get your liver checked regularly.

Possibly the number one side effect and complaint about statins is in the way that it leaves the user with severe muscle pain and also muscle weakness. There are a host of reasons behind this but the most important one that you need to know about is because that when the statins suppress the enzyme that creates the bad cholesterol, at the same time it also suppresses an enzyme that powers all of the cells in your body. The long-term effect of this can be severe health implications for you, because when you take into consideration that your heart is a muscle then ultimately you may experience severe pain here and with it being a weak muscle possibly also experienced failure.

Memory loss and poor concentration is also a common side effect of cholesterol lowering drugs such as statins. The cause behind this is because that we actually need the LDL cholesterol in our bodies for a reason, and one of those reasons is to make our brain function properly. Statins can often reduce our LDL cholesterol to too low a level, and therefore we do not get enough of it going to our brains which ultimately means a breakdown in communication between brain cells. Some researchers are now linking very low levels of LDL with Alzheimer's disease. Ultimately, we have this LDL cholesterol in our bodies for a reason and it is my opinion that totally suppressing it is to be messing with your body at the cellular level.

Ultimately, unless there are several more reasons for you to be on cholesterol lowering drugs you may want to look at other avenues to treat your high cholesterol levels before committing to drugs such as statins. Research is now finding that simple lifestyle decisions such as losing weight, cutting out foods that contain trans fats and exercising more can all help to reduce your bad cholesterol levels and help raise your good cholesterol levels. - 32389

About the Author:

If you would like to discover more about natural ways to lower your cholesterol levels that are as effective as cholesterol lowering drugs, then make sure you visit http://www.clobbercholesterol.com to see what nature can do for you without the side effects of statins.

Cholesterol And Heart Disease The Things You Should Know

By Dr. Sam Robbins

Cholesterol helps your body build new cells, insulate nerves, and produce hormones. Normally, the liver makes all the cholesterol the body needs. But cholesterol also enters your body from food, such as animal-based foods like milk, eggs, and meat. Too much cholesterol in your body is a major risk factor for heart disease.

A form of heart disease, atherosclerosis, is caused when too much cholesterol is in the blood which builds up in the walls of your arteries. The arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the heart muscle is slowed down or blocked. Your heart gets oxygen from the blood. When you do not get enough blood and oxygen to your heart, it might cause chest pains. A heart attack can happen when the blood supply to a part of your heart is completely cut off by a blockage.

The two forms of cholesterol Americans are familiar with are low density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad" cholesterol) and high density lipoprotein (HDL or "good" cholesterol). Cholesterol travels in the blood in this form. LDLs have little protein and high levels of cholesterol and HDL has a lot of protein and very little cholesterol.

The main source of artery clogging plaque is LDL. The HDL works to clear cholesterol from the blood.

Another fat in the bloodstream is triglycerides. According to research, high levels of triglycerides are linked to heart disease.

High cholesterol itself does not cause any symptoms; so many people are unaware that their cholesterol levels are too high. Therefore, it is important to find out what your cholesterol numbers are because lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens the risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of a heart attack or dying of heart disease, even if you already have it.

It is recommended that everyone over the age of twenty get their cholesterol levels measured at least every five years. Lipoprotein profile is the blood test that is performed. - 32389

About the Author:

For additional information or questions in regards to Cholesterol and Heart Disease please send all messages to Dr. Sam Robbins

Do You Want To Know How To Lower Your Choleterol? These Three Foods Will Help

By Joe Dungait

When looking into ways how to lower your cholesterol what we have to bear in mind is that we only want to lower the bad cholesterol which is the LDL and at the same time we want to raise good cholesterol which is the HDL. The LDL-cholesterol is created by your liver and ultimately this determines how much is in your blood, however the food that you eat can play a small part and by eating certain foods you can help lower your LDL cholesterol to a certain degree. So with every little helping, let's have a look at three simple foods to lower your cholesterol.

How To Lower Your Cholesterol

1.Oats- There is a substance known as soluble fiber which is found in oatmeal and oat bran that is hugely beneficial in helping to lower bad cholesterol, while at the same time not reducing the good cholesterol levels. In fact, soluble fiber is so effective at maintaining a healthy heart that in 1997 the FDA approved its claims for being able to do just that. For it to have any kind of impact on your bad cholesterol you need to have around 5 to 10gms per day; short term this will lead to about a 5% reduction in bad cholesterol, however over the long term the reduction could be as much as 23%.

2.Omega-3 Fatty Acids - Omega 3 from oily fish has been proven to help lower cholesterol levels quite significantly. In fact not only does it lower LDL but it actually increases the amount of HDL in your bosy which is what you want. On top of that omega3 from oily fish also helps to reduce triglyceride levels and reduce the amount of clogging in the arteries that is caused by raised LDL levels.

3.Nuts - Nuts can help by not only reducing the amount of oxidization in the body through the selenium and vitamin E that they contain, but they can also help lower LDL levels because of some of the other nutrients that they contain. Nuts contain plant sterols and also monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, all of which combine to lower LDL cholesterol. One thing to bear in mind though is that although they are good for the heart, they also pack a few calories too, therefore be careful not to overdo on them. - 32389

About the Author:

If you would like more information on how to lower your cholesterol without having to resort to medication, then please make sure you visit http://www.clobbercholesterol.com to find out about the most natural and effective way to reduce cholesterol levels.