Diet To Control High Cholesterol - Healthier Heart And Arteries

Having high cholesterol levels in your body is definitely a reason for concern. The amount of cholesterol in your body can be attributed to two main factors - it could be either your genetic heredity or the kind of diet that you have.

Whatever the reason for your having a high level of cholesterol, it should be consulted with your physician immediately, so he can prescribe medication, if you need one, to go along with the diet to control high cholesterol that you surely have to undergo.


Why the need for a diet?

Lowering cholesterol levels is absolutely necessary in order for a person to be healthy. Having high cholesterol levels can bring in lots of serious diseases, such as heart problems. Heart attacks are usually linked to persons having high cholesterol levels.

The U.S. government estimates that blocked arteries are responsible for the death of one in every 300 Americans. Blocked arteries are often connected to a person who are not into a diet to control high cholesterol, and this can lead to a his untimely demise.

It is therefore imperative for us to make sure that our cholesterol levels will stay on recommended levels and that we check our cholesterol status on a regular basis.

Types of Cholesterol

There are two kinds of cholesterol, the good cholesterol and the bad cholesterol, and it is important for us to find out the measures needed to control the latter, and a good diet is surely one of the measures that a person has to initiate to ensure his good health.

Your doctor may prescribe medications that lower cholesterol, and this is best combined with the proper diet. There are some guidelines when it comes to lowering the cholesterol levels in your body. These are:

1. Cut back on eating high-fat food

Fat is the major component of a person's cholesterol levels. Dietary fat has two kinds: saturated and unsaturated. To lower cholesterol levels, a person has to lessen the amount of his saturated fat intake and replace it with unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fat helps in decreasing the amount of cholesterol levels. Doctors recommended that we include these in our diet to control cholesterol as much as possible.

2. Shed off the pounds

People who are overweight or obese are in very high risk of having high cholesterol levels; that is why physicians stress that they go on a diet. In order to lessen weight, overweight people should cut down on consuming high-calorie foods, and make sure that exercise is included in their daily routines.

Another important factor is to replace high-calorie foods with those that are rich in carbohydrates. Foods that are high on carbs contain little fat and lesser calories.

Sometimes, diet alone is not sufficient to lower a person's cholesterol levels. Physicians will find it necessary to prescribe drugs in order for you to reduce it. Here are some of the drug treatments that your doctor may prescribe:

1. Resins

Physicians have prescribed Questran and Colestid for a long time now, because they contain resins. Resins restrain bile acids present in the intestine, and stop it from going through the liver.

2. Nicotinic Acid

This decreases the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and increases the high-density amounts. Nicotinic acid can also lower the amount of triglycerides. Taking nicotinic acid must be done under a doctor's supervision, because it is potentially toxic when taken in large doses.

3. Fibric Acid Derivatives

This is usually taken to lower triglycerides. It can also increase HDL levels.

4. Aspirin

Doctors usually prescribe the common aspirin that is a staple in your medicine cabinet because it can protect patients from heart attacks, especially for those patients with clogged blood vessels.

These treatments, along with a diet to control high cholesterol, can provide you with better health and longer life.

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