Posts Tagged ‘American Heart Association’
Heart Disease in Women: Women and Heart Disease
The risk of heart disease in women increases with age. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women over 40 years old, especially after menopause. Menopause is a normal stage in a woman’s life; it comprises any of the changes a woman experiences either before or after she stops menstruating. As menopause nears, the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen (a female hormone), causing changes in the menstrual cycle and other physical changes. Every year, more than 500,000 U.S. women die of heart disease. This translates to approximately one death every minute.
Heart disease in women is preventable as per the latest guidelines from the American Heart Association. Reason to understand the cause of heart disease in women could not be stressed enough. Heart disease kills 1 in 3 American women, but it doesn’t have to be that way. 60% of U.S. women now know that heart disease is their No. 1 health threat.
Prevention is better than cure. Heart disease in women is preventable with a disease prevention strategy. The knowledge of heart disease occurs to a person when it is too late.
Here are some guide lines for a simple prevention plan for heart disease in women:
Women aged 20 and older should see a doctor to find out their heart disease risk.
Chnaces are that one in 10 women will learn that there is no real risk of heart disease. These women should continue their heart-healthy lifestyles.
Women who are at risk of heart disease, should think of preventing heart disease and stroke. These women must stop smoking, adopt a heart-healthy diet, get at least 30 minutes a day of exercise, and watch their weight. And under a medical supervision, some of these women may need blood pressure medications, cholesterol-lowering therapy, or regular aspirin.
Women who already have some existing condition making it more likely to suffer from heart disease or stroke, should additionaly to taking the measures advised above, go after some aggressive medical treatments or rehab.
Depression is very common in women with heart disease. All women with heart disease should be evaluated for depression.
Women should exercise a minimum of 30 minutes a day, and for those women who want to lose weight, 60 to 90 minutes of daily exercise is recommended.
The risk of heart disease in women is increased by activities such as, diabetes and obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol level and inactivity.
Heart disease in women though is on the increase, can be altered through some variations in life style. Clinical experience suggest the following general guidelines for preventing heart disease:
- Maintain blood pressure of less than 140/90 mmHg (120/80 is optimal)
- Maintain blood glucose of 80-120 mg/dL (less than 100 is optimal)
- Maintain total cholesterol of less than 200 mg/dL (and not less than 160) and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) of less than 130 mg/dL (less than 100 is optimal)
- Exercise regularly (30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise three to five times weekly is optimal).
However, there are certain factors that cannot be influenced to prevent heart disease in women. Factors such as age, family history and menopause cannot be controlled or prevented.
But there are other factors that could be influenced, through exercising the right option. This could prevent death from heart disease in women. As indicated earlier, introducing some changes to our life style, and carrying a positive out look towards the meaning and purpose of life, women can fight this terrible disease and live more healthier and meaningful lives. Meditation, yoga, prayers and religous activities can have huge impacts on our life and provide the necessary inner strength to cope with the pain and pressure of heart disease.
Diabetes and high cholesterol, homocysteine, and blood pressure can be improved through diet, exercise, medication, and supplements. High C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory biomarker, may help to identify those who would benefit from anti-inflammatory intervention. Diet, lifestyle changes, positive adaptation to stress, and supplements can assist in weight loss and help decrease stress. Quitting smoking will also reduce risk of heart disease in women. The scientific data strongly suggest that modification of these multiple risk factors can help to lessen heart disease risk and thus total mortality in women.
By: SURESH U VATAKETHIL
About the Author:
The risk of heart disease in women increases with age. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women over 40 years old, especially after menopause. Menopause is a normal stage in a woman’s life; it comprises any of the changes a woman experiences either before or after she stops menstruating. As menopause nears, the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen (a female hormone), causing changes in the menstrual cycle and other physical changes. Every year, more than 500,000 U.S. women die of heart disease. This translates to approximately one death every minute.
Heart disease in women is preventable as per the latest guidelines from the American Heart Association. Reason to understand the cause of heart disease in women could not be stressed enough. Heart disease kills 1 in 3 American women, but it doesn’t have to be that way. 60% of U.S. women now know that heart disease is their No. 1 health threat.
Prevention is better than cure. Heart disease in women is preventable with a disease prevention strategy. The knowledge of heart disease occurs to a person when it is too late.
Here are some guide lines for a simple prevention plan for heart disease in women:
Women aged 20 and older should see a doctor to find out their heart disease risk.
Chnaces are that one in 10 women will learn that there is no real risk of heart disease. These women should continue their heart-healthy lifestyles.
