Reducing LDL Levels

Cholesterol is carried through the blood stream to cells by lipoproteins. Reducing LDL levels is important because it is called the bad cholesterol, while the good cholesterol is called HDL. LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein and HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein. The bad cholesterol can cause plaque deposits in arteries, which lead to narrowing of arteries and restricts the flow of blood to important parts of your body. It is very important to learn ways to reduce your LDL levels in your blood and to lower your risk of heart disease.

The natural way to lower LDL levels in the blood is with dietary changes. Avoidance of certain foods containing saturated fats and refined sugars is a good start in bringing about these changes in diet. Sugary foods turn into fats, and sugar in the body and triggers cholesterol levels to increase. Meat, cheese and egg consumption should be limited to smaller portions because they increase cholesterol levels. By simply increasing your HDL level, you'll also have the added benefit of achieving reduced LDL levels. The foods that can help in this process would be such foods as avocados, soybeans, chili peppers, flax seed, oat bran and apples. Garlic is an herb that is known to help lower LDL cholesterol.

Fatty fish, onions and various beans are a good choice of foods that help to lower cholesterol. Fried foods and baked goods that are commercially prepared have an effect on raising LDL levels. These foods are filled with trans-fats. Grilling, broiling, or baking is a better choice than frying because of the trans-fats involved with frying. Foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids should be added to your diet. Salmon, tuna, sardines, flaxseed, canola oil and walnuts are good sources of fatty acids that help lower cholesterol levels.

There are supplements that can help lower cholesterol in addition to dietary changes. PolicosanolA, which is found in beeswax and raw sugar cane, is one of these supplements that have been proven to be effective in reducing LDL levels naturally. Red yeast rice is another popular supplement that has proven to be of great value in the treatment of high cholesterol.

Exercise is another very important part. Exercise keeps your body healthy through activity. It raises the good cholesterol and lowers the bad cholesterol levels. Exercise can help with obesity factors that contribute to high cholesterol. A body mass index of 30 or more is a factor in high cholesterol. Weight loss lowers the LDL and raises HDL as well as lowering triglycerides in the blood.

Smoking is another risk for high cholesterol because of the damage it causes in the blood vessels. Fatty deposits can accumulate more easily and smoking can lower the HDL cholesterol. Quitting smoking is a good idea for many reasons and one of them is to lower your cholesterol levels.

There are many medications available for reducing LDL levels that can be prescribed by a physician. A physician may be able to help lower cholesterol through natural ways before prescribing medication. A healthy lifestyle can prevent high cholesterol, but only a physician can run tests to see if medication is needed in addition to natural methods.

Darran Butler is a heart health and cholesterol wellness expert with a passion for showing others how to live healthy and passionate lives.  He has helped countless others achieve their health objectives and, specifically, reducing LDL levels.  For more information on Darran Butler and how he can help you, visit his site for a free report that will show you how to stay super heart healthy with ideal cholesterol at http://improvinghealthsecrets.com/


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