subject: Controlling Your Cholesterol Levels [print this page] It is common knowledge that high cholesterol levels in the blood can cause a number of health problems, some of a very serious nature. It is in your own interest to reduce the level of blood cholesterol.
The name "cholesterol" refers to a family of compounds that are found in the body. Some of these cholesterols may be good (HDL), others may be bad (LDL) for you. The trick is to maintain a decently high level of the good and reduce the bad cholesterol.
There is a general perception that a high level of cholesterol is itself a disease. This is false. But yes, high levels of bad cholesterol increase the risk of some very serious, even life threatening, cardio-vascular diseases. Some of these diseases are: atherosclerosis (which hardens the arteries), heart arrhythmias, strokes, high blood pressure, and heart attacks. We'll tell you how to control the level of cholesterol in your blood.
The body regulates the level of cholesterol in the blood. As long as this regulation proceeds as required, there is no problem. There are times when this regulation fails. There are two common situations which lead to such failure. One is when we overdose the body with bad cholesterol. How? By eating of course! Oils, fats, animal produce, and some substances like sodium lead to a build up of bad cholesterol in the blood. Keep these villains off your diet and the bad cholesterol will drop back to normal level.
The second step is physical exercise. Include a lot of physical activity into your routine. Exercise and physical activity can help to control and reduce the level of blood cholesterol. The American Heart Association advises people who have high blood cholesterol to get at least thirty minutes of exercise every day. You are at liberty to choose your exercise break-up. Do it all at one go, or do it in three spells or whatever. Just be consistent and regular in exercising. Over exercising is as bad as not exercising at all. You can converge some of your daily activities into your exercise regime. For example, park your car at a (reasonable!) distance from your office, and then jog to the office. Take the elevator to the floor just below yours, and then walk up the last flight of stairs. Don't take the car to the park, ride a bike instead. If you like swimming, there's nothing like it for all round exercise.
Cigarette smoking is favored by a large number of people. This habit is definitely injurious in general and especially for people who suffer from elevated cholesterol levels. Even exposure to secondary smoke can aggravate the level of bad cholesterol in the blood. So stop smoking yourself, and avoid frequenting places filled with cigarette smoke.
Sometimes, very rarely, but still often enough, it's not your diet or your lifestyle that causes the LDL level to skyrocket. It's your body itself, its regulatory mechanism that is malfunctioning! This happens due to genetic factors which may even be hereditary. The way out of this situation is medication. Your physician will prescribe medicines that are suitable for your condition.
Excessive levels of LDL in the bloodstream can have dire consequences on your health, your lifestyle, and your longevity. Before you are forced to make drastic changes in your lifestyle by your doctor, it is better that you prevent the situation from getting out of hand while you can do so at your convenience. You may have to alter or moderate your lifestyle a bit now. Make exercise a part of your schedule. Go easy on fats and animal produce. Don't smoke. Choose good health over bad health - keep those LDL levels in check!
