Lower Cholesterol - Be Heart Smart

Lower cholesterol is very important to our health, no matter how old we are or aren't, especially if we want to avoid a heart attack or stroke. To understand what this means and how to achieve it, we need to understand a few concepts and terms. Among them are cholesterol, HDL, LDL, lipoproteins, serum cholesterol, dietary cholesterol, saturated fats, atherosclerosis, and coronary artery disease.

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found throughout the body. It gets there in one of two ways, either from the body itself or in the foods we eat. It is a very common, very important molecule. Too much of it, however, is not healthy. Too much of it can clog our arteries, block our hearts, and gravely threaten our lives. More often than not we need to lower cholesterol in our bodies.

A Little Bit about Cholesterol

There are two kinds of cholesterol, which may be confusing at first. High density lipoprotein, commonly known as HDL, sometimes called the good cholesterol because it can protect the heart, is one. Low density lipoproteins, commonly known as LDL, sometimes called the bad cholesterol because it can clog arteries, is the other. We have both and we need both. The balance between them is critical. It is what helps determine whether a heart is healthy.

The link between cholesterol and heart disease has been established in numerous studies. Specifically, the higher the cholesterol, the greater the risk of heart disease. It's that simple. High cholesterol is common. We want lower cholesterol. The challenge most of us face is to control this, to lower cholesterol levels.

Lifestyle and Lower Cholesterol

Cholesterol in our body is produced in the liver, which uses the fats in our diet as fuel. What it produces is all the cholesterol the body needs. Why does it need cholesterol? Among other things, producing bile to help with digestion, protecting nerve fibers, building cell membranes, creating hormones, manufacturing vitamin D.

Cholesterol in our foods comes only from animal products rich in saturated fats. plant foods have no cholesterol. Our bodies need fats, of course, and we get a natural mix of them in many foods. But a diet too rich in saturated fats and transfatty acids—those in processed foods—is a proven health risk. Studies indicate that polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, such as those found in olive and fish oils, are better for us and can help lower cholesterol.

Dietary fats are, of course, a concentrated source of calories and thus one of the two main causes of overweight and obesity. Lack of exercise is the other. Decreasing dietary fat and increasing regular exercise are the first and easiest steps to lower cholesterol and improve overall and heart health.

Health Care and Lower Cholesterol

There is another factor, however, that can have a significant impact on the levels of cholesterol in the body: genetics. When this comes into play, diet and exercise will not be enough to lower cholesterol levels.

Among the medications, both holistic and pharmaceutical, available to lower cholesterol are beta glucan, beta-sitosterol, isoflavones, statins, to name a few. Common side effects of cholesterol lowering medications can include muscle aches, abnormal liver function, allergic reaction, heartburn, dizziness, abdominal pain, constipation and diminished sexual desire.

It is important to determine your cholesterol levels. Home cholesterol tests are available in addition to those your doctor

can give. Consult your doctor to determine the most appropriate treatment.

Lower Cholesterol

Results Not What You'd Hoped?

If you've just had some bloodwork done, and the results for your cholesterol counts were not what you'd hoped, you'll be looking around for ways to Lower cholesterol. Your doctor will likely recommend that you use one of the Statin drugs for this purpose. But if you're like us, you'll be naturally wary of these in light of some of the bad publicity recently, and you'll at least want to try some natural cholesterol lowering alternatives first.

Some of the reasons that many people are now trying to avoid Statin drugs is, for example, that Lipitor and Baycol have both been known to cause muscle damage (the heart is a muscle), and some doctors are saying these medications have been linked to deaths. In fact, Baycol has been pulled from the market in some countries, notably Japan. In some cases, the benefits may outweigh the risks, but I for one want to exhaust every natural alternative before I go on to the use of Statins.

Don't Rush to Take the Easy Way Out

If you feel that taking Statins is the easy way out, consider that if Baycol has already been pulled from some markets, we are likely to hear a lot more on this subject in the near future. Until the truth's out, I wouldn't like to become one of their statistics. Did you know for example, that if you take certain vitamins along with Statins, you may actually raise your risk of a heart attack?

I find this particularly alarming because vitamins are an integral part of the food we eat (or they most certainly should be). So we have no way of knowing really what kind of reaction is going on inside of us. On the other hand, many natural ways to lower cholesterol are substances or foods that have been around for centuries, and that have been thoroughly tried and tested.

