Latest Articles

6 Risk Factors That Can Cause High Cholesterol
We all know that high cholesterol is bad, that it can lead to heart disease, which can shorten your life. You may not understand the scientific reasons that can cause high cholesterol, but you do know that certain changes in your behavior can...

Optimum Cholesterol Levels for Liver Health
Typically assumed to inflict solely negative consequences, cholesterol is actually a necessary component of a healthy body. Cholesterol is a waxy substance in the blood, critical in the digestion of dietary fats, the building of cell walls and in...

Tree Bark May Solve Your High Cholesterol Problems
You must be kidding, tree bark? This is may sound a little outrageous, but the reality is, it's true. Over the last 200 years the bark of a unique tree which is found in India and Arabia has been used by health practitioners to treat heart...

What Makes Your Blood Cholesterol High or Low

Your blood cholesterol level is affected not only by what you eat but also by how quickly your body makes LDL-cholesterol and disposes of it. In fact, your body makes all the cholesterol it needs, and it is not necessary to take in any additional cholesterol from the foods you eat.

People with heart disease or those who are at high risk for developing it typically have too much LDL-cholesterol in their blood. Many factors help determine whether your LDL-cholesterol level is high or low. The following factors are the most important.

Your blood cholesterol level is affected not only by what you eat but also by how quickly your body makes LDL-cholesterol and disposes of it. In fact, your body makes all the cholesterol it needs, and it is not necessary to take in any additional cholesterol from the foods you eat.
Patients with heart disease or those who are at high risk for developing it typically have too much LDL-cholesterol in their blood. Many factors help determine whether your LDL-cholesterol level is high or low. The following factors are the most important.

Heredity. Your genes influence how high your LDL-cholesterol is by affecting how fast LDL is made and removed from the blood. One specific form of inherited high cholesterol that affects 1 in 500 people is familial hypercholesterolemia, which often leads to early heart disease. But even if you do not have a specific genetic form of high cholesterol, genes play a role in influencing your LDL-cholesterol level.

What you eat. Two main nutrients in the foods you eat make your LDL-cholesterol level go up: saturated fat, a type of fat found mostly in foods that come from animals; and cholesterol, which comes only from animal products. Saturated fat raises your LDL-cholesterol level more than anything else in the diet. Eating too much saturated fat and cholesterol is the main reason for high levels of cholesterol and a high rate of heart attacks in the United States. Reducing the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol you eat is a very important step in

reducing your blood cholesterol levels.

Weight. Excess weight tends to increase your LDL-cholesterol level. If you are overweight and have a high LDL-cholesterol level, losing weight may help you lower it. Weight loss also helps to lower triglycerides and raise HDL.

Physical activity/exercise. Regular physical activity may lower LDL-cholesterol and raise HDL-cholesterol levels.

Age and sex. Before menopause, women usually have total cholesterol levels that are lower than those of men the same age. As women and men get older, their blood cholesterol levels rise until about 60 to 65 years of age. In women, menopause often causes an increase in their LDL-cholesterol and a decrease in their HDL- cholesterol level, and after the age of 50, women often have higher total cholesterol levels than men of the same age.

Alcohol. Alcohol intake increases HDL-cholesterol but does not lower LDL-cholesterol. Doctors don't know for certain whether alcohol also reduces the risk of heart disease. Drinking too much alcohol can damage the liver and heart muscle, lead to high blood pressure, and raise triglycerides. Because of the risks, alcoholic beverages should not be used as a way to prevent heart disease.

Stress. Stress over the long term has been shown in several studies to raise blood cholesterol levels. One way that stress may do this is by affecting your habits. For example, when some people are under stress, they console themselves by eating fatty foods. The saturated fat and cholesterol in these foods contribute to higher levels of blood cholesterol.

About the Author
Kim Beardsmore is a weight loss consultant whose business operates across 60 countries. This world renowned, medically approved program will give you results you'll love and all the support you need! Estimate your healthy body weight, tons of recipes, articles, ezine and more information on how to lower your cholesterol at http://weight-loss-health.com.au


Written By: Kim Beardsmore


Putting children on cholesterol drug draws ire - Herald Tribune
Published Tuesday, July 8, 2008 at 4:30 a.m. Last updated Tuesday, July 8, 2008 at 3:54 a.m. Cholesterol drugs for 8-year-olds? This aggressive new recommendation for warding off heart disease in some children stirred a furious debate among ...

Fish Oil and Red Yeast Rice Studied for Lowering Blood Cholesterol - Forbes
ROCHESTER, Minn., July 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A great deal of scientific evidence shows that cholesterol-reducing medications known as statins can help prevent coronary artery disease. Although the safety of these medications has been well ...

Docs debate pills to check child obesity - Hindustan Times
Children as young as two should be screened for bad cholesterol if they are overweight or have a parent or close family member with heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, or premature heart disease (diagnosed ...

U.S. Preventive Medicine Applauds Leading Health Organizations for ... - Forbes
DALLAS, July 8 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Preventive Medicine, (www.USPreventiveMedicine.com) the leader in disease prevention, today applauded the Centers for Disease Control for its campaign to make the United States a healthier nation. The company also ...

Cholesterol Drugs Recommended For Children As Young As 8 - Redorbit.com
A respected doctors group is recommending for the first time that children as young as 8 years old be given drugs to ward off heart problems and fight cholesterol. The guidelines, given by the American Academy of Pediatrics, are the strongest ever ...

Google