Women who are at risk of heart disease, should think of preventing heart disease and stroke. These women must stop smoking, adopt a heart-healthy diet, get at least 30 minutes a day of exercise, and watch their weight. And under a medical supervision, some of these women may need blood pressure medications, cholesterol-lowering therapy, or regular aspirin.
Women who already have some existing condition making it more likely to suffer from heart disease or stroke, should additionaly to taking the measures advised above, go after some aggressive medical treatments or rehab.
Depression is very common in women with heart disease. All women with heart disease should be evaluated for depression.
Women should exercise a minimum of 30 minutes a day, and for those women who want to lose weight, 60 to 90 minutes of daily exercise is recommended.
The risk of heart disease in women is increased by activities such as, diabetes and obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol level and inactivity.
Heart disease in women though is on the increase, can be altered through some variations in life style. Clinical experience suggest the following general guidelines for preventing heart disease:
- Maintain blood pressure of less than 140/90 mmHg (120/80 is optimal)
- Maintain blood glucose of 80-120 mg/dL (less than 100 is optimal)
- Maintain total cholesterol of less than 200 mg/dL (and not less than 160) and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) of less than 130 mg/dL (less than 100 is optimal)
- Exercise regularly (30-60 minutes of aerobic exercise three to five times weekly is optimal).
However, there are certain factors that cannot be influenced to prevent heart disease in women. Factors such as age, family history and menopause cannot be controlled or prevented.
But there are other factors that could be influenced, through exercising the right option. This could prevent death from heart disease in women. As indicated earlier, introducing some changes to our life style, and carrying a positive out look towards the meaning and purpose of life, women can fight this terrible disease and live more healthier and meaningful lives. Meditation, yoga, prayers and religous activities can have huge impacts on our life and provide the necessary inner strength to cope with the pain and pressure of heart disease.
Diabetes and high cholesterol, homocysteine, and blood pressure can be improved through diet, exercise, medication, and supplements. High C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory biomarker, may help to identify those who would benefit from anti-inflammatory intervention. Diet, lifestyle changes, positive adaptation to stress, and supplements can assist in weight loss and help decrease stress. Quitting smoking will also reduce risk of heart disease in women. The scientific data strongly suggest that modification of these multiple risk factors can help to lessen heart disease risk and thus total mortality in women.
By: SURESH U VATAKETHIL
About the Author:
An accountant by profession, the author is involved in understanding the role of Yoga, meditation and nutrition in combating and reducing the risk of different kinds of diseases. The author has experienced the efficacy of really good nutritional food supplements in reducing and some times completely eliminating the symptoms like arthritis, high cholestrol, sugar and high blood pressure. Yoga and meditation also play a vital role in keeping the indivdual happy and wholesome, thereby drastically reducing the effects of stress on the body.
Please vist the author’s website at http://www.heartwithoutdisease.com for more information and articles on heart disease.
A highly recommended place for weight loss and nutritional supplements is:
http://www.coolhealthhotbusiness.com or http://www.uvs.isagenix.com
According to the American Heart Association (americanheart.org), over 70 million Americans currently have some type of heart disease. (Note: This does not include the tens of millions of people who are in the process of developing heart disease). The cost of treating heart disease (also know as cardiovascular disease, or CVD), in both direct and indirect costs is estimated to be over $400 billion annually.
Individuals need to take more individual responsibility to prevent Cardiovascular disease in the first place both for themselves and for their loved ones. Heart disease results in tragically reduced quality of life for those affected, for family and caregivers as well as adding enormously to the high cost of health care in this country. Individuals can help prevent heart disease most importantly through healthy eating, better lifestyle habits including regular moderate exercise, the proper use of nutritional supplements, regular medical check ups and working with their doctor.
Since the heart is a muscle, it can become weakened for many reasons including:
1. lack of regular exercise, often resulting in being overweight which causes the heart to work harder and more inefficiently
2. being subject to the abuse of too much stress, being
overworked or over-exercised, overweight, too little sleep
3. abused from the use of drugs, alcohol, smoking, too much caffeine
4. not receiving enough oxygen due to poor circulation or poor lung health
5. too much systemic (bodily) infection or inflammation often caused by viruses, infections, high fat and high sugar diets, high homocysteine and high C-reactive protein levels
6. a poor diet and not receiving enough broad spectrum nutrients from a healthy diet and proper nutritional supplementation, (not getting or taking enough Omega 3’s (Fish Oil), Vitamin D, a high quality daily multi-vitamin, Co-enzyme Q10, potassium, calcium and especially magnesium
7. from improperly prescribed medication(s) or reactions to medications and their often harmful side effects.
