One of the most prevalent health problems of the 21st Century is the high cholesterol levels that afflict so many people.
We all need a small amount of cholesterol, which is a type of fat, to maintain certain bodily functions, such as helping with hormone production and promoting healthy cell membranes. However, when we have an excess of "bad" cholesterol (known as LDL cholesterol) it starts first to accumulate in the blood and eventually it will stick to the walls of the arteries. This can lead to a number of very serious health problems, including blood clotting, stroke, and heart attacks.
Cholesterol buildup can result from a number of factors. Some of the main causes that can lead to this undesirable condition are:
- improper diet
- smoking
- obesity
- a sedentary lifestyle
- heredity.
Although we don't have control over who our ancestors are, the good news is that we can control most of the other factors that lead to excessive LDL levels. In general, making changes in our lifestyle will often enable us to lower our LDL to healthy levels and allow us to maintain it. The following practices should eventually bring your cholesterol to healthy levels:
- Eat a sensible diet. Limit or eliminate your intake of high saturated fat foods such as butter, beef, cheese, and other whole fat dairy products.
- Eat more whole grains, fish, fruits, vegetables, and other foods that are high in fiber.
- Get into a regular exercise routine. You don't need to run a marathon or work out at the gym for 3 hours every day. Find an aerobic activity that you enjoy such as swimming, jogging, brisk walking, or aerobic dancing and get in several sessions a week of a half hour or so.
- Don't smoke. If you smoke, for your sake and for the sake of everyone else around you, STOP! Stopping smoking usually becomes easier and is a natural progression, once you've made the positive dietary and exercise changes.
These practices will go a long way in improving your cholesterol levels and will benefit you in many other ways as well.
Though statin drugs were initially hailed as a major breakthrough in combating cholesterol, there is now a rising controversy about the harm that they may cause. Statins have been shown to deplete the important nutritional factor CoQ10. This can lead to a severe adverse effect on muscular tissue. In a number of cases, this has proved fatal.
I have found some nutritional factors that have worked wonders for myself, as well as for friends and family members, without any adverse effect:
- Oat bran, 2 to 4 tablespoons a day, is a terrific, safe and cheap way to combat cholesterol. You can buy a sizeable bag full for about a buck. On a recent visit to my local natural food store, I was waiting my turn behind a man who was scooping large amounts of oat bran into a bag from a bulk barrel. I struck up a conversation with him and I found out that he was a cardiologist. He told me that oat bran was the most effective thing that he has found to help with cholesterol issues. Not only did he and his family use it daily, he also recommends it to all of his patients as well!
- Red yeast capsules 600mg/cap. Take one capsule shortly before eating a meal
- Phytosterols 500mg/cap. Take one capsule shortly before eating a meal.
These can all be found in health food stores as well as in some pharmacies. In many cases, I've seen truly amazing results in a relatively short time period, by those who have followed the suggestions that I've mentioned here.
So, if you haven't had a blood test to determine your cholesterol levels for awhile, do it soon. If you already know that you have high LDL levels, then get started on the right path today!
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