Facts About Cholesterol (Part 2)
Fact # 4: Physical exercise will lower cholesterol levels.
An increase in body weight tends to increase blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and in general the risk of adverse effects on heart health. In addition to maintaining body weight in balance, physical activity can help lower blood pressure and increase the health and general welfare.
Things can change to lower cholesterol:
• Maintain a healthy weight (a weight gain tends to increase cholesterol levels)
• Make physical activity (reduce LDL cholesterol)
• Lower stress
• A healthy diet (elimiinar especially saturated fats that raise cholesterol levels)
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Stop smoking
Things we can not change:
• Sex (men tend to have higher cholesterol levels than women until menopause, when men and women are at equal risk)
• The age (cholesterol levels increase with age)
• Our ethnicity (ethnic groups are at higher risk than others)
• Our family history (if the family is affected by cholesterol, then it is likely to be affected by it).
Fact # 5: Reduce cholesterol through Healthy Food sources.
Our food choices can affect cholesterol levels, especially if the diet consists mainly of saturated fat. The butter and milk mixture (made from a mixture of butter and vegetable oils) are high in saturated fat, which is the type of fat that adversely affects cholesterol levels. The limitation of these foods in our diet will help to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood.
A healthier choice in our food consumption and an active lifestyle helps to keep cholesterol within recommended levels.
A healthy meal should include the following:
• Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs or vegetarian meat alternative such as legumes, beans, lentils or nuts
• Pasta, rice, noodles, potatoes or bread
• Plenty of vegetables and salads
As a general guide, the meal should consist of: half vegetables, a quarter of the plate should be rice, pasta, noodles, potatoes or bread and one quarter of the plate of lean meat or vegetarian meat alternative and salad. Experiment with methods of low-fat cooking and grilling, boiling, steaming or using the microwave.
Following a balanced diet combined with physical activity and healthy habits, we will keep cholesterol at a level recommended.
Posted in Cholesterol, Diseases and Conditions | 
Tags: Cholesterol, cholesterol prevention, cholesterol tips, Facts About Cholesterol, HDL, heart attack, Heart health, LDL
Facts About Cholesterol (Part 2) « Seattle Health Blog…
Fact # 4: Physical exercise will lower cholesterol levels. An increase in body weight tends to increase blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and in general the risk of adverse effects on heart health. In addition to maintaining body weight in balance, ph…
Certain drugs can elevate cholesterol levels. These include steroids, oral contraceptives, furosemide (Lasix) and other diuretics, and levodopa (L-dopa, sold under the brand names Dopar, Larodopar, and Sinemet), which is used to treat Parkinson’s disease. Beta-blockers, often prescribed to control high blood pressure, can cause unfavourable changes in the ratio of LDL to HDL in the blood. Cigarette smoke contains large quantities of free radicals, many known to oxidise LDL cholesterol, making them more likely to be deposited on the walls of the blood vessels. The effect of cigarette smoke may be due to the direct oxidation of lipids and proteins, and it may also have indirect effects, such as the depletion of various antioxidant defences, which then allow other cellular processes (inflammation, for example) to modify LDL. In addition, smoking increases levels of LDL, lowers levels of HDL and increases the blood’s tendency to form clots. Underactive Thyroid and stress also result in an overproduction of natural cholesterol, and obesity causes unfavourable changes in serum lipoprotein levels.
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