Tag: cholesterol

The Cholesterol Found In Egg

The cholesterol found in daily soft boiled eggs will not raise blood cholesterol level but rather affects the blood cholesterol balance in a beneficial direction. Of course we are warned against the veiled threats that confront us covertly in the food we buy. The newly designed molecules that nature has never known, and whose chemical/biological toxicity that is only superficially studied, is an always exciting ingredient in our daily diet. I am talking about the different additives that petrochemical industry has gradually altered in our diet and consequently affect our health and quality of life or lack thereof. It is just natural to be aware of these petro-chemical products, as much should be worried when suddenly people are warned against eating something as natural as eggs. Something that is part of our daily lives. Through decades of cholesterol fear, everybody has been anxious about the mere thought of enjoying a soft boiled egg. No more than one egg a week! – Was the slogan for years.

Cholesterol is a very important substance that our body produces. It is made into protein molecules, which is capable of identifying the role of cholesterol which molecule takes. Usually, we talk about the good HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol or harmful LDL cholesterol (Low Density Lipoprotein). HDL is the lifeline of cholesterol. The more cholesterol we can build into the HDL molecule the better. HDL acts as a kind of antioxidant. However, LDL cholesterol is problematic. A separate increase in LDL is not so bad, but if you have a lively free radical activity (caused by smoking, inflammatory reactions, effects of toxins, radation or stress) – as a consequence, the LDL is easily oxidized.

Byproduct LDL cholesterol is a harmful cell. It takes up a certain type of white blood cells (monocytes) which is known as ‘foam cells’ inside the wall of a blood vessel. When these foam cells die, they leave a fat streak of oxidized LDL in the arterial wall and a flurry free radicals, and so the process can continue. This is what we call atherosclerosis. This process can be inhibited. It is not because you lack egg intake! The main aim is to get rid of the formation of uncleaned LDL and it means that you should keep away from exposing your body to stresses that could lead to an over production of free radicals. It is in this situation that the diet has an influence. The diet will affect the sensitive stability relating LDL and HDL. If you grab a delicious grilled beef steak with fries and an artificially sweetened soft drinks, then you will dramatically increase the amount of oxidized LDL toxic cell.

As to the concern for cholesterol balance there is no reason to deny yourself a fried egg or a soft boiled egg: the grilled steak, fries and the cigarette will harm cholesterol balance more. Eggs serve as a very good source of some of the amino acids and protein that function as a building block in our cells.

Eggs are one big cause of allergies. But this doesn´t affect the issue on eggs as food. It has more to do with the quality of chicken feeds, washing, storage and cooking, it does not alter the egg as a well packed, tasty and healthy food. Cook egg with care and enjoy it healthwise.

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Crucial Considerations On Why Cholesterol Does Not Cause Heart Disease

The terms cholesterol and heart disease seem to be permanently linked together, almost as if the former is the main cause of the latter. This is not true at all, however, as the majority of evidence links atherosclerosis as the primary cause of coronary heart disease, a condition caused when ruptured scar tissue appears within artery linings, as opposed to the actual buildup of plaque on the walls themselves. Certain scientists believe that as cholesterol moves within our bloodstream it invariably sticks to the artery walls, leading to a heart attack, even though a body of opinion provides contrary evidence. A great deal of publicity has been given to the circulation of cholesterol within our bloodstream, automatically linked to saturated fat content and we are told that these two “evils” inevitably provide a dangerous blockage as they cling to the artery linings.

As cholesterol is an important factor in the makeup and control of our bodily cells, it has an important role as a controller of nutrient transfer, the regulation of neuro transmitters and hormones as well as a precursor to the transportation of essential vitamin D. Too little cholesterol and hormonal problems will result, which in itself can lead to disease and major health problems. As cholesterol coats nerve fibers, it is essential to help protect our nervous system and scientists have revealed that lower levels of cholesterol can lead to such awful diseases as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

As we all know by now, cholesterol is measured three ways — total, LDL and HDL. We are educated in the difference between high cholesterol and low cholesterol and are told that LDL is “bad,” and HDL is “good.” HDL and LDL are lipoproteins, responsible for transporting cholesterol. The HDL, being high-density, moves the cholesterol to the liver for redistribution, while the low-density LDL carries it to the liver in the first place. In addition, fat is circulated through the bloodstream as well as the cholesterol, in the form of triglycerides. If you think about it for a moment, why would our bodies continue to move and recycle cholesterol in this way if it was so bad for us, as those scientists constantly preach?

It is far more likely that cellular damage and inflammation in the artery walls, leading to atherosclerosis, can be caused by high blood sugar, poor nutrition, stress, or high blood pressure, a sad consequence of our modern lifestyles. Going back to the 1950s, researchers have tried to tell us how heart disease is linked to the sheer amount of fat in our diets, but all the contradictory evidence has not received the same amount of exposure. Just look at the Eskimos as an example. Their diet is almost exclusively based on meat intake and yet their life spans are higher than average.

