How you can put high cholesterol behind you

What exactly is high cholesterol anyway? And why does it matter so much if it is high or low or middling or whatever? It all boils down to this: if it is high, you could be a sitting duck for coronary heart disease , or in common parlance, you could be hit, wham! With a sudden heart attack . Not a very pleasant future to look forward to, so it is worth looking at how to tackle the "high" bit and get that cholesterol to fighting fit levels.

Why does high cholesterol happen? It could be due to a number of factors - maybe hereditary, maybe a laid-back, lazy lifestyle, could be that junk food you just downed or that fact that your weighing scales holler a warning every time you step on them. It could also be due to the fact that your work stresses you out or whether you are over 50, when women could be more prone to high cholesterol than men!

Where did all this hype come from? What does it mean? We all have good cholesterol or high density lipoproteins (HDLs) and bad cholesterol or low density lipoproteins (LDLs). HDLs are transporters - they carry the excess cholesterol to be broken down by the liver. LDLs, however, can cause a build-up of plaque in the arteries, which, if left untended can give you a rather rude wake-up call one day. The trouble is the problem sneaks up on you so quietly, very often without any warning symptoms, you don't really know about it till it explodes. That's why it's important to have yourself checked for high cholesterol and to see that your LDL levels are below100 mg/dL and your HDL levels are over 40 mg/dL.

How do you prevent or treat high cholesterol? Exercise, a healthy diet, giving up smoking and losing weight is a good beginning. Then you might look at some of the wonderful remedies in nature to put you back on the right road to health. One of the main contenders in the cholesterol-fighting pack is garlic. Just a simple, little, white pod - and what a punch it packs! Just one clove every morning on an empty stomach is a great LDL-fighter. For those who are very squeamish about the strong odor, opt for the capsule though it is not as potent as the real thing. Research using garlic and placebos has showed significant results in high cholesterol patients.

When studies were done as to why Eskimos did not suffer from high cholesterol, the clear answer was: Omega-3!That's right - fish oil actually helps in lowering cholesterol. It also prevents blood clots and tachycardia. Does that sound like a fishy story? It might to some, but participants in a study who took a daily fish oil supplement actually had an over 40% lower chance of sudden heart-related deaths. All the more reason to put more fish on your plate!

Who would have ever thought that something as simple as oat bran would do the trick? Combine it with red rice and Niacin, eat better by reducing the saturated fats in your diet, exercise and try losing weight and you're on your way to lower cholesterol levels. You could, if you were a bit more adventurous, add half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder to your daily diet (washed down with a glass of water), take a 1000 mg tablet of Vitamin C or eat a lot of avocado. The power of bringing down cholesterol levels is within your reach. It's up to you to grasp it and make it happen!