The Negative Effects of Cholesterol - The Good, The Bad, And Solutions
When we think of cholesterol we have been conditioned to think of this fluffy fat like substance as something that is always bad, it is not. In fact cholesterol is an essential component of cells, and is a building block for many hormones. A shortage of cholesterol can cause many physiological and psychological problems such as muscle soreness or death and the brains ability to communicate with itself and other parts of the body. But before you take off to get that burger and fries with extra cheese and that special sauce keep in mind that the brain makes enough cholesterol to meet its own requirements. So relax, there is no need to keep a block of cheese handy in case you start to run out of mental function reading this article.
But while this fatty substance is important it is the negative effects that have grabbed the headlines in recent years due to the avalanche of cardiovascular health concerns, such as heart attack, stroke, and atherosclerosis. This awareness is credited with bringing the number of heart attacks down and ultimately saving lives.
So what we have here is a chemical substance that must be balanced in a healthy range. There are two types of cholesterol readings that will provide us with a roadmap to do this; HDL and LDL. Maintaining good cholesterol (HDL) levels above 50 milligrams for each deciliter of blood or higher and bad cholesterol (LDL) readings coming in somewhere below 120 milligrams for each deciliter of blood.
Avoiding the negative effects of high cholesterol
There are a number of conditions that can cause blood cholesterol to become dangerously high including diabetes, or genetic disorders such as hypercholesterolemia, but for the most part there are a number of simple, and universally accepted, steps that can be taken to keep cholesterol in a healthy range and avoid the negative effects of high cholesterol.
*Diet: According to the American Heart Association saturated fat consumption should be held to about 8 percent, or 18 grams per day, with cholesterol held to 25 percent of calories, or 200 milligrams per day.
*Exercise: According to the Center for Disease Control the one factor that is the most often responsible for the negative effects of cholesterol is inactivity (39.5%). Some type of moderate exercise is recommend at least five days a week.
*Being overweight: As your weight rises so do your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Perhaps more importantly artery clearing good cholesterol tends to drop. The moral here is if you are packing on the pound now is a good time to turn this train around before it lands you in the hospital.
*Smokers beware: Cigarette smokers are four times more likely to have a heart attack than non smokers. Perhaps the reason for this is that smoking raises bad cholesterol, lowers good cholesterol, causes the arteries to constrict, and damages the smooth interior lining of the artery walls.
Can supplements help with the negative effects of cholesterol?
Recent research suggests the answer is yes. There are two primary ways to tame the cholesterol monster. One is reduce the amount of cholesterol floating around in the bloodstream and the other is repair or prevent damage to the smooth interior lining of the arteries. There are three types of widely available supplements that research studies suggest are able to accomplish one or both of these tasks. They are omega 3 fish oils rich in the fatty acids DHA and EPA, Vitamins B6 and B12 which are valuable in preventing arterial damage, and of course natural cholesterol reduction supplements which dispose of cholesterol before it ends up clogging your arteries.
But while this fatty substance is important it is the negative effects that have grabbed the headlines in recent years due to the avalanche of cardiovascular health concerns, such as heart attack, stroke, and atherosclerosis. This awareness is credited with bringing the number of heart attacks down and ultimately saving lives.
So what we have here is a chemical substance that must be balanced in a healthy range. There are two types of cholesterol readings that will provide us with a roadmap to do this; HDL and LDL. Maintaining good cholesterol (HDL) levels above 50 milligrams for each deciliter of blood or higher and bad cholesterol (LDL) readings coming in somewhere below 120 milligrams for each deciliter of blood.
Avoiding the negative effects of high cholesterol
There are a number of conditions that can cause blood cholesterol to become dangerously high including diabetes, or genetic disorders such as hypercholesterolemia, but for the most part there are a number of simple, and universally accepted, steps that can be taken to keep cholesterol in a healthy range and avoid the negative effects of high cholesterol.
*Diet: According to the American Heart Association saturated fat consumption should be held to about 8 percent, or 18 grams per day, with cholesterol held to 25 percent of calories, or 200 milligrams per day.
*Exercise: According to the Center for Disease Control the one factor that is the most often responsible for the negative effects of cholesterol is inactivity (39.5%). Some type of moderate exercise is recommend at least five days a week.
*Being overweight: As your weight rises so do your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Perhaps more importantly artery clearing good cholesterol tends to drop. The moral here is if you are packing on the pound now is a good time to turn this train around before it lands you in the hospital.
*Smokers beware: Cigarette smokers are four times more likely to have a heart attack than non smokers. Perhaps the reason for this is that smoking raises bad cholesterol, lowers good cholesterol, causes the arteries to constrict, and damages the smooth interior lining of the artery walls.
Can supplements help with the negative effects of cholesterol?
Recent research suggests the answer is yes. There are two primary ways to tame the cholesterol monster. One is reduce the amount of cholesterol floating around in the bloodstream and the other is repair or prevent damage to the smooth interior lining of the arteries. There are three types of widely available supplements that research studies suggest are able to accomplish one or both of these tasks. They are omega 3 fish oils rich in the fatty acids DHA and EPA, Vitamins B6 and B12 which are valuable in preventing arterial damage, and of course natural cholesterol reduction supplements which dispose of cholesterol before it ends up clogging your arteries.