Herbal Remedies Blog

Cholesterol is essential in the body because it has important functions: Mainly it helps to create and repair cells. It also produces hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. It also makes bile acids to aid in the digestion of food. It is found in large quantities in the brain and nervous tissue. The liver produces enough cholesterol to meet the body’s functions.

There are two aspects to consider, one is the importance of these processes and the other, very different, higher levels of blood cholesterol than those considered adequate, which can cause significant health problems, as this excessive level of cholesterol is directly related to atherosclerosis. The risks begin when food intake exceeds the requirements of the body. Cholesterol comes from animal sources such as meat, liver, kidney, eggs and dairy products.

Cholesterol is not present in plant sources like fruits and vegetables, and cholesterol can not flow freely in the blood, but is transported in lipoproteins. These are cells that contain cholesterol and triglycerides to the center and are surrounded by phospho-lipid and water soluble proteins. This move allows the lipids in the blood. 4 lipoproteins differ from one another in their content of protein, triglycerides and cholesterol. Two of these, the HDL and LDL are the most familiar to people who are aware of their health and cases of heart blood.

HDL cholesterol is called good cholesterol, because high concentration in blood is associated with low risk of a heart attack. HDL contains more protein than triglycerides and cholesterol, and helps to remove cholesterol from artery walls. It also carries cholesterol in the liver cells to be re-used or to be converted into bile acids or to be discarded

LDL cholesterol is called bad cholesterol because it is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. LDL is oxidized and deposited in artery walls and begins what is known as atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Other risk factors include family history of disease, age, smoking, hypertension and diabetes mellitus.

Those most susceptible to risks related to high cholesterol levels are those with high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle among others.

Parameters of cholesterol in the blood.

Caution Desirable Limit

• Total cholesterol – 200 200-240 + 240
• HDL cholesterol 45 + 35-45 – 35
• LDL cholesterol – 130 130-160 + 160
• Some nutritional recommendations include:
• Search for a balanced diet
• Starting an exercise program
• Do not eat more than 3 servings of lean meat per week
• Remove fat before cooking foods such as meat and chicken
• Eating lots of fish, shrimp and avoid
• Take skim milk and low fa
• Do not exceed the daily intake of fat 30% and 10% saturated fat supported with nutritional supplements to optimize the diet

Controlling Cholesterol

Exercise and daily physical activity can help reduce the level of LDL, but also helps increase levels of HDL. Stress is directly related to cholesterol levels. Studies also show that people eat foods high in fat when they are under stress, causing risks for high cholesterol. A diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol helps people with health problems caused by high cholesterol. The eating habits are key in reducing high cholesterol. Although in some cases this leads to very restrictive diets, in fact in most, simply requires a cautious approach regarding the amount of fat ingested. When a patient is found high levels of cholesterol, it is recommended phase 1 of the program recommended by the AHA. This program allows ingest 8-10% of daily calories, saturated fat, 30% of total calories in fat and less than 300mg of cholesterol per day. If this phase is not successful, the following limits to the consumption of saturated fat to 7% and no more than 200mg cholesterol. This phase is for people with heart disease.

What supplements can help treat problems with cholesterol?

The only vitamin that has proven effective in lowering cholesterol levels is niacin. It is also known as Vitamin B3 or Vitamin H. It not only reduces cholesterol levels, but is effective in increasing levels of lipoprotein (HDL) in blood. It is critical, however, recognize that the amount of niacin required to obtain these benefits exceed 100 times the RDA of this vitamin. Consumption of high levels of niacin should be used under medical supervision for their potential side effects include: liver problems and a rise in levels of blood sugar.

On the other hand, some studies have shown that the use of antioxidants may be effective in reducing cholesterol levels in the body. Such is the case with vitamin E. Although not fully tested, initial studies determined that antioxidants help to eliminate cholesterol in the blood. On the other hand, people with a propensity for cholesterol problems or need a proper diet and also have a doctor’s supervision.

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