About Cholesterol

What is cholesterol and why is it important?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance (lipid). Although it's often discussed as if it were a poison, you can't live without it. Cholesterol is essential to your body's cell membranes, to the insulation of your nerves and to the production of certain hormones. It's used by your liver to make bile acids, which help digest your food. The confusion that clouds cholesterol is partly due to the way some people use the word. The term "cholesterol" is often a catch-all term for both the cholesterol you eat and the cholesterol that is maintained in your body.
It is important that we understand the significance of cholesterol as it relates to our health.

What are the normal cholesterol levels for men

Hypercholesterolemia, or high cholesterol, affects more than one in four adult males in the United States. This statistic comes from the CDC. High cholesterol puts men at a greater risk of strokes, heart disease and coronary artery disease.

Overview of the Cholesterol Test

Men should get a cholesterol test once every five years. Before taking a cholesterol test, a patient will fast from food and alcohol for nine to twelve hours. Since there are no symptoms with high cholesterol, it is very important to be tested on a regular five-year schedule.
Once the test is completed, the results will include levels of HDL and LDL. HDL cholesterol is the so-called good cholesterol as its high levels are indicative of less strokes and heart disease. LDL cholesterol is the cholesterol that, when at high levels, means a man is at a high risk of these diseases, and should work to reduce those levels.

Normal Cholesterol Ranges

When in good health, men will have an LDL cholesterol that falls below 100 mg/dL. LDL levels that are over 159 mg/dL is unhealthy. For HDL cholesterol, a healthy range is between 40mg/dL and 60 mg/dL.
Normal total cholesterol levels should be below 200 mg/dL or at most between 200 and 239 mg/dL. Anything above is considered to place men at greater risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Ways to Lower Cholesterol

Changing one's diet is the easiest way to help lower cholesterol. Increase foods rich in dietary fiber like fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Oatmeal is especially recommended in the fight against high cholesterol. Any meats consumed should be lean meats versus red meats, and eggs should be replaced with egg substitutes.
Avoid foods high in trans or saturated fats. These fats are found in processed foods, sodas, potato chips, cakes, and donuts. Other ways to lower cholesterol include walking 30 minutes five days a week, or getting other regular exercise as well as quitting smoking..

Top Ten Foods Harmful To Your Cholesterol

The tastiest foods generally have a greater chance of being harmful high cholesterol foods, one of the great ironies of life. Cholesterol is necessary for the proper functioning of hormones and cell membranes. Our bodies are programmed to manufacture cholesterol we need, without needing it from foods we consume. The recommended daily intake of cholesterol quantity is 200 mg and an excessive intake of cholesterol leads to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. If you discover you have high cholesterol and must reduce your levels, the first thing to do is check between foods from your diet and reducing consumption of those with a high cholesterol content. Below is a list of foods to restrict in your diet.

Bad foods for high cholesterol

Cholesterol is found primarily in animal products. Here are the foods that are most loaded with cholesterol as stated on http://www.cholesterolmenu.com/high-cholesterol-foods-list/.

- Egg yolk: some research shows that the yolk has the most cholesterol, with an average of 1234 mg per hundred grams of bud. This means that one egg yolk has about 210 mg of cholesterol, more than the recommended daily intake. A point to note is that egg-white can be consumed without any problem, but not the yolk.

- Caviar: this food is very popular among people in northern and eastern Europe, as it comes in most spreads on bread. A serving of 100 grams of this food provides 588 mg of cholesterol, which is much more than the recommended daily amount.

- Liver pate: animal liver produces the most cholesterol, so it is no surprise that excessive consumption of liver can increase cholesterol levels. The liver of almost any animal contain about 564 mg of cholesterol per 100 gr. The liverwurst contains a minimum of 225 mg per 100 gr.

- Butter: it is widely used in cookies, cakes and bread as an accompaniment. In fact butter can be found in most recipes. Contains 215 mg of cholesterol per hundred grams, becoming a silent food that helps to raise cholesterol.

- Prawn or shrimp: a delicious plate of shrimp contains about 195 mg of cholesterol per serving. And although it is a food worshiped by many, it is best to consume it in small proportions.

