One out of five people has high cholesterol. A staggering 50 percent of Americans have levels above the suggested limit. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 20 percent of all strokes and more than 50 percent of all heart attacks can be linked to high cholesterol.
According to the American Heart Association, high levels of cholesterol in the blood can cause heart disease and lead to a heart attack.
The Heart.org website stated that food and your body are cholesterol sources. Cholesterol is found in your body’s cells and bloodstream. Seventy-five percent of cholesterol is made by your liver and other cells in your body. The remaining 25 percent comes from the foods you eat daily. Most importantly, cholesterol is only found in animal products like meat and milk with fat.
HDL is the good cholesterol and LDL is the bad cholesterol. Also, HDL keeps the LDL cholesterol from attaching to your arteries.
A cholesterol screening measures both levels of cholesterol. Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood. A cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL or higher is considered high.
Eating saturated fat, trans-fats and dietary cholesterol also increases cholesterol levels.
There are several ways to lower cholesterol. While blood pressure or cholesterol medications, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and digoxin may be prescribed by your physician, it's important to realize their effect is temporary. Other lifestyle changes are necessary in order to lower cholesterol.
For example, regular healthy physical activity lowers cholesterol. At least 30 minutes of exercise a day has been shown to decrease total cholesterol and improve "good" HDL cholesterol levels, while lack of regular physical activity can raise "bad" LDL cholesterol levels as well as lead to weight gain.
There are also natural ways to lower your cholesterol. One way is diet. Eat more foods from plants which don’t contain cholesterol such as fruits, vegetables, and grains. Fiber and fish has also been known to reduce bad cholesterol levels. Also, avoid foods which contain too much cholesterol like meat, egg yolks and fat milk.
Also to lower cholesterol naturally replace coffee and beverages with green tea. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, research shows that green tea lowers total cholesterol and raises HDL ("good") cholesterol in both animals and people. Another clinical study suggests that polyphenols in green tea may block the intestinal absorption of cholesterol and promote its excretion from the body.
Also, here are some supplements that could help reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart attack. However, ask your physician which supplement may be right for you. These supplements can be purchased at drug stores or health food stores.
• Arginine is an amino acid produced by your body. In 2009, University of Virginia researchers found it could help with heart failure.
• Ribose is a naturally occurring sugar the body uses to make your energy molecule, ATP. Ribose improves blood flow and provides much-needed oxygen to the heart.
• The herb hawthorn increases the amount of blood your heart pumps and lowers blood pressure over time.
• Fish oils improve cholesterol ratios and reduce the risk of blood clot formation.
• Taurine is an amino acid that helps regulate heart rhythm and lower blood pressure.
Sources:
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/green-tea-000255.htm
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/CholestrolATH_UCM_001089_SubHomePage.jsp
http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/fl-suzy-cohen-021311-20110211,0,7374217.column
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4488
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/heartdisease/risk/029.html
http://commonsensehealth.com/Health-Conditions/How_to_Lower_Cholesterol_Naturally_in_7_Steps.shtml