Heart Disease Symptoms

Many people find themselves with a high LDL cholesterol level and a correspondingly high level of heart disease risk. While aging increases the risk of high cholesterol, younger people also face this condition. “Lowering cholesterol” has become almost a buzzword in our society, but few people truly understand how to do it.

With cholesterol medication commercials on TV and in almost every magazine, it would be easy to think that the only option for lowering cholesterol and reducing the risk of heart disease is medication. While medication is indicated in some cases, it is neither the only option nor the option of first resort for most people.

The first step in lowering cholesterol is to know what your numbers are and what they mean. LDL is “bad” cholesterol, which clogs arteries and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. This number should optimally be below 100mg/dL. HDL, or good cholesterol, attaches to LDL cholesterol and transports it to the liver, actually lowering bad cholesterol levels. This number should be at least 60mg/DL. When your doctor refers to “total cholesterol,” this means the total of LDL and HDL added together. This number is not as important as your individual numbers.

To lower cholesterol, first start by eating a diet low in saturated fats and trans fats. Because your body makes all the cholesterol you need, you don’t actually need to take in cholesterol from food. In addition to limiting certain foods, you can eat fatty fish, nuts (particularly walnuts and almonds), oatmeal and bran, and foods with added stanols.

Aerobic exercise, including just walking more throughout the day, can help lower your LDL too, and can also help you remove extra weight that may be contributing to your heart disease risk. As you add exercise to your life, it helps you to create an overall healthy lifestyle.

Weight loss is an important way to lower LDL and raise HDL. A proper diet and exercise routine can help with weight loss, and all of these activities combined can have a very significant effect in lowering your risk of heart disease and stroke.

If your lifestyle changes do not lower your cholesterol significantly, or you have other risk factors, your doctor may choose to prescribe medications. The most prescribed medications, statins, block the effects of an enzyme that creates cholesterol. Other medications may be used, as well, depending on your particular situation.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 1:42 pm and is filed under cholesterol & Heart Disease. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.