Lowering Cholesterol Through Diet and Exercise
This site is designed to provide visitors with information related to lowering cholesterol. Cholesterol is a lipid or fatty substance that is in the outer lining of cells in animals. Humans also have cholesterol in the circulation of the blood. The cholesterol in humans comes from dietary intake and liver production. Cholesterol in foods comes from mostly meat, poultry, fish, and dairy. Plant foods do not contain cholesterol.
Total cholesterol is made up of four types: LDL, HDL, VLDL, and IDL which stand for lower density, high density, very low density, and intermediate density cholesterol.
LDL cholesterol is generally refered to as "bad" cholesterol because of its link with increased risk of coronary heart disease. It causes cholesterol plaque to form on the walls of arteries. This plaque will get thicker over time causing the arteries to narrow which is called atherosclerosis.
HDL cholesterol is known as "good" cholesterol because it helps prevent atherosclerosis by removing cholesterol plaque from the artery walls and breaking it down through the liver.
One popular way to lower cholesterol is to use medications prescribed by doctors. Statins are the best and most often used medications to lower LDL cholesterol levels. Most often medications are used as a last resort when diet changes cannot reduce cholesterol to a desired level.
So, what are normal cholesterol blood levels? While there are no established normal blood levels for total or LDL cholesterol, the normal range for adults in the United States may be too high and quietly progressing to dangerous levels. This is cause for concern because many healthy adults may be at risk for developing coronary heart diseases in the future with little or no warning.
Good doctors will first tell you to reduce high cholesterol by altering your lifestyle. They will ask you about what your eating and how much exercise your getting, and recommend that you consume fewer foods that raise cholesterol and greater amounts of foods that lower cholesterol. They will also recommend that you engage in cardiovascular exercise, which has a positive impact on cholesterol. Low cholesterol diets are the best place to start in your mission to decrease cholesterol.