Drug Health Warning: Current research shows that a harmful side effect of taking statin drugs to lower cholesterol is that most statin drugs lower the body’s and the heart’s natural production and use of Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10). CoQ10 is one the heart’s required primary nutrients, shown to be critical in helping the mitochondria of the heart provide enough energy so the heart beats properly. However, by the time a person is 70 years old, their body may be producing 70% less CoQ10. Most ‘knowledgeable’ nutritionally inclined doctors will recommend that any patient taking a statin drug, as a minimum, take at least 50 to 100 mg of CoQ10 daily. CoQ10 is better taken in the newer, up to 8 times more highly absorbable Ubiquinol CoQ10 form (as opposed to the older less absorbable CoQ10 ubiquinone form). CoQ10 supplementation may also be highly beneficial for anyone over 40 who desires a longer cardiovascular healthy life.
Remember, ask your doctor if there are alternative methods to avoid having to take statin drugs in the first place, which may carry other long term negative side effects. Alternatives to statin drugs usually include adopting a better diet and lifestyle, weight loss, better stress-relieving techniques, nutritional supplements and of course, regular moderate exercise. Additional circulatory beneficial nutrients and supplements include: Omega 3’s, Vitamin D, CoQ10, L-carnitine, magnesium, nattokinase, ribose and natural based K2 (menaquinone: MK-7). MK-7 is the highly absorbable form of Vitamin K2, that helps keep excess calcium from circulating in the blood stream which may cause plaque build up in the blood vessels, restricts blood flow and causes heart valve restrictive calcium build up. MK-7 also helps keep more calcium to be retained in bones. Many of these above circulatory nutrients are now also being recommended by many more enlightened alternative and preventive health inclined physicians.
I particularly like the well balanced and comprehensive blood vessel support nutrients in the products: Circulatory Support and CoQ10 Supreme (in Ubiquinol form) found at http://www.doctorgreens.comHere’s to your better Cardiovascular Health by becoming more proactive and practicing better heart disease prevention through diet, lifestyle, nutrition, regular Dr. check ups and regular exercise habits.
Hal
By: Hal Decker
About the Author:
Individuals need to take more individual responsibility to prevent Cardiovascular disease in the first place both for themselves and for their loved ones. Heart disease results in tragically reduced quality of life for those affected, for family and caregivers as well as adding enormously to the high cost of health care in this country. Individuals can help prevent heart disease most importantly through healthy eating, better lifestyle habits including regular moderate exercise, the proper use of nutritional supplements, regular medical check ups and working with their doctor.
Since the heart is a muscle, it can become weakened for many reasons including:
1. lack of regular exercise, often resulting in being overweight which causes the heart to work harder and more inefficiently
2. being subject to the abuse of too much stress, being
overworked or over-exercised, overweight, too little sleep
3. abused from the use of drugs, alcohol, smoking, too much caffeine
4. not receiving enough oxygen due to poor circulation or poor lung health
5. too much systemic (bodily) infection or inflammation often caused by viruses, infections, high fat and high sugar diets, high homocysteine and high C-reactive protein levels
6. a poor diet and not receiving enough broad spectrum nutrients from a healthy diet and proper nutritional supplementation, (not getting or taking enough Omega 3’s (Fish Oil), Vitamin D, a high quality daily multi-vitamin, Co-enzyme Q10, potassium, calcium and especially magnesium
7. from improperly prescribed medication(s) or reactions to medications and their often harmful side effects.
Drug Health Warning: Current research shows that a harmful side effect of taking statin drugs to lower cholesterol is that most statin drugs lower the body’s and the heart’s natural production and use of Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10). CoQ10 is one the heart’s required primary nutrients, shown to be critical in helping the mitochondria of the heart provide enough energy so the heart beats properly. However, by the time a person is 70 years old, their body may be producing 70% less CoQ10. Most ‘knowledgeable’ nutritionally inclined doctors will recommend that any patient taking a statin drug, as a minimum, take at least 50 to 100 mg of CoQ10 daily. CoQ10 is better taken in the newer, up to 8 times more highly absorbable Ubiquinol CoQ10 form (as opposed to the older less absorbable CoQ10 ubiquinone form). CoQ10 supplementation may also be highly beneficial for anyone over 40 who desires a longer cardiovascular healthy life.
