
As you develop good eating habits, exercise regularly, and get plenty of sleep each night, you’ll fight off “bad” cholesterol and better utilize “good” cholesterol to boost your overall health and significantly reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke. Physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and lower your cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Even though millions of Americans are taking statin drugs to lower their cholesterol levels, you can make a bigger impact by simply making a few positive lifestyle changes. You can see that lowering your cholesterol level doesn’t have to be a difficult process. Eating foods that contain saturated or trans fats can increase. Lowering Your Cholesterol Is Easier Than You Think Steps you can take to lower your cholesterol without medication include the following six tips: 1. The study also showed that people who suffer from sleep loss have lower HDL levels compared to those who are getting at least seven hours of sleep each night. An investigation done by a research group in Helsinki concluded that the gene responsible for cholesterol transport is less active in those who are sleep-deprived. Sleep is as important as diet in combating high cholesterol. Research suggests that the toxins produced by cigarettes oxidize LDL cholesterol, making the “bad” cholesterol more potent and damaging. Many people with high triglycerides have other risk factors for atherosclerosis, including high LDL levels or low HDL levels, or abnormal blood sugar (glucose). Smoking creates a double whammy in terms of cholesterol by lowering HDL levels (“good” cholesterol) while simultaneously worsening existing LDL. Regular physical activity doesn’t just help you maintain a healthy weight, it also helps you lower cholesterol by stimulating the enzymes that move the “bad” cholesterol in your blood to the liver, where they’re either converted to bile for digestion or excreted. As mentioned above, switching to a plant-based diet is a good first step to help you lose a few pounds. Shaving off as little as 5 to 10 percent of your body weight will help you improve your cholesterol levels. Losing weight is key to helping you lower your blood cholesterol, particularly if you’re obese. This diet originated in countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, where there’s significantly lower incidence of heart disease. Red meat is limited to no more than a few times a month. The diet includes healthy fats such as olive oil and fish, but plant-based foods make up the bulk of each meal. The Mediterranean diet is one such plant-based diet that’s rich in nutrients and phytochemicals. To cut out saturated fat and eat in a way that will help lower your LDL cholesterol levels, switch to a plant-based diet filled with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Saturated fat can also be found in processed food and snacks like chips, cookies, and doughnuts.

One of the contributing factors in the development of high blood cholesterol is a diet high in saturated fat, which is a form of fat typically found in foods that come from animal sources, including beef, pork, poultry, and dairy products like cheese and milk. Try these heart-healthy foods for the best nutrition-based benefits.How to Start Lowering Your Cholesterol Today Adding more veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, fish and whole grains to your diet can help lower your levels and reduce plaque buildup. It's all about increasing fiber and decreasing the bad fats.

While there is an optimized diet for hypertension and optimal cardiovascular health, the same could be said for lowering your cholesterol through your diet. A blood test can determine whether you have high cholesterol, and your doctor may recommend exercise or medication in addition to a healthier diet. A high LDL level puts you at risk for heart attacks and strokes because it can clog arteries with plaque, a condition called atherosclerosis. HDL cholesterol (also known as "good" cholesterol) helps to sweep away LDL cholesterol, what's commonly referred to as the "bad" kind. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that travels through your bloodstream, but not all of it is bad. The first thing to know is how cholesterol works. The good news is you can you get ahead of the curve, it's all about adding more foods that are rich in good sources of cholesterol - not all cholesterol is the same, in fact! A diet high in cholesterol can also influence your risk of stroke, but presents no signs or symptoms beforehand, which is why strokes can feel so sudden and unexplained.
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That said, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in three Americans are plagued with high cholesterol, a risk factor that significantly plays into your prospects of developing heart disease in the long run. This video is on how to lower cholesterol, reduce cholesterol and cholesterol lowering foods.This weeks video on high cholesterol and how to low. High cholesterol can feel like a blemish on an otherwise good bill of health.