The Surgeon General advises us how to construct our diets. The Surgeon tells us not to eat saturated fats, but to focus on monounsaturated fats or polyunsaturated fats, but the majority of vegetable oils are high in Omega-6 fatty acids; most of us don’t counterbalance this with Omega-3 fatty acids, the beneficial acids found in fish. We’re told to focus on a diet low in trans fat and even to focus on high carbohydrate diets, but this can cause elevated blood sugar, which we have already discussed as being a potentially major cause of atherosclerosis.

Far too often, medication is indicated for a cholesterol “imbalance,” which can often have side effects. The popular form of medication, statin, is believed by many to create more problems than it attempts to solve. It’s far more likely that significant changes in lifestyle will reap rewards.

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Learn How To Improve HDL Cholesterol Ranges

There are actually countless ways to boost HDL cholesterol ranges. Apparently you can obtain medicines that increase the HDL levels like niacin. Which may enhance HDL cholesterol up to 33%. I do not personally enjoy any of the FDA accepted drugs and prescription. The reason being is, Because, they constantly have a number of cholesterol drug side effects which will damage fitness.

Like: Pfizer’s Torcetrapib that was expected to improve HDL cholesterol ranges was taken off the marketplace. Do you know why was that? Basically, plenty of people had big cholesterol medicine unwanted effects. Fortunately you’ll find many natural ways to raise HDL cholesterol ranges. The most successful and most secure technique is to adjust eating habits and standard of living. Easier said that done, right?

In that instance I am going to ask you a question. “How much is your physical condition and well-being worthy to you?” If you are like me, I continually uncover methods for development. I guess I adore myself a lot – and you should adore yourself also.

Lifestyle Modifications To Increase Your HDL Cholesterol Ranges

Stop Smoking: I know that you have noticed it so often. I am aware of how you feel when you smoke. The actuality is that smoking will congeal your blood. That will not surprisingly slower blood flow to your brain and body. In this environment, unused cholesterol will have better probability to gum to your arterial walls and…cardiovascular illness is on the way. You must either ask your doctor about stopping smoking or research unique ways. Later on you can make a decision which one will work for you.

Exercise Consistently: Many experiments have shown that, habitual fitness increased HDL – Good Cholesterol up to 9%. Hey you do not have to to begin breaking world records. Get on your way with 20-30 minutes a day. Simple walking will do well. Later you can start lifting dumbbells, do some cardio exercise and relaxation methods like Tai Chi or Yoga.

Get On Healthy Weight Management: If you are heavy or if you solely need to eat well, you can find many methods of eating healthy. Many diets bring down your LDL “Bad Cholesterol” and numerous others will increase HDL Cholesterol. Here you can find foods that lower LDL cholesterol and also I will reveal you foods that are excessive in cholesterol – the unhealthy foods. So here is couple things you need to do when choosing best meal plans for a diet.

Understand The Food Sticker And Which Fat Is Healthy And Which Fat Is Awful: Many our foods we acquire essentially contain poor fats like margarines, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Essentially you do not need saturated fats. Choose monounsaturated fats like olives. Eat fish oil which is abundant in omega-3 fatty acids, nuts or oat bran. You certainly have to begin choosing healthy meal plans that will improve your HDL levels.

Establish Beneficial Dietary Supplementation Plan: There are numerous organic dietary supplements that will support you to manage cholesterol and several others health associated wants. A large amount of popular natural health supplements are garlic, omega-3 fish oils, niacin and fiber products.

Hopefully this editorial assisted you to know why you should to prefer foods that lowers bad cholesterol levels and you will begin implementing all of the important rules of healthy eating diets.

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Little Known Ways to Reduce Bad Cholesterol

a. The Myth of Good and Bad Cholesterol

A lot of folks always think cholesterol is not good, but you can actually classify it into two types. LDL and HDL are the two types – the bad one and the good one. If you have plaque build-up in your artery, that means you have too much LDL. This usually results in narrow arterial openings, which will mean a slower and lesser flow of blood. You should stop blaming dietary cholesterol for having a high level of cholesterol in your blood. Instead, you should point the finger at your high levels of both Trans fat and saturated fat. If you take in a lot of healthy, fibrous foods and exercise often, you can keep your cholesterol levels down.

b. What do the Cholesterol Numbers mean?

On an average, adults will usually need to have cholesterol checks every five years. Each time you get a cholesterol check it will yield four results – total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and Triglycerides. You will probably need more exercise and dietary change if you go above or below the healthy levels.

Total Cholesterol – less than 200 mg/dL (5.2 mmol/L)
LDL Cholesterol – less than 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L)
HDL Cholesterol – greater than 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L)
Triglycerides – less than 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)

c. Vitamin E and Heart Protection

Vitamin E is an important vitamin found in leafy vegetables, nuts, and vegetable oils. It was previously believed that a Vitamin E supplement could reduce the risk of heart disease, but several studies in the last few years have shown that this supplement does little to prevent heart attacks or strokes.

d. Five Great Foods to Lower Your Cholesterol

1. Oatmeal and Oat Bran: These contain a high amount of soluble fiber, which can lower LDL.
2. Fish: Fish is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, which lowers LDL and raises HDL.
3. Nuts: Not only are nuts high in fiber, but they contain the healthy fats you need to keep LDL in check.
4. Plant Sterols: This is found in foods like margarine, salad dressing, orange juice, and functional cookies. 2 grams per day will lower your LDL by 10-15%.
5. Soy: This popular meat replacement can lower LDL by up to 3%.

e. Benefits Aplenty with Plant Sterols

Foods like granola bars, fat free milk, Benecol Spread and VitaTops Muffin Tops are great sources of plant sterols that you can turn to. Helping your heart starts with eating plenty of these foods rich in plant sterols and nixing your high saturated fat diet. However, these will not make for a saturated fat diet at all. It is still important for you to still need to eat healthy foods and exercise a lot to keep your cholesterol in control.

