Lowering Cholesterol for Avoiding Heart Disease

Heart disease is an umbrella term for a variety for different diseases affecting the heart.

We can name some types of heart diseases like:

§  Coronary artery disease is a disease of the artery caused by the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the walls of the arteries that supply the myocardium.

§  Cardiomyopathy literally means “heart muscle disease” (Myo= muscle, pathy= disease) It is the deterioration of the function of the myocardium (i.e., the actual heart muscle) for any reason. People with cardiomyopathy are often at risk of arrhythmia and/or sudden cardiac death.

§  Cardiovascular disease is any of a number of specific diseases that affect the heart itself and/or the blood vessel system, especially the veins and arteries leading to and from the heart.

§  Ischaemic heart disease - another disease of the heart itself, characterized by reduced blood supply to the organs,IHS is when the arteries that supply the oxygen and the nutrients gets stopped and the heart will not get enough of the oxygen and the nutrients and will eventually stop beating.

§  Heart failure, also called congestive heart failure (or CHF), and congestive cardiac failure (CCF), is a condition that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to fill with or pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body.

§  Hypertensive heart disease is heart disease caused by high blood pressure, especially localised high blood pressure. Conditions that can be caused by hypertensive heart disease include: Left ventricular hypertrophy, Coronary heart disease, (Congestive) heart failure, Hypertensive cardiomyopathy, Cardiac arrhythmias

§  Inflammatory heart disease involves inflammation of the heart muscle and/or the tissue surrounding it.

§  Valvular heart disease is disease process that affects one or more valves of the heart. The valves in the right side of the heart are the tricuspid valve and the pulmonic valve. The valves in the left side of the heart are the mitral valve and the aortic valve.
Studies show that high blood cholesterol is a risk fator for heart diseases. The higher the cholesterol levels in your blood, the greater heart diseases risk you would suffer. There is a direct link between high blood cholesterol and heart disease. So, medical advices for heart diseases treatment and prevention will start with lowering the level of cholesterol. Let’s follow this article attentively for tips to avoid or improve heart diseases.

Lowering Cholesterol: 12 Tips for Avoiding Heart Disease

Tip 1: Change your diet and lifestyle is the 1^st step to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of suffering from heart diseases. There are some types of medicine can help to lower the level of choresterol, but your role in cardiovascular health protection is very crucial. So, be active and willing to change your diet and lifestyle.

Tip 2: Make vegetables and fruits become the main food consupmtion. Vegetables and fruits will help to lower LDL “bad” cholesterol.

Tip 3: Fish, fish and fish. Reseaches say that fish is low in saturated fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids which will help to lower levels of trigylcerides. So, go for fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, trout or sardines. Just don’t drop the filets in the deep fryer - you’ll negate the health benefits.

Tip 4: Choose whole grains such as oatmeal or whole-grain cereal, wild rice, popcorn, brown rice, barley, whole-wheat flour for breakfast. The fiber and complex carbohydrates in whole grains help you feel fuller for longer so you don’t have to eat lunch much. They also help to reduce LDL “bad” cholesterol. Whole grains are also very good for weigh loss diet.

Tip 5: When you need a snack, find nuts. Nut is delicious and can help you to lower LDL “bad” cholesterol while leaving HDL “good” cholesterol intact. Keep in mind that nuts are high in fat and calories so don’t eat too much, a handful is enough. Make sure that they are plain nuts and not covered in sugar or chocolate.

Tip 6: Stay away to potatoes, come closer to beans. We need carbohydrate (carbs) for energy but some carbs are better for our body than others. Whole grains and beans have more fiber and raise less sugar level for consumers. Meanwhile, potatoes and white breads, white rice, pastries quickly boost blood sugar.

Tip 7: Get plenty of physical exercises. Doing excerises can help you to lower LDL and raise HDL. Moreover, with lots of physical activities, you can maintain an ideal weight and reduce the risk of clogged arteries. You can choose any types of exercsing from swimming, jogging, running, going to gyms or just walking, choosing stairs instead of elevators, dancing, gardening, cleaning your house… Try to take every chance for your body moving.

Tip 8: You can still enjoy eating out unless you still remind yourself to stay on track:

• Prefer vegetables, fish, lean meats, etc when you order
• Choose broiled, baked, steamed, and grilled foods - not fried.
• Get sauces on the side.
• Practice portion control by asking for half your meal to be boxed up before it’s brought out.

Tip 9: Be alert when shopping. Before you put any items to the trolley, you should read the nutrition labels carefully. You should be aware of any hidden traps in the package you choose, try these tips:

• Check serving sizes. The nutrition info may look good, but does the package contain two servings instead of one?
• If it says “whole grain,” read the ingredients. Whole wheat or whole grain should be the first one.
• A food with “0 grams cholesterol” could still raise your LDL cholesterol. Saturated fat is the other culprit to watch for.

Tip 10: Relax. Researches show that stress might directly increase cholesterol levels. People with chronic stress can raise blood pressure, adding to risk of atherosclerosis, which occurs when plaque from choleterol builds up in arteries. Take more time to relax, exercises, meditation, yoga or focus on your breathing and take deep refreshing breaths. That’s the simplest stress-buster you can practice anywhere anytime.

Tip 11: Loosing means winning in lowering cholesterol. Losing weight is one of the best things you can do to fight heart diseases. Losing weight - especially belly fat, which is linked to hardening of the arteries - helps raise HDL “good” cholesterol and reduce LDL “bad” cholesterol.  Consult your doctors for the most suitable diet plan and exercises to loose weigh. Doctors may prescribe some pills which help you to loose weight more effectively. However, a never out-of-date advice to loose weight is to involve in more physical activities and have a good balanced diet.

Tip 12: Follow Your Doctor’s Advice. Managing your cholesterol is a lifelong process. See your doctor regularly to keep tabs on your health. Follow your doctor’s recommendations on diet, exercise, and medication. Working together, you and your doctor can lower your cholesterol levels and keep your heart going strong.