Abnormal cholesterol levels such as high LDL cholesterol or low HDL cholesterol are a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Here are effective tips to prevent them
10 Use Olive Oil
Olive oil contains a potent mix of antioxidants that can lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol but leave your "good" (HDL) cholesterol untouched.
The Food and Drug Administration recommends using about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil a day in place of other fats in your diet to get its heart-healthy benefits. To add olive oil to your diet, you can saute vegetables in it, add it to a marinade, or mix it with vinegar as a salad dressing. You can also use olive oil as a substitute for butter when basting meat or as a dip for bread. Olive oil is high in calories, so don't eat more than the recommended amount.
9. Add Fish in your diet
Fish and Fish oil are great sources of Omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 have profound effect on cholesterol and triglycerides. The biggest heart benefits are attributed to it's use.
8. Do regular Exercise.
30 minutes of exercise a day has been shown to decrease total cholesterol and improve "good" HDL cholesterol levels. It exercises the heart, lowers your weight and improve your overall well-being. Being overweight tends to increase the amount of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in your blood, the kind of lipoprotein that's been linked to heart disease.
7. Don't smoke or use tobacco in any form
Smoking is bad. It's the main source of lung disease and the main cause of high cholesterol and heart diseases. Raises bad cholesterol levels as well as lowers HDL(good cholesterol). There are approximately 200,000 smoking related deaths in the U.S. each year
Use nicotine gum to prevent cigarette cravings throughout the day
6. Practice Healthy Stress Management
Stress and hostility directly affects cholesterol. Study shows that people who are always angry have high cholesterol levels. Control your aggression and maintain a peace of mind. How many times have we heard of someone who suffered a stroke or heart attack after a heated argument?
5. Drink a glass of wine everyday
A glass of wine a day keep the doctors away. Red wine contains Resveratrol that helps prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces "bad" cholesterol and prevents blood clots. Antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols may help protect the lining of blood vessels in your heart. Just remember to drink only a glass a day.
4 Eliminate sweets and refined foods.
Desserts like cake, danishes and brownies are high in saturated fat -- and if the sweets are made with lard or vegetable shortening, they may also contain trans fat which increase triglycerides and cholesterol production. These foods are also addictive. Once you eliminate them, you'll find that fruits, vegetables and whole grains actually taste sweet.
3. Include Oatmeal, oat bran and high-fiber foods in your diet
Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol.
Soluble fiber can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Five to 10 grams or more of soluble fiber a day decreases your total and LDL cholesterol. Eating 1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 6 grams of fiber. If you add fruit, such as bananas, you'll add about 4 more grams of fiber. To mix it up a little, try steel-cut oatmeal or cold cereal made with oatmeal or oat bran.2. Avoid saturated fat to reduce cholesterol
Cut back on foods that are rich in saturated and trans fats, because these stimulate the liver to produce extra cholesterol. Saturated fat is not essential to your body. It is found mainly in animal products such as meat, poultry, and dairy.The liver usually produces about 1g of cholesterol a day, but this can be multiplied by the consumption of foods such as fatty cuts of meat, ready meals and other foods know to be high in cholesterol content.
1. Consider medication
If You really have high cholesterol level in your body or have a family history of heart disease and
stroke then it's better for you to consider medications that help lower cholesterol levels.
Atherosclerosis - narrowing of the arteries.
Higher coronary heart disease risk - an abnormality of the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the heart.
Heart attack - occurs when the supply of blood and oxygen to an area of heart muscle is blocked, usually by a clot in a coronary artery. This causes your heart muscle to die.
Angina - chest pain or discomfort that occurs when your heart muscle does not get enough blood.
Other cardiovascular conditions - diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
Stroke and mini-stroke - occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery or vein, interrupting the flow to an area of the brain. Can also occur when a blood vessel breaks.
references: mayoclinic.com , webmd.com
More: 7 effective tips to lower your blood pressure
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