You may have heard about the negative effects that cholesterol can have on your body. You may also have heard about good cholesterol and bad cholesterol, and how to reduce bad cholesterol. Let us consider some important facts related to cholesterol.
The human body needs cholesterol to perform several activities. It helps the body to develop hormones like testosterone, estrogen and adrenaline. It helps to improve metabolism and produces vitamin D. It improves fat digestion and absorption of nutrients by producing bile acids.
Even though your body needs cholesterol for performing various activities, it can bring some negative effects when it rises above the normal level. The rising cholesterol level may lead to various health issues like chest pain, heart attack and stroke which can even cause death.
Risks of high cholesterol
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Let Us Make Small Changes in Our Habits
Your lifestyle has a significant role in maintaining your cholesterol level. If you have a proper diet plan and a good way of living, you can definitely maintain your cholesterol in a much better way. It is necessary to cut down your LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) or BAD cholesterol and increase your HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) or GOOD cholesterol.
Avoid foods high in Trans fats
Trans fats may increase the level of LDL and reduce the level of HDL. It raises the chance of heart attacks and strokes. To get rid of this, try to check the ingredients while purchasing food products and always remember ‘partially hydrogenated oil’ is just another name for ‘Trans Fat’. You can include foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids like walnuts, salmon, herring, mackerel and flaxseeds. Also, include whey protein like dairy products and soluble fibers like apples, oatmeal, kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, and pears in your diet.
Reduce your body weight
Slight reduction in your body weight can do wonders in reducing or maintaining your cholesterol level. Being overweight has a tendency to increase the lipoprotein or bad cholesterol in your blood. It may lead to several health issues including heart problems. The additional pounds of your body lead to additional cholesterol every day. It doesn’t mean that you need to lose weight overnight. But you can adopt a proper and consistent plan to bring it down gradually.
Keep away from smoking
Smoking causes serious injury to your health and it affects daily human activities too. If you quit smoking, it will help you to improve the level of HDL. The risk of your heart disease will come down to half within one year of quitting.
Use alcohol moderately
Drinking too much alcohol daily would affect the total functioning of your body. Some studies have shown that excessive usage of alcohol may increase the LDL level, which is considered to be bad. So, if you cannot avoid drinking alcohol completely, then try using it moderately.
Be physically active
Exercising regularly for at least five days in a week and increasing daily activities can bring wonders to your health. Dr. Cho from The American Heart Association recommends exercising for at least 30 minutes five to seven times per week is a good solution to improve your cholesterol level. Some of the best exercises to reduce your cholesterol level are:
- Brisk Walking
- Jogging
- Cycling
- Swimming
You can reduce the level of LDL and maintain HDL to an extent by following the above-mentioned activities. However, sometimes a complete cure is not possible if you have a genetic tendency for high cholesterol. So, you need to consult an efficient doctor who can definitely help you by recommending the right medications and exercise programs.
