LDL Cholesterol - The Heart's No.1 Enemy

By Ned Dagostino

Cholesterol is a vital element for our health and
well-being. There are two basic types of cholesterol: HDL
cholesterol is good for our health, LDL cholesterol is bad
for our health.

The LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels are
maintained within a normal range by the body's natural
regulatory mechanism. Sometimes this regulatory mechanism
malfunctions, or maybe the body is flooded with cholesterol
by ingestion. In any case the blood cholesterol level
exceeds the normal range. This leads to a serious condition
which can lead to severe health problems.

LDL means 'fatty proteins of low density'. This in turn
means that LDL cholesterol tends to be loose and thick. LDL
cholesterol circulates with the blood and sticks to the
inner walls of the blood vessels, forming plaque and
gradually reducing the vascular passage. This condition is
called arteriosclerosis which results in atherosclerosis,
meaning degeneration of the blood vessels.

Blood backs up from this point leading to high blood
pressure which severely stresses the heart. Worse, small
bits of the LDL cholesterol blockage can get dislodged and
flow down with the blood. If these bits of LDL cholesterol
enter a capillary, which is a very fine blood vessel, the
capillary gets blocked starving the areas served by the
capillary network of vital blood. If this happens in the
brain, then areas of the brain just shut down leading to a
form of paralysis called a 'stroke'. If the blood flow to
the heart itself is cut off, a heart attack occurs possibly
leading to a fatality. These are just two situations which
can occur when LDL cholesterol exceeds the normal limit.
There are a great number of similar situations, collectively
called cardiovascular disease, which are directly linked to
the excessive LDL cholesterol level.

Heart disease can be prevented, or the risk of getting it
can be reduced, if we follow some very simple health
guidelines. The first is to counterattack the invasion of
LDL cholesterol into the body. LDL cholesterol gains entry
into the body with the food we eat. So you should mount a
watch on the kind of food you eat. Saturated fats are heavy
with LDL cholesterol and must be shunned. You can and should
include the healthy fats into your diet (e.g. omega-3 fats
found in fish) because they actively help to reduce the bad
LDL cholesterol. lots of water helps the circulatory and
excretory functions of the body, which at once improves
health and eliminates the bad LDL cholesterol.

Change your cooking medium from heavy saturated fats to
unsaturated fats and oils. Virgin olive oil is good for your
heart. These dietary changes will be very beneficial in your
battle against heart disease.

Cigarette smoking is bad for health. It harms the body in
more than just one way. Smoking increases the level of LDL
cholesterol. So quit now and your LDL cholesterol will be
gone tomorrow! The steps outlined in this article are very
easy to implement. You will avoid the risk of heart disease
if you follow them.

Medical research shows that stress leads to LDL cholesterol
buildup. Lowering your stress level will lower your blood
LDL cholesterol too. The moral of the lesson is that you
should relax more often, give up those activities that add
to your stress, and pick up those activities that reduce
your stress.

To sum up, LDL cholesterol can be controlled by eating foods
which are free of saturated fats, exercising, quitting
smoking and ridding yourself of stress. The worst thing you
can do is to panic about high LDL cholesterol levels. This
article is meant to educate you about the cause and
prevention of heart disease, not scare you. Use what you
have learnt in this article to control the LDL cholesterol
situation. Once that is under control, you can say that the
risk of heart disease is under control.

So, have you had your cholesterol tested lately?

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Foods That Are Good For Your Cholesterol

We hear them preached everywhere, every time.. Eat good
cholesterol foods and reduce your figure. When it comes to
cholesterol, we all know that there are "good" ones and
"bad" ones, with HDL being the good type and LDL the bad
type. The problem is how to stick with the good one and get
rid of the bad one? It's a rather complicated subject, so
let's start..

Cholesterol is essential to human life, but high levels in
the bloodstream are associated with heart disease and
stroke. Specifically, high levels of LDL and low levels of
HDL are dangerous. LDL becomes hardened and forms plaque
that builds up in the arteries, slowing blood flow. HDL has
the ability to gather up excessive amounts of LDL and carry
it back to the liver.

We don't exactly eat HDL or LDL, it forms in the body. Some
of the foods that we eat do contain cholesterol, such as
eggs, dairy and animal fat. Plant oils and fats contain a
cholesterol-like substance called phytosterols. They help
lower blood cholesterol levels. Saturated and trans-fats
contribute to high LDL, as do simple carbohydrates, such as
sugar and white flour.

In general, good cholesterol foods are foods coming from
plants, because of the phytosterol they contain. Most animal
meats are not good when it comes to cholesterol, except fish
(especially deep sea fish) because they contain Omega-3
fats, which are found in canola oil as well.

One good plan to control LDL levels is including a lot of
vegetables, fruits, whole grain foods (such as oatmeal) and
fish into your daily diet. One daily bowl of oatmeal has
been shown to reduce LDL levels.

It's a healthy decision to use olive or canola oil when you
cook or bake, rather than lard or saturated fat. It has been
determined that eating certain nuts decrease risk of heart
disease. So, eat some of them every day when you can:
hazelnuts, walnut, almonds, pecans, pistachios and peanut.
An ounce a day is recommended, provided you're not allergic
to them, of course.

Another thing you can try is replacing your coffee or soda
with green tea. Green tea has many benefits related with
health, and one of them is its LDL lowering capability. If
you can't stand the original taste of green tea, don't use
processed sugar. Use honey or raw cane sugar instead.

Try taking lots of different antioxidants in your daily
diet. When cholesterol in your body becomes oxidized, they
form hard plaques in the arteries, which are very dangerous.
Antioxidants such as green tea, vegetables and fruits help
preventing this process from happening.

If you have to eat meat or poultry, make them lean cuts.
When you have to take dairy products, make sure to choose
reduced fat products made with skim or low-fat milk.

All in all, it's not difficult at all to switch from your
regular diet to good cholesterol foods. It's just a matter
of taking the right decision on what you eat.