How Healthy Is Your Cholesterol Level?
The latest tips for better cholesterol balance are self-driven habits that will change the way you control cholesterol. And subsequently gives you an improved defense against a heart attack or stroke.
If you’ve been fighting high, or even elevated, cholesterol for some time, the latest tips for better cholesterol balance is a must-read. Essentially because it presents types of blood cholesterol and why it’s important to lower it. Furthermore, it explains your risk of a heart attack and the two protective factors you need to ramp up right now. You also get to know about food and dietary sources that lower bad cholesterol. Likewise, you’re informed about good cholesterol-boosting beverages. Along with exercises that can reduce bad cholesterol particles.
Types Of Blood Cholesterol
There are two main types of blood cholesterol. First is the LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol. This is considered to be “bad” cholesterol because of its ability to cause plaque buildup in your arteries. Second, HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is viewed to be “good” cholesterol. For the reason that higher levels give you protection against heart disease.
Why Is It So Important To Lower Cholesterol?
Factually, your body needs cholesterol to build healthy cells. But with high cholesterol, you can develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels. So while cholesterol is important, too much of it can increase your risk of heart disease. Therefore, your goal should be to lower your cholesterol level.
Do you know that just a 10% drop in bad cholesterol can mean a 20-30% drop in your risk of a heart attack? Yes, lowering cholesterol levels that are too high lessens the risk of developing heart disease. Likewise reduces your chance of a heart attack or dying of heart disease.
However, cholesterol is not all about heart disease. Your brain’s health may also be in danger if your cholesterol is high. Although the evidence is still limited, available studies show that high levels of cholesterol may be linked to Alzheimer’s disease or other kinds of dementia.
What Is Your Risk For Heart Attack?
Several health conditions, your lifestyle, your age, and your family history can increase your risk for heart disease. These are called risk factors. Thus the three key risk factors for heart disease are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking.
While some risk factors for heart disease can’t be controlled, such as your age or family history. You can still take steps to lower your risk by changing the factors you can control.
How To Ensure Your Cholesterol Numbers Are Accurate
The only way to know whether you have high cholesterol is to check through a simple blood test, called a “lipid profile,” which measures your cholesterol levels.
The big question is whether you need to fast before a cholesterol test. In the past, the view was that fasting ahead of time produces the most accurate results. But now your cholesterol can be tested without fasting. According to new guidelines, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, if you’re not taking statins, you may not need to fast before a cholesterol test.
In a situation where your doctor recommends fasting before having your cholesterol checked, you should avoid eating for 9 to 12 hours before your test. This is why cholesterol tests are often scheduled in the morning.
What Are The Two Protective Factors To Ramp Up?
Though there are about five lifestyle changes that will protect you from a heart attack. The latest tips for better cholesterol balance are diet and exercise protective factors are very crucial right now. You need to eat a healthy, balanced diet low in saturated fat. This is because if you have a diet that’s high in fat, fatty plaques are more likely to build up in your arteries. And the second factor is to exercise regularly.
Eating a healthy and balanced diet
It’s important to eat more monounsaturated fats. Good sources of monounsaturated fats include avocado nuts, such as almonds, peanuts, and Brazil nuts. Also included are seeds, and vegetable oils, such as olive, peanut, sesame, and sunflower oils.
But then, moderate consumption is advised for polyunsaturated fats. Consuming too many polyunsaturated fats such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may cause adverse health effects. However, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may prevent some mechanisms of an irregular heartbeat, and promote overall heart health. Examples of dietary sources are walnuts, and fish, such as salmon, tuna, trout, soybean, corn, and sunflower oils.
Aside from this, it’s important to balance the intake of omega-6 fatty acids with that of omega-3 fatty acids.
Good cholesterol bosting cocoa
A 2015 study found that consuming a 450 mg drink containing cocoa flavanols twice daily for one month lowered “bad” cholesterol levels. But on the other hand, increased “good” cholesterol levels. This is because cocoa contains high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids, which can also help balance cholesterol levels.
Other good cholesterol-boosting beverages are green tea, pomegranate juice, citrus juice, soy milk, plant-based smoothies, and red wine.
Exercise Can Reduce LDL Particles
Studies show that regular exercise can help lower bad cholesterol levels and raise good cholesterol levels. Therefore you can incorporate regular exercise into your life such as walking, jogging, cycling, or resistance exercises with light weights. Your goal should be a minimum of 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity a week. However, you can spread this activity throughout the week.
Also remember that if you have cardiovascular disease or other heart problems, you should consult your doctor before partaking in intensive exercise.
Bottom Line
The latest tips for better cholesterol balance are largely rooted in two major lifestyle changes. So eating a balanced nutritional diet and engaging in exercise are two factors to ramp up immediately. This is not to say that other risk factors such as obesity, smoking, and too much alcohol should be ignored.
The point is that by the time you eat healthily and exercise, your weight is managed better. While, your urge for smoking reduces, along with your excessive alcohol consumption. In the end, through specific lifestyle changes, and drug therapies, you can meaningfully lower bad cholesterol. And intensely reduce harmful irregular heartbeats.