Remember, ask your doctor if there are alternative methods to avoid having to take statin drugs in the first place, which may carry other long term negative side effects. Alternatives to statin drugs usually include adopting a better diet and lifestyle, weight loss, better stress-relieving techniques, nutritional supplements and of course, regular moderate exercise. Additional circulatory beneficial nutrients and supplements include: Omega 3’s, Vitamin D, CoQ10, L-carnitine, magnesium, nattokinase, ribose and natural based K2 (menaquinone: MK-7). MK-7 is the highly absorbable form of Vitamin K2, that helps keep excess calcium from circulating in the blood stream which may cause plaque build up in the blood vessels, restricts blood flow and causes heart valve restrictive calcium build up. MK-7 also helps keep more calcium to be retained in bones. Many of these above circulatory nutrients are now also being recommended by many more enlightened alternative and preventive health inclined physicians.
I particularly like the well balanced and comprehensive blood vessel support nutrients in the products: Circulatory Support and CoQ10 Supreme (in Ubiquinol form) found at http://www.doctorgreens.comHere’s to your better Cardiovascular Health by becoming more proactive and practicing better heart disease prevention through diet, lifestyle, nutrition, regular Dr. check ups and regular exercise habits.
Hal
By: Hal Decker
About the Author:
Hal Decker is Founder and CEO of Doctor Greens, an organic and wholesome vitamin, supplement and greens company in Portsmouth, NH. Hal has has lectured to thousands about the importance of proper nutrition and diet to people around the country. Hal will have a book coming out titled “Start Feeling Better Now”, due out in 2009. If you would like to hire Hal Decker for your next speaking engagement, visit http://www.doctorgreens.com
Heart disease has become the number one cause of premature death in the United States and many other parts of the world. Heart disease is also a debilitating malady that disables many people. Heart disease treatment methods are thus vital for improving the quality of life of people suffering from these illnesses. The number one killer in America today is a disease that can often be prevented.
According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the nation’s single leading cause of death for both men and women. At least 58.8 million people in this country suffer from some form of heart disease. It involves the blocking, either partial or total, of the arteries that lead to the human heart. But, you can help to protect yourself from heart disease by following these simple health tips:
Maintain a healthy weight
As you put on weight in adulthood, you gain mostly fatty tissue. This excess weight can lead to conditions that increase your chances of heart disease — high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
How do you know if your weight is healthy? One way is to calculate your body mass index (BMI), which considers your height and weight in determining whether you have a healthy or unhealthy percentage of body fat.
BMI numbers 25 and higher are associated with higher blood fats, higher blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Exercise
Exercise has an effect on every other risk factor for heart disease except smoking. When you exercise regularly, your heart, which is muscle, gets stronger. Stronger hearts require fewer beats to pump blood and oxygen throughout your body. Your blood pressure can be reduced as you become more physically fit. And if you burn more calories than you eat, you’ll lose body fat and weight, too.
Exercise also affects the blood itself, increasing circulation, producing more HDL (the “good” cholesterol) lowering blood sugar levels, helping prevent the formation of harmful blood clots and lowering the amount of adrenaline that your body needs.
Best of all, exercise makes you feel better. Walking is one of the best ways to control stress and prevent depression — for heart patients and everyone else, too.
Lose weight if you’re overweight. Your doctor can advise you about the best ways to lose weight.
Eat right. Lower or eliminate your intake of red meat and fats in your diet. This includes fatty foods such as whole milk, dairy products, potato chips, rich gravies, and the like. These foods can and do raise your bad cholesterol level. Switch to skim milk, eat lean meats, and just do without the chips and the other junk foods that you just do not need for good health. Put more fresh vegetables and fresh fruit into your daily diet. Eat plenty of fiber which has been shown to help in reducing the bad blood cholesterol level.
Tobacco Smoke
A smoker’s risk of heart attack is more than twice that of nonsmokers. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood. They also damage blood vessel walls and may trigger the formation of blood clots. Smoking also reduces “good” cholesterol, which promotes heart disease. If you do smoke, get help to quit now! There are many effective programs to help you quit. Once you stop smoking your risk of heart disease starts to drop and over time will be about the same as if you’d never smoked.
Niacin is the closest thing available to a perfect treatment that corrects most causes of coronary heart disease. Niacin blocks the release of fatty acids from fat cells. Niacin plays a critical role in energy production, gene expression, and hormone synthesis. You cannot live without it. Niacin also tends to shift LDL particle distribution to larger particle size and improve HDL functioning. The intake of 3 grams Niacin for as little as two weeks can reduce serum cholesterol by 26 percent.
