Ways to Deal with Your High Cholesterol Problem
If you have high cholesterol, or are worried about developing it, you may be wondering what its causes are and what you can do to lower it. There are many things that can influence your cholesterol levels. Some of these you can control to some extent, as they deal with your lifestyle, while others are outside of your control. Here is a look at some things you should know about your high cholesterol problem and what you can do to fix it.
? Heredity – Unfortunately, heredity does play a role in your cholesterol levels, and is one of those things that you cannot control. Basically, your genes can have an affect on how quickly your body makes and eliminated LDL cholesterol from your blood. If someone in your family has high cholesterol, this is something that you will want to keep an eye on for yourself. Family-inherited high cholesterol can lead to early heart disease and cause complications such as heart attacks and strokes at a younger age. About 1 in 500 people have cholesterol problems because of their genetics.
? Weight – While not every person who is overweight suffers from high cholesterol, nor does every person who is at a healthy weight have a healthy level of cholesterol, weight can have an influence on your personal levels. If you have high cholesterol, particularly high LDL cholesterol, and are overweight losing weight may help you to bring your numbers down. Losing weight can also improve your triglyceride levels and your HDL cholesterol levels.
? Diet – You have heard the saying “you are what you eat” and for high cholesterol diet does play a role. If you eat foods that are high in saturated fat and cholesterol, you will raise the levels of cholesterol in your body. The most effective way to help lower your cholesterol through diet is to watch your intake of saturated fat. Processed food and animal products are the worst contributors of saturated fat.
? Age and Sex – How old you are and your gender will influence your cholesterol levels. Before menopause, women have an advantage over men in that their hormones help them to naturally regulate the amount of “good” cholesterol that they have in their bodies. However, as they age these hormones decrease, and by the age of 50 many women will have higher levels of cholesterol than their male counterparts. Besides this, the older you are the more likely you are to suffer from cholesterol-related problems like heart disease and strokes.
? Stress – Many people are under a good deal of stress from their jobs, families, or other factors. Unfortunately, stress leads to a lot of unhealthy habits that can contribute to high cholesterol levels. Smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating less than perfect diets are often the result of stress and can all raise cholesterol levels. Plus, people who are stressed often do not take the time to take adequate care of themselves, and so may not be getting the regular doctors visits that could diagnose them with rising cholesterol levels before they become a problem.
? Exercise – Exercise is good for the strength of your heart as well as to improve blood flow throughout your body. Regular exercise can also help increase good cholesterol levels and decrease bad cholesterol levels so that you can find a healthy balance.
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