Lower Cholesterol Information

High cholesterol, also known as hypercholesterolemia, has increasingly been affecting people for many, many years. Abnormal cholesterol levels can show up as high LDL cholesterol or low HDL cholesterol. Low density lipoproteins (LDL) is also called "bad" cholesterol. LDL can cause buildup of plaque on the walls of arteries. High density lipoproteins (HDL), is also called "good" cholesterol. It is the good cholesterol that helps the body to get rid of bad cholesterol in the blood; the higher the level of HDL cholesterol, the better. Other types of cholesterol include VLDL and Triglycerides. VLDL (very low density lipoproteins) is similar to LDL cholesterol in that it contains mostly fat and not much protein. Triglycerides are another type of fat that is carried in the blood by very low density lipoproteins. Excess calories, alcohol, or sugar in the body are converted into triglycerides in the liver and stored in fat cells throughout the body.
There are a few major health risks to having high cholesterol. High cholesterol can lead to heart disease and stroke. When too much cholesterol is present in the blood, plaque (a thick, hard deposit) may form in the body's arteries narrowing the space for blood to flow to the heart. Over time, this buildup causes atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) which is what leads to heart disease. When not enough oxygen-carrying blood reaches the heart due to the amount of plaque in the artier chest pain called angina can be the result. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by total blockage of a coronary artery, the result is a heart attack. This is usually due to a sudden closure from a blood clot forming on top of a previous narrowing. The more LDL there is in the blood, the greater the risk of heart disease. If your levels of HDL are too low, you are also increasing your risk of heart disease.
Several things can lead to high cholesterol. One is having an unhealthy diet. A low-cholesterol diet can help improve cholesterol levels. If the low-cholesterol diet does not work to lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol, your doctor may prescribe medications. Sometimes high cholesterol runs in families. Your genes partly determine how much cholesterol your body makes naturally. Your LDL cholesterol is affected due to how fast LDL is made and removed from the blood. One specific form of inherited high cholesterol that affects 1 in 500 people is familial hypercholesterolemia, which often leads to early heart disease. Gender and age also determine if you are at risk for having high cholesterol levels. As we get older, cholesterol levels rise. Before menopause, women tend to have lower total cholesterol levels than men of the same age. After menopause, however, a women's LDL levels tend to rise until about 60 to 65 years of age. After the age of about 50, women often have higher total cholesterol levels than men of the same age.
Controlling cholesterol levels should not only be thought about when there is a problem. By thinking about the amount of cholesterol that you eat on a daily basis, you can put yourself onto a road that leads to a healthier cholesterol level in the future.

Lower Your Cholesterol with These Types of Foods
"lower cholesterol foods"

There are two main nutrients found in the foods that you eat which makes your LDL ("bad") cholesterol level go up. One is saturated fat, a type of fat that is found mostly in foods that come from animals. The other is cholesterol, which comes only from animal products. Saturated fat raises your LDL more than anything else in the average diet. Eating too much saturated fat and cholesterol is the main reason for high levels of cholesterol which leads to heart disease. Reducing the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol you eat is a very important step to reduce your blood cholesterol levels. There are many types of foods that you can eat which will actually lower your cholesterol.
Eating soluble fiber can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol. Five to ten grams or more of soluble fiber a day decreases your total and LDL cholesterol. Oatmeal is a type of food that contains soluble fiber. Soluble fiber is also found in foods like kidney beans, bananas, apples, pears, barley and prunes. Eating one and a half cups of cooked oatmeal daily will provide you with six grams of fiber. If you add fruit like bananas, you will add about another four grams of fiber to your meal. You can also eat cold cereal made with oatmeal or oat bran.
Walnuts, almonds and other nuts are another type of food that can reduce your blood cholesterol level as well. These nuts are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Plus, walnuts are known to help keep blood vessels healthy decreasing your risk of heart disease. According to the Food and Drug Administration, eating about a handful (1.5 ounces, or 42.5 grams) a day of most nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts, may reduce your risk of heart disease. But, this does not include nuts that are salted or coated with sugar. Plus, make sure that you limit yourself to just a handful because all nuts are high in calories. Try replacing foods that are high in saturated fat with nuts. An easy way to this is to add a handful of walnuts or almonds instead of using cheese, meat or croutons in your salad.
Also, eating fatty fish and omega-3 fatty acids is a great way to control your cholesterol. Because of the high levels of omega-3 fatty acids found in certain fish, your blood pressure and the risk of developing blood clots is reduced. In people who have already had heart attacks, the fish oil, or omega-3 fatty acids, reduces the risk of sudden death. It is recommended to eat at least two servings of fish a week. The highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, salmon and halibut. In order to avoid adding unhealthy fat you should bake or grill the fish. If you do not like fish, you can also get small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids from foods like ground flaxseed or canola oil.