How To Manage High Cholesterol
It used to be that high cholesterol was immediately associated with obesity. If you’re obese or even moderately overweight, you’re branded as someone who is in danger of having high cholesterol (and, by extension, heart attack or stroke). On the other hand, those who have slim or thin figures are usually considered safe from high cholesterol. It is a very common misconception that is proving to be deadly for many people.
Now, more and more people are beginning to understand cholesterol, what it really is, and how it can be managed. If you’re one of the people who is suffering from this condition, then it behooves you to know how it can be managed.
Understand Cholesterol
The first step to managing your cholesterol is to steer away from the many misconceptions surrounding it. Another misconception about cholesterol is that you can only get it from food. The fact is that the body also produces cholesterol and that it actually serves a very important role in your body, mainly in the maintenance and building of cell membranes and hormones.
Also, there’s good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. The key is to minimize the consumption of bad cholesterol while at the same time, taking in the good. Browse the Internet or health journals about the kinds of cholesterol and where you can get them.
Learn Your Cholesterol Level Number
The test for getting your cholesterol number is called a lipoprotein profile. After fasting for a specific amount of time, your blood will be tested for its lipoprotein measurement, in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). The desirable figure for a normal adult are: the total cholesterol level should be less than 200 mg/dL, with high-density lipoproteins (the “good cholesterols”) more than 60 mg/dL, and low density lipoproteins (the “bad cholesterols”) less than 100 mg/dL. All adults over 20 years of age should have a cholesterol test once every five years to ensure that their cholesterol levels are well within reasonable range. Depending on the result of your test, your doctor may or may not ask you to get tested more often.
Limit Fat Intake
Limit your intake of saturated and trans fats. Saturated fats are mainly found in animals; meat, whole milk, dairy products, and poultry skin are examples of saturated fats. Trans fats, on the other hand, are found in processed foods such as margarines and processed chips and junk foods. Trans fats are worse than saturated fats since they raise the low density lipoproteins and lower the high density ones. In order to better manage your high cholesterol, eliminate trans fats totally from your diet.
Increase Fiber Consumption
It has been discovered that high fiber intake helps decrease coronary ailments. Soluble fibers, in particular, are effective in reducing the levels of low density lipoproteins, thereby decreasing high cholesterol content as well.
Exercise Regularly
Much research has already shown that even moderate exercise every day can drastically lower high cholesterol. Even brisk walking for at least 30 minutes daily is enough to lower the low density lipoproteins by 5%.
You should also avoid these things if you want to manage high cholesterol:
smoking
obesity
lazy lifestyle
High cholesterol is very much reversible, so you should do all that you can in order to bring it down and manage its level. Cardiovascular problems are among the leading causes of death in the modern world. Don’t become another statistic. Change your lifestyle today.