About the Writer – Deborah H. Land writes for the lowering cholesterol through diet site, her personal hobby blog she uses to help people lower bad cholesterol levels.

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Lowering your Cardiac Disease Risk by Control of Your Cholesterol

Cholesterol and decreasing your threat of heart disease are linked increasingly today as people become more aware of a connection between their {blood cholesterol level} and the risk of heart attack, stroke, or other cardiac disease.

LDL cholesterol is often called the “bad cholesterol“, because higher levels of it in your blood stream have been associated with an increased risk for coronary heart disease. When diet, exercise and healthy living is not enough to lower the LDL numbers or elevate the HDL numbers it may be time to tackle the issue head-on and make some medical decisions. Some of us want to steer clear of drugs just because of the side effects that may accompany them. Other people prefer not to have to put up with the cost of prescription medications. Your general practitioner can make suggestions on this next step in the quest to control your cholesterol and enjoy a longer and healthier life.

If you want to lessen the bad cholesterol and raise the good cholesterol it’s important to understand what can determine these levels in your bloodstream. Your liver produces and also secretes into your bloodstream LDL cholesterol. Your blood removes some LDL from your bloodstream. When you have a deficiency of LDL receptors you will have high LDL levels.

Heredity and diet can play a major role regarding an individuals LDL level, your HDL level and your total cholesterol level. Individuals with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) have a decreased number of or in some cases nonexistent LDL receptors on the surface of their liver cells. Some of these individuals can also have a tendency to develop coronary artery disease as well as to have heart attacks during their early adulthood. Other people can have increased levels of LDL caused by the other way we get LDL in the blood, through dietary cholesterol. Diets which are high in saturated fats and cholesterol can tend to elevate the blood LDL level. You get saturated fats from meat and dairy products. Some vegetable oils – made from cocoa, palm, or coconut oils – also tend to be high in saturated fats.

Currently, cutting down LDL cholesterol is the primary target of the medical community in the fight to avoid heart disease and strokes. This is why doctors and nutritionists concentrate on diet. The medical community has shown its belief that there are many benefits to reducing the LDL cholesterol including:

  • Stopping or lessening the development of new cholesterol plaques in the walls of the arteries leading to the heart and brain
  • Lowering the plaque that has already accumulated on the artery walls
  • Having the ability to widen the arteries that have already narrowed to improve blood flow
  • Avoid blood clot formation by stopping the rupture of cholesterol plaques.
  • Decrease the risk for heart attack and for stroke and help the carotid and cerebral arteries that lead to the brain by retarding the formation of atherosclerosis in those arteries.

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Useful Tips To Manage Cholesterol And A Healthier You

blood cholesterol

The two sources of cholesterol are food and your own body. Only 25% of the body’s cholesterol comes from food and the rest is produced naturally in your cells and liver. The good news is that you won’t have to give up every egg and cookie to maintain a healthy heart. In fact, even if you are predisposed to heart disease or diabetes, there are many simple lifestyle modifications that you can make to ensure that you live the healthy, happy life you’ve imagined.

The bad cholesterol you’ve probably heard so much about is called Low Density Lipoprotein. The good type goes bad when it stops transporting and oxidizes from exposure to free radicals, leading to conditions like atherosclerosis. If you have 160mg or more of LDL per day, then you have a high level of harmful cholesterol. By contrast, high density Lipoprotein (or HDL) is known as “good cholesterol.” It helps one-fourth to one-third of blood cholesterol to be carried from the arteries to the liver by HDL. Doctors recommend that you have more than 40mg of HDL to lower your risk of heart disease.

As you eat, your body uses the calories it needs and converts leftovers to triglycerides. While some are helpful, excess can lead to metabolic syndrome, which results in diabetes, strokes, heart disease or heart attacks. “Even if you control bad LDL cholesterol to less than 70, you still need to look at triglycerides,” said Dr. Leslie Cho, a cardiologist at the Women’s Cardiovascular Center of the Cleveland Clinic.

There are a few common misconceptions about cholesterol. For instance, some people think that simply switching from butter to margarine will help. However, both are still high in fat and should be used sparingly. Secondly, just because your food labels brag that there is no cholesterol, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t high levels of saturated fat. Be sure to check labels before you go gobbling! Thirdly, being young or on medication doesn’t prevent you from needing to exercise and watch what you eat. Meeting with a dietician is a short, painless experience that can add many years to your life!

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