diets to lower cholesterol
You likely dont even notice the salt in your meals, since a taste for salt is cumulative - the more salt you eat, the more you crave and the more salt it takes for you to enjoy your food. Women generally have a lower level than men from age 50 to 55. Use olive oil as your main source of fat and refuse other dressings or sauces - do your cooking with the olive oil. These may contain terms such as light, the best, healthy, natural, and others. Triglycerides Triglycerides are a fat - like cholesterol - which is transported in the blood stream.

high and low cholesterol
If you absolutely crave a dessert or snack, though, try to stave off the craving with fresh fruit. Choose a doctor and specialists you feel comfortable with and trust. These can be handy in the long run for keeping track of your progress. If you take these drugs to lower your cholesterol, you must take them with water or fruit juice and with food. A helpful glossary at the end of this ebook can help you understand the basic terms and can refresh the ideas you will learn as you read the following pages.

Understanding the Types of Cholesterol

While most people talk about cholesterol levels there is in fact more than one type of cholesterol. In fact, there are several different body functions and several different substances that make up our understanding of cholesterol.

As with some fats, cholesterol cannot be dissolved in the blood. Instead, molecules called lipoproteins carry cholesterol to and from cells. Molecules are made from an outer layer of protein and an inner core of both cholesterol and triglycerides, which is another form of fat.

Lipoproteins equip the cholesterol to move around the body. The two main types of lipoproteins are:

1) High Density Lipoproteins (HDL.)

HDL transports cholesterol from cells back to the liver.

HDL is either reused or converts to bile acids and disposed. This is known as "good" cholesterol. You want to ensure that your levels of this cholesterol remain high for optimum heart health, since having too low levels of HDL - even when other cholesterol levels are normal - may lead to heart problems. As you work to lower your bad cholesterol it is important to also take steps and to keep your HDL levels normal.

HDL aids to ensure protection from the risk of heart attack and/or stroke. HDL consists of more protein than triglycerides or cholesterol, and aids to remove LDL from your artery walls.

2) Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL.)

LDL carries approximately 60_70% of cholesterol around the body and are known as bad" cholesterol.

Studies show conclusively that high cholesterol leads to much higher risk of heart attack and/or stroke. Other factors involved in this risk are age, gender, smoking, family history of heart disease, and diabetes mellitus.

Obviously, when we speak of having cholesterol levels we mean more than one number. To maintain optimum health, you will need to know your levels of both LDL and HDL and will need to work hard to keep both levels in healthy ranges.

Myths about Cholesterol that May be Affecting Your Health There are many myths out there about cholesterol. Luckily, it is not that hard to teach your children how to make smart food and lifestyle choices that are heart-healthy: Teach your children about healthy eating and cholesterol. This is often found on the side of the box or the back of a food package. However, if your cholesterol is quite high or you require an aggressive approach to lowering cholesterol, you may be advised to take certain medications or treatments in order to lower your cholesterol. Understanding Cholesterol In order to understand why it is important to lower cholesterol, it is necessary to first understand what cholesterol is.