Lower Cholesterol for a Healthy Heart

One of the biggest risk factors of heart disease is high cholesterol. Taking steps to lower your blood cholesterol level can help you avoid that risk.

When there is too much cholesterol in your blood, it can build up in the walls of your arteries. This causes arteries to narrow and the blood flow to the heart is slowed down or blocked.

There are two forms of cholesterol, HDL(good) and LDL(bad). LDL is the main source of artery clogging plaque. HDL actually works to clear cholesterol from the blood.

There are no real symptoms of high cholesterol, therefore a blood test is needed to determine if you are at risk. If you do have high cholesterol, taking steps to lower it will reduce your risk of heart disease.

There are some recommendations that say once you are 20 years old, you should have your cholesterol checked every 5 years.

 



There are many factors that affect your cholesterol level:

• Diet
• Weight
• Exercise
• Age and Gender
• Heredity
• Medical Conditions
• Medications

Controlling your cholesterol includes a healthy diet, regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight. Sometimes your physician will prescribe a medication to help with your cholesterol.

Some of the top cholesterol lowering foods are:

• Oats
• Barley and other whole grains
• Eggplant and Okra
• Nut
• Canola, Sunflower and Safflower oils
• Apples, grapes, strawberries and citrus fruits
• Soy
• Fish
• Fiber Supplements

Foods to avoid are ones that include saturated and trans fats.

Learn more about cholesterol...