Food for Thought: Lowering High Cholesterol
Posted: Thursday, March 26, 2009
by Avis Ward
GeoVi's Home for Pregnant Teens
Did you know that one in five people has high cholesterol?* Even if you are active or thin, young or old, you could have it too. In fact, it may be part of your genetic makeup. So, although you eat right and exercise, you might need some help in controlling cholesterol. What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a lipid, a type of fat found in the body. Having high "bad" cholesterol means you have too much LDL in your blood. LDL is low-density lipoprotein, or "bad" cholesterol. Too much cholesterol in the blood, or high cholesterol, can be serious. People with high cholesterol are at risk of getting heart disease. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
1. Start by eating fewer high-fat, high-cholesterol foods and watching calories.
2. If your total cholesterol is over 200, and diet and exercise aren't working to lower it, you may need to add medications. The fact is that diet and exercise can only do so much to lower your cholesterol. That's why you should ask your doctor about medications. Levacor, Zocor, Pravachol, Lipitor, Crestor, and more are all used to lower high cholesterol levels.
It is important to tell your doctor about any medications you are currently taking to avoid possible serious drug interactions. Your doctor may perform simple blood tests to monitor liver function before and during treatment.
Also with Statins, the class/group of drugs used to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood, it is important to tell your doctor about any unusual muscle pain or weakness, as this could be a sign of serious side effects.
What dietary measures can be taken?
1. Eat fewer, high-fat foods. Calculate the percentage of fat per serving by: Taking the number of fat calories. Divide it by the total number of calories. Total fat should be 25% to 35% of total calories with saturated fat being less than 7% of the total number of calories.
2. Choose foods high in fiber
3. Go easy on the salt and sugar
4. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation
What are the low-fat considerations to make?
1. Is fat a major ingredient? To avoid too much fat or cholesterol, go easy on products that list any ingredient high in saturated fat or cholesterol.
2. Is there more than one type of fat in the product? When you see several high-fat ingredients on a label, the product could have too much fat.
3. Is the serving size appropriate? When figuring out the fat content in a food, make sure you use a serving size that is close to what you would really eat.
Remember, taking medication can be one important part of a treatment plan. Healthy diet and exercise are also important in reaching your heart-health goals.
Sources: Facts About Blood Cholesterol from the Maryland National Institute of Health/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NCEP, JAMA and IMS Health
2009 by Avis Ward of AWC, LLC
This Article has been viewed 213 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Avis, this is a very helpful and thorough article! I read it with special interest becaise my husband's numbers have gone up again. He's back on Statins. Thanks for this important information. God bless you! JaneJane, I'm happy this info was of some value to you but sadly, not for the reason it was. I enjoyed the research and writing it with the hopes it would be beneficial to others. Thank you for reading it and your encouraging comments.God bless you. Enjoy a lovely weekend!
A most important tool for reducing cholesterol is not included in your article. I can attest that taking phytosterol supplements regularly lowers bad cholesterol and increases the good one. Consider this information:The FDA has approved the following claim for phytosterols: "Foods containing at least 0.4 gram per serving of plant sterols, eaten twice a day with meals for a daily total intake of at least 0.8 gram, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease."*To date, more than 20 clinical studies on the effects of phytosterols on cholesterol have been conducted. One study published in Food Technology indicated that consuming two grams of phytosterols daily could slash the risk of heart disease by 25% (Hicks 2001). Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that phytosterols interfered with cholesterol absorption by 33% to 42%.
Joel, thank you very much for contributing important information to this article. I believe a holistic and natural approach to wellness are always best, too. I hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend. Take special care.
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