Medical research proves beyond doubt that there is an unholy nexus between LDL cholesterol and heart disease. The long and the short of it is: LDL cholesterol is bad for the heart! What then is LDL cholesterol and what can we do to control it? The answer to that question is the burden of this article. Please do take the time to read it, it can mean the difference between robust good health and a lifetime of illness.
LDL stands for low density lipoprotein, with the 'lipo' prefix indicating 'fatty'. Similarly HDL stands for high density lipoprotein. The liver produces HDL cholesterol. This HDL cholesterol is used to repair damaged tissue and even to replace the dead tissue. The byproduct of this repairative work is LDL cholesterol. The LDL cholesterol is flushed out of the system by our circulatory and excretory systems. The body has regulatory mechanisms to ensure the proper balance of HDL and LDL cholesterols. However, at times, the level of LDL cholesterol exceeds the normal range and we end up with high LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. This is bad for our health.
LDL means 'fatty proteins of low density'. This in turn means that LDL cholesterol tends to be loose and thick. LDL cholesterol circulates with the blood and sticks to the inner walls of the blood vessels, forming plaque and gradually reducing the vascular passage. This condition is called arteriosclerosis which results in atherosclerosis, meaning degeneration of the blood vessels.
If this situation carries on for a long time, the blood flow is obstructed and the blood pressure increases leading to overloading of the heart. The plaque can accumulate to such an extent that it completely blocks the blood vessel, or it may get dislodged from one location and lodge itself in a narrower blood vessel, like a capillary, creating a blockage there. Blood supply is choked off at that point, and leads to blood starvation in the region beyond the blockage. If this blood starvation occurs in a critical area of the body, as for example in the brain, then we get a crisis. The affected area of the brain shuts down and this leads to a 'stroke' wherein the body experiences paralysis in those areas controlled by the area of the brain which has shut down. If the blood vessels of the heart are affected by blockage, then we get a critical situation known as a heart attack. All this is due to an excess of LDL cholesterol in the blood.
The best way to recover from this situation is to help the body to regulate the amounts of HDL and LDL cholesterol. We can do this by changing over to a low-fat diet, free of foods that are rich in LDL. Some fats, like the omega-3 fats found in fish, are actually helpful in reducing LDL cholesterol. So we should include fish in our diet. Drink a lot of water to increase blood circulation and excretion.
Stop using heavy cooking oil to cook food in. Switch to virgin olive oil which is highly recommended as a healthy cooking medium. Changing your cooking oil is a very effective way to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Quit smoking. We all know that smoking is bad for the lungs and is also a carcinogenic activity. What most of us don't know is that smoking aggravates the high LDL cholesterol condition. The LDL cholesterol will drop almost immediately from the time you stop smoking, and it will drop further if you do as mentioned in this article.
A stressful lifestyle adds fuel to fire if you have an excessive LDL cholesterol level. Tension adds to the high LDL cholesterol situation, whereas a tension free lifestyle actually goes a long way to decreasing the LDL cholesterol level.
To sum up, LDL cholesterol can be controlled by eating foods which are free of saturated fats, exercising, quitting smoking and ridding yourself of stress. The worst thing you can do is to panic about high LDL cholesterol levels. This article is meant to educate you about the cause and prevention of heart disease, not scare you. Use what you have learnt in this article to control the LDL cholesterol situation. Once that is under control, you can say that the risk of heart disease is under control.
LDL stands for low density lipoprotein, with the 'lipo' prefix indicating 'fatty'. Similarly HDL stands for high density lipoprotein. The liver produces HDL cholesterol. This HDL cholesterol is used to repair damaged tissue and even to replace the dead tissue. The byproduct of this repairative work is LDL cholesterol. The LDL cholesterol is flushed out of the system by our circulatory and excretory systems. The body has regulatory mechanisms to ensure the proper balance of HDL and LDL cholesterols. However, at times, the level of LDL cholesterol exceeds the normal range and we end up with high LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. This is bad for our health.
LDL means 'fatty proteins of low density'. This in turn means that LDL cholesterol tends to be loose and thick. LDL cholesterol circulates with the blood and sticks to the inner walls of the blood vessels, forming plaque and gradually reducing the vascular passage. This condition is called arteriosclerosis which results in atherosclerosis, meaning degeneration of the blood vessels.
If this situation carries on for a long time, the blood flow is obstructed and the blood pressure increases leading to overloading of the heart. The plaque can accumulate to such an extent that it completely blocks the blood vessel, or it may get dislodged from one location and lodge itself in a narrower blood vessel, like a capillary, creating a blockage there. Blood supply is choked off at that point, and leads to blood starvation in the region beyond the blockage. If this blood starvation occurs in a critical area of the body, as for example in the brain, then we get a crisis. The affected area of the brain shuts down and this leads to a 'stroke' wherein the body experiences paralysis in those areas controlled by the area of the brain which has shut down. If the blood vessels of the heart are affected by blockage, then we get a critical situation known as a heart attack. All this is due to an excess of LDL cholesterol in the blood.
The best way to recover from this situation is to help the body to regulate the amounts of HDL and LDL cholesterol. We can do this by changing over to a low-fat diet, free of foods that are rich in LDL. Some fats, like the omega-3 fats found in fish, are actually helpful in reducing LDL cholesterol. So we should include fish in our diet. Drink a lot of water to increase blood circulation and excretion.
Stop using heavy cooking oil to cook food in. Switch to virgin olive oil which is highly recommended as a healthy cooking medium. Changing your cooking oil is a very effective way to reduce the risk of heart disease.
Quit smoking. We all know that smoking is bad for the lungs and is also a carcinogenic activity. What most of us don't know is that smoking aggravates the high LDL cholesterol condition. The LDL cholesterol will drop almost immediately from the time you stop smoking, and it will drop further if you do as mentioned in this article.
A stressful lifestyle adds fuel to fire if you have an excessive LDL cholesterol level. Tension adds to the high LDL cholesterol situation, whereas a tension free lifestyle actually goes a long way to decreasing the LDL cholesterol level.
To sum up, LDL cholesterol can be controlled by eating foods which are free of saturated fats, exercising, quitting smoking and ridding yourself of stress. The worst thing you can do is to panic about high LDL cholesterol levels. This article is meant to educate you about the cause and prevention of heart disease, not scare you. Use what you have learnt in this article to control the LDL cholesterol situation. Once that is under control, you can say that the risk of heart disease is under control.
About the Author:
To get grconsume advice on a diet for lowering high cholesterol go to www.Reduce-High-Cholesterol.com. You'll not only read about what foods you should consume and what you should stay away from, you'll also learn how to get a grconsume deal on a cholesterol monitor to help you stay on top of your levels.
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