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Low Or Normal Cholesterol And Heart Disease
Cholesterol is a fluffy wax like substance that can accumulate in our arteries forming deposits know a plaques. But what you might not know is that having too little of this waxy substance in the blood stream could present just as many problems as having too much. Cholesterol plays an important role in helping our bodies develop early in life, holding our cells together throughout our lives, is a building block for vitamin D, is essential for hormone production, and plays a role in healthy digestion. Put simply, if you have extremely low cholesterol you may have reduced your chances of artery and heart disease but have unintentionally created a whole new set of problems, many of which can be just as serious as heart disease. This new set of problems may create a great deal of stress and physical discomfort which in turn may once again promote heart disease. So too much cholesterol is bad and too little cholesterol is bad. This leaves only one alternative and that is to have enough cholesterol for your body to function but not so much as to cause arterial plaque deposits and ultimately hardening of the arteries. The first step to accomplish this is to get tested at least once every 5 years. Generally speaking your LDL or bad cholesterol should be around 100 milligrams or every deciliter of blood. Your good cholesterol or HDL should be 50 mg/dl or higher, and finally total cholesterol should be no higher than 230 with 200 being more desirable. If LDL drops below 70, HDL drop below 40, or total cholesterol plummets to 160 or lower you should immediately talk to your doctor about solutions. What steps can I take to get it just right? Cholesterol levels can fluctuate dramatically, rising or falling as much as 10 percent daily. Nevertheless, there are few simple steps you can take to help your body manage blood cholesterol levels. *Physical activity: Being physically inactive lowers good cholesterol and tends to raise bad and total cholesterol levels. There are few things that can keep your cholesterol balanced as well as a daily exercise routine. The American Heart Association suggests 30 minutes of exercise daily. *Eat right: Keep daily saturated fat intake around 8 percent of total calories and total fat consumed to about 30 percent of total calories. A diet which keeps meat serving to 4 oz or less per meal and is rich in vegetables, fruits, and soluble fiber is generally considered to be the best. *Watch your weight: New studies show that being too thin can be just as unhealthy as being obese. So do a little research and find your optimum body weight. Once you have done this try to keep your weight to within 5% percent of this number either way. *Omega 3 fatty acids: Omega three fatty acids found in abundance in cold water fatty fish have been shown to be very heart healthy. They act as a natural blood thinner and reduce overall inflammation. The AMA suggests between 700 and 900 mg of DHA/EPA for heart and cholesterol health. *Monitor cholesterol lowering medications: The current batch of cholesterol lowering medications work really well, some would say a little bit too well. With regular testing, along with the help of your doctor, you should be able to recognize any potentially serious problems early and make the needed corrections. If you would like to learn more about heart disease or natural cholesterol lowering supplements Click Here Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com R.D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of natural health products and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field. Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at Purchase Remedies.com |
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