The Generation Health
Posts tagged cholesterol
The Main Types of Cholesterol
Jan 9th
Cholesterol is important part of your body’s system. You cannot be healthy without it but unfortunately it is not that simple. If you have too much cholesterol you can become quite unhealthy in a very serious way. In fact because there are different types of cholesterol you can have too much of one type and too little of another type and be in a bad situation as well. With cholesterol it’s important to have it circulating through your blood stream in the right proportion based on cholesterol type. When this occur your chances for developing serious medical conditions diminishes significantly
The Main Types of Cholesterol
There are two main types of cholesterol with which you need to know of and which you need to have in the right proportions for optimal health. HDL cholesterol is the good type of cholesterol which you want a lot of and LDL cholesterol is the bad cholesterol which you want less of. It’s important to note that you have to have some LDL cholesterol just not a lot of it. Basically keeping lower LDL cholesterol levels is good for you and keeping higher HDL cholesterol levels is good for you. The opposite in both cases is bad for you.
LDL Cholesterol
LDL Cholesterol is typically found in fatty foods, red meats, and highly processed carbohydrates such as snack foods and fast food. Strangely it is fairly easy to avoid in large quantities if you stay away from western snacks and fast food. It’s true that if you eat large quantities of red meats you will be taking in elevated levels of HDL cholesterol but it’s much easier to do so by putting down fast foods, snack cakes, and potato chips.
LDL cholesterol is bad for you in elevated quantities because it circulates through your blood stream and forms the basis for many fatty deposits in your arteries. When the plaque deposits accumulate you are at a higher risk for heart disease and stroke.
HDL Cholesterol
HDL cholesterol is good for you because it counteracts the negative affects of LDL cholesterol. Circulating levels of HDL cholesterol in you blood act in a positive way by binding to the LDL cholesterol and flushing the excess from your blood stream. This effectively lowers the probability that the bad cholesterol will form plaques in your arteries and resultantly lowers your risks for heart disease and stroke.
Of course if you have elevated LDL cholesterol levels then you would need even higher levels of HDL cholesterol to offset the negative affects thus keeping your proportional balance is the best method in managing cholesterol levels.
You can actively raise HDL cholesterol levels by eating foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids such as fish and flaxseed. Olive oil has traits which promote a healthy balance between the two types of cholesterol while generally elevated levels of personal activity also aid the body in maintaining higher levels of HDL cholesterol and lower levels of LDL cholesterol. In an optimal situation you would eat right and exercise regularly to keep your main types of cholesterol in balance and keep your risks for heart disease and stroke low.
By: Brian
Article source: http://www.goarticles.com/
About the Author
Brian writes on many related health topics. For more information on this subject see his article on plaque buildup in arteries.
How Niacin Can Help Fight Cholesterol
Jan 5th
Niacin is part of the B family of water soluble vitamins. Niacin is usually found in foods such as eggs, fish, nuts, and a lot of dairy products.
Niacin has been used as a control measure against high cholesterol for many years now. Many doctors recommend it because of its relative safety and effectiveness. Niacin has been shown to not only lower your cholesterol but also to reduce your chances of having a heart attack.
Niacin has been shown to lower your bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) and your total cholesterol. It also has been shown to raise your good cholesterol. Niacin has been shown to be extremely effective in the fight against cholesterol. It is also very affordable; it is a lot cheaper than many of the cholesterol drugs out on the market today.
You have to be careful when taking Niacin though. When you are taking Niacin to try to reduce cholesterol you may notice some side effects and complications. Some of the side effects include blurry vision, blotchy skin, gas and stomach problems, and some flu like symptoms.
You can easily reverse these effects by ceasing taking the medication or to cut down the amount that you are taking. If you are taking a large dose you should really do so under the care of a physician. You can never be too safe with these types of things and it’s really a lot better to air on the side of caution when it comes to something like this.
You can easily go to your local drug store and buy Niacin without a prescription…if you are taking doses that are bigger than 1,500 mg I cannot stress enough that you should really be under the supervision of a doctor. Keep in mind that the regular dose for a grown man is 16 mg per day. So you really are taking a LOT when you go up to 1,500 mg per day.
So always make sure to take Niacin exactly as your doctor tells you too. Also keep in mind that the side effects associated with this can be made worse by alcohol or hot beverages being ingested right after you take the niacin. So make sure to stay away or you may suffer the side effects.
Niacin will not work all by itself… usually a doctor will have you on a complete health regimen. You need to practice a sensible diet, you need to exercise, and watch what you eat to see the best results from Niacin treatments. You cannot just sit around all day being sedentary and eating cheeseburgers… you will not see the health benefits at all.
By: Robert Townsend
Article source: http://www.articledashboard.com
Read my Natural Gain Plus Reviews here. Or you can Buy Bowtrol to contribute to your overall health and wellness.Niacin.