Pectin limits the amount of cholesterol the body can absorb. High pectin count in apples may be why “One a day keeps the doctor away”.
By: Alien
About the Author:
According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the nation’s single leading cause of death for both men and women. At least 58.8 million people in this country suffer from some form of heart disease. It involves the blocking, either partial or total, of the arteries that lead to the human heart. But, you can help to protect yourself from heart disease by following these simple health tips:
Maintain a healthy weight
As you put on weight in adulthood, you gain mostly fatty tissue. This excess weight can lead to conditions that increase your chances of heart disease — high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
How do you know if your weight is healthy? One way is to calculate your body mass index (BMI), which considers your height and weight in determining whether you have a healthy or unhealthy percentage of body fat.
BMI numbers 25 and higher are associated with higher blood fats, higher blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
Exercise
Exercise has an effect on every other risk factor for heart disease except smoking. When you exercise regularly, your heart, which is muscle, gets stronger. Stronger hearts require fewer beats to pump blood and oxygen throughout your body. Your blood pressure can be reduced as you become more physically fit. And if you burn more calories than you eat, you’ll lose body fat and weight, too.
Exercise also affects the blood itself, increasing circulation, producing more HDL (the “good” cholesterol) lowering blood sugar levels, helping prevent the formation of harmful blood clots and lowering the amount of adrenaline that your body needs.
Best of all, exercise makes you feel better. Walking is one of the best ways to control stress and prevent depression — for heart patients and everyone else, too.
Lose weight if you’re overweight. Your doctor can advise you about the best ways to lose weight.
Eat right. Lower or eliminate your intake of red meat and fats in your diet. This includes fatty foods such as whole milk, dairy products, potato chips, rich gravies, and the like. These foods can and do raise your bad cholesterol level. Switch to skim milk, eat lean meats, and just do without the chips and the other junk foods that you just do not need for good health. Put more fresh vegetables and fresh fruit into your daily diet. Eat plenty of fiber which has been shown to help in reducing the bad blood cholesterol level.
Tobacco Smoke
A smoker’s risk of heart attack is more than twice that of nonsmokers. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood. They also damage blood vessel walls and may trigger the formation of blood clots. Smoking also reduces “good” cholesterol, which promotes heart disease. If you do smoke, get help to quit now! There are many effective programs to help you quit. Once you stop smoking your risk of heart disease starts to drop and over time will be about the same as if you’d never smoked.
Niacin is the closest thing available to a perfect treatment that corrects most causes of coronary heart disease. Niacin blocks the release of fatty acids from fat cells. Niacin plays a critical role in energy production, gene expression, and hormone synthesis. You cannot live without it. Niacin also tends to shift LDL particle distribution to larger particle size and improve HDL functioning. The intake of 3 grams Niacin for as little as two weeks can reduce serum cholesterol by 26 percent.
Pectin limits the amount of cholesterol the body can absorb. High pectin count in apples may be why “One a day keeps the doctor away”.
By: Alien
About the Author:
Read out for Alzheimer’s treatment. Check out blood pressure and stress
Cholesterol is one of the leading health issues for women. More than fifty percent of women over age fifty-five cholesterol levels should be lowered and more than a fourth of American women are at coronary heart disease (CHD) risk because of high cholesterol levels.
It is projected that one hundred five million American cholesterol levels are two hundred milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl); this is the border-line. Forty-two million people have levels of two hundred forty mg/dl, thereby raising the risk. Although cholesterol builds-up over a period of time and is a contributing factor to this crippling disease, there are other factors, such as diabetes, low HDL, high LDL, high blood pressure, menopause, not exercising, obesity and smoking. If any family member developed CHD before the age of fifty, there is a great risk that others will develop CHD as well.
The risk of coronary heart disease is not contained to a certain generation. Even American children from the age two through teenage years have high cholesterol levels leading to heart disease in later years. It is the leading killer in America for men and women. Fifteen million people have some form of this disease according to the American Heart Association.
To lower an elevated cholesterol level, intensify the use of nutrition, weight control and physical activities. Medication may be recommended but a change of diet, increased exercise and weight control should be the first order.
The body needs cholesterol to function and cholesterol is found throughout the body in cells or membranes. The body makes between 1,500 and 1,800 mg of cholesterol a day and when animal products are eaten more is added. For every 100 mg about 5 points are added to the cholesterol level. This is an estimate because everyone is different. A hundred grams of cholesterol is about four ounces of beef or chicken.