- Fish oil: Fish has always been seen as a healthy alternative to red meat. However, packaging own oil and fish oil contain some excess cholesterol that eventually can do much damage. For example, Atlantic sardines contain 143 mg of cholesterol per hundred grams.

- Cheese: This food is a good source of calcium and protein, besides being a delicious addition to many dishes. However, most cheeses contain about 120 mg cholesterol per 100 grams. This applies to all types of cheese, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, gruyere, etc.

- Meat products: a large amount of cholesterol intake hardly come of itself but meat product as liverwurst and sausage containing about 150 mg cholesterol per hundred grams of product, unlike cutting fillets and selected meat containing less fat index.

- Seafood: although mussels, oysters battlements and often very delicious, they contain high levels of cholesterol to 110 mg per hundred grams of this food.

- Fast foods: breakfast fast food generally tend to be full of cholesterol because it often includes eggs, ham, sausage and biscuits with cheese. This can be dangerous because most of time, it is a mixture of various harmful cholesterol foods.

A healthy diet avoiding foods high in fat will certainly lead to a much lower cholesterol level and healthier life. Be sure to avoid as far as possible to consume unhealthy foods for cholesterol above, and instead replace them by a variety of fruits and vegetables.

How to reduce LDL cholesterol?

The concentration of cholesterol in blood depends on many factors. Some are modifiable, but others can not be changed, such as age (the older we get more of our liver produces cholesterol), gender or genetics. People suffering from familial hypercholesterolemia have very high cholesterol levels.
Food and physical exercise are environmental factors affecting cholesterol, and yes you can modify these. Stress also increases cholesterol. In addition to improving your diet is important to follow a healthy lifestyle ( quit smoking , you reduce the consumption of alcohol, control your weight ) and above all, do exercise moderately but steadily.

Foods or supplements to lower LDL cholesterol

Soy derivatives

Soy is a complete protein that can be used as a meat substitute. Soy is 100% free of cholesterol [source]. A study in 2010 showed that replacing foods high in saturated fat with soy products can reduce cholesterol levels by 8 to 10 percent. In this area we can include bean sprouts, soy milk, soy oil, soy flour, tofu and miso. This does not include soy sauce!

Tomato

The tomato products such as juice and ketchup retain their properties even after processing. Numerous studies reveal that if you include only a glass of tomato juice or a few tablespoons of tomato sauce in the diet, you can drastically reduce levels of LDL. [source: http://www.cholesterollevels.net/ldl-cholesterol-lowering-levels-naturally/]

Garlic

Garlic (Allium sativum), whether fresh or prepared, can reduce LDL levels. Studies have shown that people who consume relatively large amounts of garlic and onions, regularly have lower levels of cholesterol than people who do not.

Linseed

A few tablespoons of ground flaxseed, every day, they can be as effective as medication powerful in reducing cholesterol levels. In a clinical study, flaxseed, rich in omega 3 was able to reduce cholesterol levels in a group of men, by 10 percent in just three months.

Capsaicin

Cayenne pepper and other spice containing phenolic compound "capsaicin" have proven effect in lowering cholesterol levels in the blood. Similarly, fenugreek seeds (fenugreek) and caraway are demonstrable other spices with cholesterol-lowering properties (read more on www.cholesterolmenu.com/cholesterol-lowering-foods-herbs-vitamins-supplements/). There are a range of Ayurvedic medicine remedies herbal, new to Western medicine, which are proving to be of great value in this field. The fruit of Amalaki tree (Emblica officinalis) and is one of them.

Other beneficial foods

Other foods that have a particular ability to dissolve fats in the blood and therefore can help reduce high cholesterol include: wheat germ, alfalfa sprouts, watercress, apple, celery and cherries.

Remember!

No less important is the inclusion of a daily exercise routine. Exercise not only significantly reduces LDL, but can also increase the levels of HDL - the GOOD cholesterol that prevents arteriosclerosis.
How much exercise is needed? According to researchers, it is not so much the intensity and amount of exercise that counts. Daily walks (about 20 kilometers a week) can reduce levels of LDL but only sustained moderate exercise (eg jogging 30-35 kilometers a week) can raise good cholesterol.
Exercise also helps maintain ideal weight, which reduces the likelihood of developing clogged arteries.