Cholesterol - An Enemy to Healthy Aging

Cholesterol can cause a variety of damaging things to happen inside your body. You've probably heard that cholesterol can block your arteries and cause a heart attack or stroke. Cholesterol can also cause gradual decreases in blood flow, which is necessary to maintain the health of all of the organs in your body.

Fighting High Cholesterol Levels

Fortunately, you have a great deal of control over the levels of cholesterol in your body. But, if you fail to do so, it will get more difficult with time and more irreversible damage may occur over time. In other words, the longer you allow high cholesterol levels, the quicker you will age.

The solution to cholesterol is simple. Eat a healthy, vegetarian diet. Exercise every day. Go to your doctor for regular care and guidance in your efforts to fight cholesterol. If you've waited too long already, you may require some medications to get your cholesterol under control. However, eating healthy and exercising regularly will still help you control your cholesterol levels.

An overall healthy lifestyle is all it takes for most people to get cholesterol levels under control. In addition to lowering your chances of suffering a stroke or heart attack, living a healthy lifestyle will lower your chances of developing diabetes.

You have probably heard about LDL and HDL cholesterol. LDL is the dangerous one, while HDL is the one that in a sense inoculates LDL. So you want a low total amount of LDL, and a very high ratio of HDL to LDL. The total of HDL plus LDL and the ratio between the two have both been correlated with high triglyceride levels as being risk factors for heart attacks and strokes.

Cholesterol in Your Foods

Fortunately, food labels help to make it easier to spot cholesterol in foods you buy at the grocery store. Oils and fats that are derived from animal sources tend to be accompanied by significant amounts of cholesterol. In fact, animal products in general tend to have cholesterol. On the other hand, natural nuts, fruits, and vegetables may help your body increase HDL levels, which will improve your cholesterol ratio. If you do eat packaged foods, pay close attention to cholesterol levels.

Know Your Cholesterol Levels

You need to get tested to find out what your cholesterol levels are. Cholesterol tests are usually relatively inexpensive. You should also have your triglyceride level tested. If your levels are not good, you need to consult with a doctor on how you can get them under control. The sooner you do this, the less damage you'll suffer.

Blood is the key ingredient to body function. If cholesterol decreases your blood supply to organs, they begin to die off and fail to function properly. Even your heart can die from a lack of blood. Your mind can't function properly if you don't supply it with adequate blood. So you need to take care of your blood, which starts with eating right and regular exercise.

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Paul Strachocki