Cholesterol Facts You Need To Know

If you've just begun taking a prescription for high cholesterol, should you do a few things that could help you get off that expensive prescription? How? Lower cholesterol can definitely be achieved without taking a drug. We don't hear about how to do this from the mainstream media because there's no money in it.

Our culture is geared toward producing and advertising food that tastes good without regard to whether it's healthy to eat. The profit motive seems to be the only thing that matters in our society, and that has caused countless problems for you and me. With regard to the food you eat, it can be deadly. Americans enjoy the best health care system in the world, yet suffer from heart disease and obesity more than almost every other nation. Diabetes is exploding too, and some cancers are closely tied to obesity.

So, it's time for a change, right? If you have high cholesterol, did you know that in most cases diet alone could bring your cholesterol within the "normal" range. Why is that important? Because high cholesterol is just one marker, among many, that put you at higher risk for heart attack and stroke. What changes should you make to your diet? That lower cholesterol level you want will only come with a consistent effort on your part. Start thinking in terms of making changes that will last the rest of your life.

What a lot of folks don't know, because their doctor won't tell them, is that your prescription may be unnecessary. Doctors receive incentives from drug companies for writing prescriptions, and it is simply not in their financial interest to offer advice that might cure you. They would rather give you a pill. But, you take the pill and still eat the same way, maybe gaining weight, maybe moving towards being diabetic. The symptoms are treated but the cause is left unexamined.

How do you lower cholesterol naturally? The answer is with diet, exercise and a few supplements. I'll cover the specifics in a future article, but first let's look at the raw facts.
Cholesterol is a waxy substance produced by the liver. You can also consume dietary cholesterol, eggs for example. There are two components to the cholesterol number that doctors go by: LDLs (low density lipoproteins), the "bad" cholesterol, and HDLs (high density lipoproteins), the "good" cholesterol. There are also VLDLs (very low density lipoproteins), or triglycerides, also produced by the liver, that can raise your LDLs.

HDLs are called "good" because they remove the LDLs. But, if your LDLs are too high, the HDLs will not be able to remove them all, and the waxy substance ends up on your artery walls. Over time this can harden and cause arteriosclerosis. While the majority of folks with high cholesterol can be effectively treated with diet and exercise, a small percentage of people must be medicated and under a doctors careful watch. Those individuals with hereditary hypercholesterolemia can have extremely high cholesterol even with a very healthy lifestyle. David Letterman is one such person. So, it's vitally important that your doctor tests your blood regularly, and provides his expert advice. Just don't think he has the last word. There's no money in it, remember?

By: Marc Preston

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Marc Preston has been a nutritional expert for over 25 years. He is dedicated to educating readers on the benefits of healthy nutrition and lifestyle. This article provides basic but important information about cholesterol and its effects. Please visit our website for more FREE information about cholesterol at www.secretsofcholesterol.com Thank you!