High cholesterol is not terrible. It's scary when it's elevated. We tell you how to determine the elevated level of cholesterol and whether it is possible to return it to normal levels.
High cholesterol: what does it mean and what should be done?
What is cholesterol?
The word "cholesterol" alone causes a lot of negative associations, especially among people who are mature, elderly, or have the corresponding diseases.
However, do not sound the alarm. You just need to figure out what cholesterol is and when it becomes dangerous.
Cholesterol is a vital "element" that is part of cell membranes, creates their structure, and is involved in the transport of substances inside the cell and back.
The body itself produces it in the required amount, only a part we get from the daily diet.
Harm is caused not by the very fact of the presence of cholesterol, but by an imbalance of its variations:
- "Good" cholesterol includes high-density lipoproteins - HDL / HDL, they remove excess cholesterol with bile through the liver,
- "Bad" are the compounds of the low and very low density of LDL and VLDL / LDL, they carry fats and fat-soluble vitamins.
As you can see, any cholesterol does not have the goal of harming the body.
Elevated cholesterol is not a disease, but a symptom that calls you to pay attention to your lifestyle and may indicate other health problems.
Norms of cholesterol
Cholesterol levels vary depending on age and gender. To a large extent, it is determined by the hormonal background.
Therefore, the norms may vary. Cholesterol indicators in the range of 3.6-7.8 mmol / l are considered acceptable.
The optimal level is considered to be within 5 mmol / L. Upon reaching a level of 6 mmol / L, you should consult a doctor and take measures to reduce cholesterol.
What does high cholesterol mean?
Elevated cholesterol is often found as a concomitant problem in the manifested pathology, such as:
- Atherosclerosis;
- Heart attack;
- Stroke;
- Angina pectoris / coronary heart disease;
- Intermittent claudication;
- Obesity;
- Diabetes mellitus, etc.
Who should regularly monitor cholesterol?
There are certain categories of people for whom it is especially important to pay attention to the level of cholesterol in the blood.
Because of malnutrition and lifestyle, we detect already high cholesterol at a fairly young age.
Men are in danger much earlier, from 35 than women - mainly during menopause, when the production of estrogens decreases.
It is important for women taking oral contraceptives to remember that they are also at risk.
Make a full check-up of health at least once a year, and pass a lipid profile to track the indicators of the total, "good" and "bad" cholesterol.
Do not forget about the hereditary predisposition. If it is, be as careful as possible, and exclude other risk factors.
Diabetes mellitus and obesity are those diseases that are often called concomitant with high cholesterol.
Perhaps it is because an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle, errors in nutrition, weak stress resistance, and bad habits add up to many problems.
The body is a single system, with violations in one area, all the others suffer.
Natural ways to normalize cholesterol
The problems that high cholesterol can create are quite serious, and it will be impossible to get rid of them completely.
All therapy has a deterrent character and boils down to the fact that, subsequently, there are no new complications.
Bad habits increase the dangerous effects of cholesterol. While a healthy lifestyle helps to partially offset the costs of malnutrition. In order for cholesterol to be normal:
Watch your weight, try not to go beyond the norms, including waist size, and prevent obesity.
Refuse or at least reduce the number of cigarettes smoked per day.
Do not abuse alcoholic beverages, and at various kinds of celebrations, pay attention to those products with which you combine alcohol.
Make sports, dancing, and gymnastics regular, and move more (physically non-exhausting work, walking, etc.).
Learn to control your emotions to reduce the impact of stress on your health.
In people who lead an active lifestyle, the level of cholesterol in the blood is always lower.
All of the above can be attributed to natural ways to lower cholesterol.
Nutrition with high cholesterol
By adjusting your eating style and diet, you will help the body return cholesterol levels to normal. To do this:
- Include fresh fruits, berries, and vegetables in your daily diet;
- Reduce the consumption of food of animal origin;
- Give preference to marine fish containing omega-3 fatty acids, or use them separately in capsules;
- Eat plenty of foods containing fiber; replace coffee with green tea;
- Exclude from your diet fast food, convenience foods, and other products containing trans fats.
If possible, remove from the diet foods that increase cholesterol:
- Red meat, fatty meats, and poultry; offal;
- Sausages and sausages;
- Canned food;
- Egg yolk;
- Mayonnaise;
- Margarine;
- Easily digestible carbohydrates;
- Fried foods;
- Coffee;
- Fast food;
- Full-fat dairy products (cheese, cream, sour cream, milk, ice cream, butter, ghee);
- seafood (oysters, crabs, shrimp, caviar).
If all the systems in your body are working properly, a healthy liver, then your weaknesses up to a certain point can be forgiven.
Dieting becomes important when the problem is already there. But it is better, of course, not to create beneficial conditions for its occurrence.
Foods that lower cholesterol
To normalize the ratio of "good" and "bad" cholesterol, it is important to include certain foods in the diet. Lower cholesterol in general and the amount of low-density lipoproteins will help:
- Avocado fruits;
- Wheat germ;
- Brown rice bran;
- Sesame seeds, sunflower, pumpkin, flax;
- Pistachios, pine nuts, almonds;
- Olives and olive oil;
- Greenery;
- Wild salmon and sardines, fish oil;
- Berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, lingonberries, chokeberries, pomegranates);
- Red grapes.
Drug methods of normalizing cholesterol
In the treatment of high cholesterol, medical methods are used. Of course, only a specialist determines them - the attending physician.
Often, a remedy based on atorvastatin or simvastatin is selected. Patients with diabetes mellitus can be prescribed Tricor or lipantil 200 M.
Options for dietary supplements that help lower cholesterol and cleanse blood vessels can be selected.