You should be getting screened annually for your blood sugar and cholesterol levels if you are an adult. This is a simple blood draw and test performed by your family physician. You have 2 types of cholesterol. LDL, which is low-density lipoprotein, is the bad kind. The HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, is the good kind. Talk to your doctor about good numbers for you. It can vary a bit depending on your family history, smoking, obesity, blood pressure, or diabetes. Your target LDL can range from 70-160, depending on whether or not you have risk factors.
If you need to drop your numbers really fast, medication is a good choice. Some people will use it until they have time to change lifestyle factors influencing their health. Exercise is the key to lowering LDL and increasing HDL cholesterols. Even moderate or low-impact exercise helps. Avoiding saturated fats will also help you keep your cholesterol levels where they need to be. Also, increase the fiber in your diet. Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are all great sources of fiber that help keep you healthy.
Triglycerides and cholesterol are often profoundly improved with the consumption of fish oil supplements. You should check with your doctor if you are taking medication that is geared towards anti-clotting. It is great to eat fish 2-3 times per week! The omega 3s are incredible for you. One alcoholic drink per day for women and up to 2 a day for men can also raise HDL levels up to 10%, but you must be wise in this choice. Alcoholism is a big problem, so be wary of using this particular technique. If you don't drink alcohol, drink green tea! It's better for you than sugary beverages like soda. Green tea has other compounds that help with these concerns too.
Eating nuts is also a great way to help reduce cholesterol levels, but watch out for those calories! There are now a lot of butter alternatives you can use which include stanols, which is proven to help with reduction of cholesterol levels. Quitting smoking is also one more great way to lower HDL levels. Not only will this lower your HDL levels, but of course there are many other benefits to quitting smoking as well, including improved heart health, lung health, and cancer risk factor decrease as well. There are a lot of lifestyle changes you can incorporate to improve your health. Choose one or two to start, and add them as you can.
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