How to control your Cholesterol ?

Diet plays an important role in lowering your cholesterol. A few simple tweaks to your diet, along with exercise and other heart-healthy habits will help lower your cholesterol. Here are five ways that

can lower your cholesterol and protect your heart.

1.Oatmeal, oat bran and high-fibre foods.

Oatmeal contains soluble fibre, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad," cholesterol. Soluble fibre is also found in such foods as kidney beans, apples, pears, barley, wholemeal bread, grains and prunes. Soluble fibre can

reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Five to 10 grams or more of soluble fibre a day decreases your total and LDL cholesterol. Eating 1 1/2 cups of cooked oatmeal provides 6 grams of fibre. If you add fruit, such as bananas, you'll add about 4 more grams of fibre.

2.Fish and omega-3 fatty acids.

Eating fatty fish can be heart healthy because of its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce your blood pressure and risk of developing blood clots. In people who have already had heart attacks, fish oil or omega-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of sudden death. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fish a week. The highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids are in:

• Mackerel

• Lake trout

• Herring

• Sardines

• Albacore tuna

• Salmon

• Halibut

You should bake or grill the fish to avoid adding unhealthy fats. If you don't like fish, you can also get small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids from foods like ground flaxseed or canola oil. You can take an omega-3 or fish oil supplement to get some of the benefits, but you won't get other nutrients in fish, such as selenium. If you decide to take a supplement, just remember to watch your diet and eat lean meat or vegetables in place of fish.

3.Walnuts, almonds and other nuts. 

Walnuts, almonds and other nuts can reduce blood cholesterol. Rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, walnuts also help keep blood vessels healthy. Eating about a handful (1.5 ounces, or 42.5 grams) a day of most nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts, may reduce your risk of heart disease. Just make sure the nuts you eat aren't salted or coated with sugar. All nuts are high in calories, so a handful will do. To avoid eating too many nuts and gaining weight, replace foods high in saturated fat with nuts. For example, instead of a sugary snack or using cheese, meat or croutons in your food, add a handful of walnuts or almonds.

4.Olive Oil. 

Olive oil contains a potent mix of antioxidants that can lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol but leave your "good" (HDL) cholesterol untouched. Try using about 2 tablespoons (23 grams) of olive oil a day in place of other fats in your diet to get its heart-healthy benefits. To add olive oil to your diet, you can sauté vegetables in it, add it to a marinade or mix it with vinegar as a salad dressing. You can also use olive oil as a substitute for butter when basting meat or as a dip for bread. Olive oil is high in calories, so don't eat more than the recommended amount. The cholesterol-lowering effects of olive oil are even greater if you choose extra-virgin olive oil, meaning the oil is less processed and contains more heart-healthy antioxidants. But keep in mind that "light" olive oils are usually more processed than extra-virgin or virgin olive oils and are lighter in colour, not fat or calories.

5.Foods with added plant sterols or stanols.

 Foods are now available that have been fortified with sterols or stanols substances found in plants that help block the absorption of cholesterol for example, Flora proactive products or Danone Danacol range. Margarines, orange juice and yogurt drinks with added plant sterols can help reduce LDL cholesterol by more than 10 percent. The amount of daily plant sterols needed for results is at least 2 grams — which equals about two 8-ounce (237-milliliter) servings of plant sterol-fortified orange juice a day. Plant sterols or stanols in fortified foods don't appear to affect levels of triglycerides or of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good" cholesterol.

7 Causes of High Cholesterol

1.Your diet

Eating too much saturated fat (like the kind found in this classic breakfast) can cause high cholesterol. You will find this unhealthy fat in foods that come from animals. Beef, pork, veal, milk, eggs, butter, and cheese contain saturated fat. Packaged foods that contain coconut oil, palm oil, or cocoa butter may have a lot of saturated fat. You will also find saturated fat in stick margarine, vegetable shortening, and most cookies, crackers, chips, and other snacks.

2.Your weight

Your beer belly isn't just bad for your social life. Being overweight may increase triglycerides and decrease HDL, or good cholesterol. Losing that gut can go a long way toward improving your beach bod, too.