*Most cholesterol is made in the liver and smaller amount in the small intestine. And the American diet adds approximately 800 mg a day.
Saturated fats (palm oil, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter and partially hydrogenated oils), dairy products, animal fats, eggs and meat add cholesterol to the blood. The artery walls have a build up of fat deposits narrowing the channel of blood supply to the heart. This is a contributing factor of coronary disease.
The blood supplying the heart carries oxygen and nutrients to keep it functioning properly. When there is a slow down, the result is coronary heart disease or a heart attack. If any part of the heart is deprived of oxygen it dies.
Lipoproteins have packages in which cholesterol travels. Cholesterol does not dissolve well in blood and therefore has a hard time traveling in the bloodstream. It attaches itself to fatty protein. Package one low-density lipoprotein (LDL) referred to as the “bad” cholesterol, builds-up in the arteries and blocks the blood flow. Package two high-density lipoprotein (HDL) referred to as the “good” cholesterol, it keep the cholesterol liquid and help transport it to the cells or to the liver to recycle or remove from the body. The third package very low density (VLDL) transports triglycerides (natural fat in tissue) in the blood.
*LDL sets the stage for mineral and fat deposits to attach to artery walls. While the HDL holds on to the cholesterol and transports it through the body.
The number one health issue for men and women is heart disease and, many times the major factor is cholesterol. Even American children are at risk of this disease, because their cholesterol level is the same as the adults. Although the body needs cholesterol to function, it should be monitored to avoid heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.
By: Carolyn Bell Smith
About the Author:
It is projected that one hundred five million American cholesterol levels are two hundred milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl); this is the border-line. Forty-two million people have levels of two hundred forty mg/dl, thereby raising the risk. Although cholesterol builds-up over a period of time and is a contributing factor to this crippling disease, there are other factors, such as diabetes, low HDL, high LDL, high blood pressure, menopause, not exercising, obesity and smoking. If any family member developed CHD before the age of fifty, there is a great risk that others will develop CHD as well.
The risk of coronary heart disease is not contained to a certain generation. Even American children from the age two through teenage years have high cholesterol levels leading to heart disease in later years. It is the leading killer in America for men and women. Fifteen million people have some form of this disease according to the American Heart Association.
To lower an elevated cholesterol level, intensify the use of nutrition, weight control and physical activities. Medication may be recommended but a change of diet, increased exercise and weight control should be the first order.
The body needs cholesterol to function and cholesterol is found throughout the body in cells or membranes. The body makes between 1,500 and 1,800 mg of cholesterol a day and when animal products are eaten more is added. For every 100 mg about 5 points are added to the cholesterol level. This is an estimate because everyone is different. A hundred grams of cholesterol is about four ounces of beef or chicken.
*Most cholesterol is made in the liver and smaller amount in the small intestine. And the American diet adds approximately 800 mg a day.
Saturated fats (palm oil, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter and partially hydrogenated oils), dairy products, animal fats, eggs and meat add cholesterol to the blood. The artery walls have a build up of fat deposits narrowing the channel of blood supply to the heart. This is a contributing factor of coronary disease.
The blood supplying the heart carries oxygen and nutrients to keep it functioning properly. When there is a slow down, the result is coronary heart disease or a heart attack. If any part of the heart is deprived of oxygen it dies.
Lipoproteins have packages in which cholesterol travels. Cholesterol does not dissolve well in blood and therefore has a hard time traveling in the bloodstream. It attaches itself to fatty protein. Package one low-density lipoprotein (LDL) referred to as the “bad” cholesterol, builds-up in the arteries and blocks the blood flow. Package two high-density lipoprotein (HDL) referred to as the “good” cholesterol, it keep the cholesterol liquid and help transport it to the cells or to the liver to recycle or remove from the body. The third package very low density (VLDL) transports triglycerides (natural fat in tissue) in the blood.
*LDL sets the stage for mineral and fat deposits to attach to artery walls. While the HDL holds on to the cholesterol and transports it through the body.
The number one health issue for men and women is heart disease and, many times the major factor is cholesterol. Even American children are at risk of this disease, because their cholesterol level is the same as the adults. Although the body needs cholesterol to function, it should be monitored to avoid heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.
By: Carolyn Bell Smith
About the Author:
Carolyn Bell Smith, committed to help others improve their health, lifestyle, fight sickness, disease, and building a strong immune system. Author and creator, Healthy LifeStyle and More, and Lifestyle Tips Newsletter yourhealthrenewed Subscribe to our newsletter ezine_newsletter
