High Cholesterol Can Lead to Heart Disease

You may count as one of many Americans who suffer with high cholesterol levels. This means you have a potential for heart disease that can be caused by clogged arteries. If you do nothing about it, you can one day wake up in a hospital or if your heart is badly damaged, you can get a stroke without warning. The good news is you can do something about it. Usually, you know you have high cholesterol after your doctor sends you for a routine blood test, or another health condition prompts your doctor to check your cholesterol.

Once you know you have high cholesterol you just have to begin the process of lowering it. This means you reduce the overall and put yourself back on track for good health and a good heart. Depending on your condition, your doctor can immediately prescribe medication to help lower your cholesterol. But most doctors would prefer you make some lifestyle changes before offering medicine. If your doctor doesn't mention it, and you don't exercise regularly, this might be the right time to start an exercise program. Exercise by itself won't correct the problem but combined with a nutritious low cholesterol diet, can make the task much easier.

High cholesterol is not always a problem except when you refer to one of the two kinds of cholesterol. Good cholesterol, as known as HDL, is the one you want to have because it means that your heart is in good condition. On the other hand, LDL, or bad cholesterol, as it is known, can pose several health risk to your heart. On average, LDL outnumbers HDL by a ratio of 3:1. This imbalance is not a serious problem because both cholesterol types help the body to build cell membranes, protect the nervous system and perform other useful functions. However, an incontrollable number of LDL cholesterol could amass in the arteries, which leads to clogging and the potential for strokes or heart disease.

Medications work well to control high cholesterol. For example, they can curb the liver's production of bad cholesterol, or reduce its flow into the bloodstream. You can either use the medications prescribed by your doctor or consult with a naturopath or herbalist for natural remedies. However, you should be careful of taking more than one remedy at a time, since you want to avoid having side affects. Diet also plays a big part in lowering your cholesterol. Some food contribute the buildup of bad cholesterol in the liver. So you want to avoid these since they could enter the bloodstream and clog your arteries.

You want to avoid animal products that contain high amounts of saturated fats. Lowering high cholesterol also means you should stay away from processed foods and oils that are made from animal products. Get your gym shoes out and start walking, running, or bicycling. Any exercise that helps you burn off fat that can turn into bad cholesterol should be taken up.

Remember exercise also makes you feel refreshed and gets the heart pumping. Adding regular exercise to a sensible diet is the cure way to lower your high cholesterol.

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