Golden Oldies!

Olive oil and oatmeal, for example, are great to add to your diet if you want to lower cholesterol. Another great thing to do is take cod liver oil every day. Cod liver oil can supply your body with the essential Omega 3 oils that are so difficult to get from ordinary diet nowadays, and this can have a positive effect on your good cholesterol readings. If the taste puts you off, don't forget that you can get cod liver oil in capsule form too.

Other "side effects" you'll love with cod liver oil are the fact that it can improve the look and feel of skin, increase energy, banish aches and pains, and even improve your memory! Of course, the very vitamins that you would take to lower cholesterol, like vitamin A and vitamin E, are some of the very vitamins that you may be advised not to take with the statins because of a possible interaction.

Stop Worrying About Side Effects

That, for me, is the beauty of natural alternatives to drugs; pretty much all the time, you can take vitamins, foods and herbal remedies in any combination you like without worrying about killing yourself! Peace of mind is a very valuable commodity isn't it? Here are a few pointers for you though, if you're embarking on a healthy way of doing things for the first time in your life.

To begin with, it may be a good idea to consult a naturopath, or at least read a few good books on the subject of how to lower cholesterol. Incorporate some lifestyle changes, such as moderate exercise, avoiding alcohol and commercially produced fats. Learn how wonderfully healthy butter and olive oil can be, in moderation.

Learn about some of the newer ways to lower cholesterol naturally. There have been some real breakthroughs lately in how to use natural substances to help conditions such as high cholesterol. Why not click through on our link to learn about one we like?

Lipitor Side Effects

Cholesterol: the word is probably the last one you want to hear your doctor pronounce during your next visit. In this way, you're not unlike many people. Unfortunately, we live in a time when, despite the ubiquity of fitness centers and diet shakes, unhealthy eating and living continue to create heart problems the world over.

A lot of this has to do with cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is an organic chemical produced in small amounts by your body, and it is used in many biological functions. As with anything, however, it is harmful when you have too much of it–-this is especially true for the heart. High cholesterol levels have been shown time and again to increase the risk of heart problems in many medical patients.

Here it's important to distinguish, however, what kind of cholesterol we're talking about. High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels have generally corresponded with better health: they're used to transport cholesterol back to the liver, where it's processed and then excreted. On the other hand, Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol molecules, which differ from their high-density cousins only slightly, tend to correspond with an increased chance of heart disease.

There are various ways to combat high levels of LDL cholesterol, including exercise and a healthy diet. Recently, however, a number of prescription drugs have appeared on the market that can also reduce LDL levels. One of the most popular of these (it was the best-selling pharmaceutical drug in the world in 2004, with $10.4 billion in sales in the US alone) is Lipitor.

Wonder Drug?

Lipitor's success, however, has produced the usual worries about side effects. What does this so-called "wonder-drug" do to your body? Is taking it as easy, say, as swallowing a pair of Aspirin? Or are there any dangers to keep in mind? As one might expect, there has been a fair amount of controversy along these lines.

The most basic side effects of Lipitor are not too dramatic. Headaches, fever, nausea, and a few other common symptoms can result from frequent use. However, this is really not unlike many other prescription drugs, which tend to unbalance certain parts of our body temporarily as they help other parts fight back against specific conditions or diseases. Looked at from a certain point of view, you might even say that the aforementioned side effects are on par with another common "medicine"--alcohol!

Serious Side Effects

More worrisome, however, are the various organ- and muscle-related side effects of Lipitor. The Lipitor website even admits that Lipitor, though an effective way for most people to reduce LDL cholesterol levels, can have "serious side effects" (www.lipitor.com). People with liver-disease or liver-related complications, for example, are exhorted to avoid Lipitor, or at the very least to ask their doctor about possible complications.

Two more possible side effects of Lipitor are severe muscle pain and muscle disease (www.healthy-heart-guide.com/side-effects-of-lipitor.html). As with many new medications, a long-term study of Lipitor's effects on humans will not be totally possible until it's been in circulation for some time. Until then, the best recourse for the first-time user is probably to discuss the option over with your family physician, and to be aware that there has been a fair amount of discussion concerning more serious Lipitor-related side effects.