The following two cholesterol reduction videos explain measures we can take starting today.
The first video deals with dietary changes that can lower our cholesterol and strengthen our heart.
Click on the arrow in the center of the screen to begin viewing.
The second, of the two, cholesterol reduction videos discusses how we can adopt a "low cholesterol" lifestyle. This involves a conscious decision to eat, play, and live in a way that will help to lower harmful levels of LDL cholesterol.
Review Of Main Points Of Cholesterol Reduction Videos
Lack of regular physical activity can lead to weight gain, which could raise your LDL cholesterol level.
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4) Heredity.
High blood cholesterol can run in families. An inherited genetic condition results in very high LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. This condition is called familial hypercholesterolemia.
5) Age and Sex.
As people get older, their LDL (bad cholesterol) levels tend to rise.
Men tend to have lower HDL(good cholesterol)levels than women.
Younger women tend to have lower LDL levels than men, but higher levels at older ages (after age 55 years).
Have your cholesterol checked. There are usually no signs or symptoms of high blood cholesterol, so it is important to have your blood cholesterol checked.
A simple blood test can be done by your doctor to check your blood cholesterol level. A lipoprotein profile can be done to measure several different kinds of cholesterol as well as triglycerides (another kind of fat found in the blood).
Desirable or optimal levels for adults with or without existing heart disease are:
* Total cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/dL.
* Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol): Less than 100 mg/dL.
* High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ("good" cholesterol): 40 mg/dL or higher.
* Triglycerides: Less than 150 mg/dL.
If a full lipoprotein panel is not done, you doctor may check your total and HDL cholesterol with a simpler blood test. The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that healthy adults have their cholesterol levels checked once every 5 years.
Recommendations From The Cholesterol Reduction Videos
* Maintain a Healthy Diet.
An overall healthy diet can help to maintain normal blood cholesterol levels.
* Maintain a Healthy Weight.
Being overweight or obese can raise your bad cholesterol levels. Losing weight can help you lower your blood cholesterol levels.
Proper diet and regular physical activity can help to maintain a healthy weight. Other measures of excess body fat may include waist measurements or waist and hip measurements.
* Be Active.
Physical activity can help to maintain a healthy weight and lower blood cholesterol levels. The Surgeon General recommends that adults should engage in moderate–level physical activities for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
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* No Tobacco.
Smoking injures blood vessels and speeds up the process of hardening of the arteries. Further, smoking is a major risk for heart disease and stroke.
If you don’t smoke, don’t start.
Quitting smoking lowers one’s risk of heart attack and stroke. Your doctor can suggest programs to help you quit smoking.
* Medications
If you are found to have high blood cholesterol, your doctor may prescribe medications, in addition to lifestyle changes, to help bring it under control.
The primary focus of treatment is to get LDL (bad cholesterol) under control. Your treatment plan and goal will depend on your LDL level and your level of risk for heart disease and stroke.
Your risk for heart disease and stroke will be based on whether you also have other risk factors and may include your blood pressure level or high blood pressure treatment, smoking status, age, HDL level, family history of early heart disease, and existing cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
People with existing cardiovascular disease or diabetes are considered high risk.
Cholesterol Reduction Videos
Several types of medicines help to lower cholesterol:
* Statin drugs lower LDL (bad cholesterol) by slowing down the production of cholesterol and by increasing the liver's ability to remove the LDL–cholesterol already in the blood.
* Bile acid sequestrants help to lower LDL cholesterol by binding with cholesterol-containing bile acids in the intestines, and are then eliminated in the stool.
* Niacin, or nicotinic acid, is a B vitamin that can improve all lipoproteins.
Nicotinic acid lowers total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride levels, while raising HDL-cholesterol levels.
Because the levels needed are well above recommended dietary intake levels, niacin treatment for cholesterol should only be done only under medical supervision because of possible adverse side effects.
* Fibrates are used mainly to lower triglycerides and, to a lesser extent, to increase HDL levels.
All drugs may have adverse side effects, so their use needs to be checked by your doctor on a usual basis.
Once your blood cholesterol level is controlled, your doctor will want to monitor it. The lifestyle changes that your doctor recommends are just as important as taking your medicines as prescribed.
* Genetic Factors.
Genes can play a role in high blood cholesterol. Very high blood cholesterol levels can be related to a condition known as familial hypercholesterolemia.
It is also possible that high blood cholesterol levels within a family are due to factors such as common diet.
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