3.Your activity level

Hey, get off that couch and get moving. Lack of physical activity may increase LDL, or bad cholesterol, and decrease HDL, or good cholesterol.

4.Your age and gender

After you reach age 20, your cholesterol levels naturally begin to rise. In men, cholesterol levels generally level off after age 50. In women, cholesterol levels stay fairly low until menopause, after which they rise to about the same level as in men.

5.Your overall health

Don't skip your annual physical, and be sure to have your doc explain your heart disease risk. Having certain diseases, such as diabetes or hypothyroidism, may cause high cholesterol.

6.Your family history

Aren't they cute? But they can be dangerous, even when they're not gossiping about each other. If family members have high cholesterol, you may also.

7.Cigarette smoking

Come on, you already know this one. Smoking can lower your good cholesterol. And it can kill you. So why not quit smoking?

Cholesterol: The Good and the Bad

HDL: ‘GOOD’ CHOLESTEROL

Cholesterol and fatty particles in general can’t dissolve in the blood. Instead, they are transported to and from your body’s cells by carriers called lipoproteins. High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are regarded as ‘good’ cholesterol because they can protect the body against heart attacks. Cardiologists

and medical experts believe HDL cholesterol can do this because it is able to carry ‘bad’ cholesterol stored in the arteries back to the liver, where it is processed and expelled from the body; hence its nickname, ‘the garbage collector’. On a general basis, the higher the HDL cholesterol level, the less is the likelihood of heart disease.

LDL: ‘BAD’ CHOLESTEROL

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is considered bad as it can slowly accumulate on the inner walls of the arteries when too much of it circulates in the blood. Together with other substances, it forms plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can eventually narrow the arteries and disrupt blood circulation in them. This condition is known as atherosclerosis and it puts the body at a risk of heart attack or stroke.

WHAT ARE IDEAL HDL AND LDL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS?

A person’s total cholesterol levels (the total sum of HDL and LDL) will vary according to his or her diet, activity level and genes. Based on current recommendations, the desirable level of LDL cholesterol for people from western or developed cultures is lower than 130mg/dl, while for HDL cholesterol it is greater than 50mg/dl. However, an individual at a risk of heart disease should have an LDL cholesterol level lower than 100mg/dl. Interestingly, those at very high risk of heart disease or who already have significant heart disease should have an LDL lower than 70 mg/dl, similar to the LDL levels in new-borns and ‘hunter-gatherer’ communities. If your LDL cholesterol level is above 130mg/dl and you have risk factors for heart disease – such as a family history of it, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, narrowing of the neck or limp arteries – your doctor may advise you to take medication, such as statins, to lower your cholesterol level.

HOW TO INCREASE HDL CHOLESTEROL AND DECREASE LDL CHOLESTEROL?

The most natural way of increase HDL cholesterol and decreasing LDL cholesterol is by exercising and eating right. Exercise will also improve your metabolic profile. Your level of triglyceride will decrease, HDL will increase and LDL will decrease to a certain extent, although tremendous amount of exercise is required to lower LDL cholesterol levels substantially. Thirty minutes to an hour of brisk walking five to seven times a week will increase HDL cholesterol levels significantly. Lowering your dietary intake of cholesterol will eventually lower your LDL cholesterol level. Doctors generally recommend that you limit your cholesterol intake to less than 300 milligrams daily. If you have heart disease, limit your daily intake to less than 200 milligrams. Avoiding foods that contain saturated fats and trans fats will significantly lower your dietary cholesterol intake. If your cholesterol level is too high and you have other risk factors for heart disease, your doctor will usually recommend statins and cholesterol-lowering drugs, to reduce your LDL cholesterol level.

Cholesterol

         
           

              Your body needs some cholesterol. But if you have too much—of the wrong kind—it starts to build up in your arteries. Cholesterol is produced naturally by the liver, and also comes from eating certain foods, such as eggs and red meat. Too much of the bad kind, LDL cholesterol, raises your risk of heart disease, stroke, and other conditions. Low levels of the good kind, HDL cholesterol, can have the same effect.