What are the causes and symptoms of high cholesterol?
What are the causes and symptoms of high cholesterol?
Also, I am a vegetarian and had been eating 2 eggs a day for a couple of months ( to get more protein). Can this make a difference in a persons cholesterol level?
There are two main causes of high cholesterol–diet and genetics. If you have a high cholesterol level on a fat-free diet then genetics are responsible and you need to see a specialist to manage your situation. You are in control of your diet. Most people do not realize it but you can get high cholesterol on a cholesterol free diet. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are the probable cause. I would advise everyone to avoid partially hydrogenated oils which will include all deep fried foods, most packaged snacks, etc. Become a label reader. An average egg contains 200 mg of cholesterol. For a long time we were advised to avoid them, but recently they say that studies show that normal consumption of eggs does not elevate the serum cholesterol level. I would put a maximum level on my egg intake, say 4 eggs per week. There are lots of protein sources such as soya that you could use. High cholesterol is asymptomatic until the level of plaque builds up in the arteries to a level which impedes circulation.
How to deal with cholesterol in the arteries?
I was wondering what can you do to help reverse the effects of cholesterol clogging in the arteries?
Diet and exercise are the best controls over high cholesterol levels in blood. Reducing your intake of refined sugars is also important. Eating a low fat, low cholesterol, low sodium diet are recommended. Diets that include recommended amounts of unsatuerated fats and fiber are helpful. Those unsaturated fats can be found in some fish, walnuts, flax and supplements like Fish oil and Flax Seed Oil. Fiber comes from our fruits and vegetables. Fiber supplements may also be useful. Replace red meats, like beef and pork, with fish and chicken. Try to eat less fried foods. Bake, broil or roast your meats, fish and poultry.
Take up a regular exercise program. Cardio exercise for 30+ minutes a day is a good start. Walking, biking, swimming or jogging are fairly easy. If your current conditioning makes it difficult to start at this level, start slower abd work your way up to the 30 minues.
Ask your doctor about your specific dietary needs. Always check with the doctor before starting an exercise program to ensure you are healthy enough for that program.Here's some helpful resources:
MedlinePlus -
Nutrition
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/nutrition.html
Dietary Fats
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dietaryfats.html
Dietary Fiber
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dietaryfiber.html
Dietary Sodium
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dietarysodium.html
Exercise and Physical Fitness
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/exerciseandphysicalfitness.html
Hope this is helpful.
Terry
what foods have good cholesterol and what are bad cholesterol?
I just want to know what foods will help lower cholesterol and what foods produce good cholesterol?
Salmon and things with Omega 3 are the best.
Most seafood except for fish has high cholesterol. Is it the good or bad cholesterol?
What about abolone? Does it contain any cholesterol at all
Sea cucumber has been said to be able to lower cholesterol if eaten, is it true?
The good and bad cholesterol does not come from the food, but is made in our own bodies. It is recommended that total cholesterol levels be below 200 mg/dl (that's 200 milligrams per 100 ml of blood). The cholesterol doesn't just float freely in the bloodstream; it is attached to proteins called lipoproteins. There are three important classes of lipoproteins: HDL, LDL and VLDL.
The "bad" cholesterol is low-density lipopotein cholesterol, or LDL-C, and not all of the LDL-C is bad — just the small particle LDL-C. It is considered desirable for the level of LDL-C to be below 130 mg/dl, but if a person has coronary artery disease or has had a heart attack, or has diabetes mellitus, the LDL-C level should be below 100 mg/dl and some experts are recommending levels of 70 or lower.
The so-called "good" cholesterol is high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or HDL-C. A level of 40 mg/dl or higher is desirable. Some say the higher, the better. Although some consider this category of cholesterol to be protective, all of the studies in reduction of heart disease consider only a reduction in LDL-C, so we have no real evidence that HDL-C has any protective effect.
The third category is very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or VLDL-C. This fraction consists of the relatively large light-weight cholesterol transporting particles, such as those carrying fat and cholesterol which has been absorbed from the intestine but not yet processed by the liver. The VLDL-C is neither protective nor harmful, and so levels of VLDL-C do not matter.
These three classes were identified by using an ultracentrifuge on samples of serum to separate the components in the serum, but measurement is at present done using easier and faster methods.
Is it fat or cholesterol that clogs your arteries?
I am wondering if fat alone clogs your arteries, not fat that is combined with cholesterol, but fat alone.
Or is it the cholesterol that clogs arteries and causes plaque to build up.
neither. Your arteries build plaque while repairing damage to the arteries. So things that do damage to your arteries such as smoking, drugs, processed foods, trans-fats, excess insulin, etc cause plaque to form. Eating cholesterol actually prevents your body from making more of this vital substance. Eating trans-fats, rancid oils, and oxidized cholesterol does cause damage. Eat real eggs, not Egg-beaters.