Discover How to Raise Good Cholesterol and Lower Bad Cholesterol Without Statins
Jan 27th
Knowing how to raise good cholesterol and lower bad is essential if you want to maintain a healthy heart. If your bad cholesterol levels are too high then it leaves you in a higher risk category for having a heart attack or stroke; this risk increases if you also have high triglyceride levels.
First of all to help balance out cholesterol you need to look at how you are treating your body, are you obese, a smoker, drink too much alcohol, not getting much exercise? All of these can have adverse effects on your cholesterol levels. So, the the first ways how to raise good cholesterol will be to stop smoking as this obviously effects the rest of your health as well as your cholesterol and also reduce your drinking.
Notice I said reduce drinking, the reason for this is because alcohol actually helps to raise your HDL, however when it is excessive drinking there are problems as this can raise triglyceride levels; a recommended amount would be a glass of red wine a day. If you start to exercise then this will help you become less obese if you have weight problems and increase your HDL. Exercising daily for thirty minutes is highly recommended and it does not have to be high intensity aerobics or pounding the treadmill until you are scarlet in the face; cycling, swimming or walking briskly would be ideal.
Another way how to raise good cholesterol is by upping the amount of omega 3 you consume. Omega 3, especially the omega 3 from oily fish helps to raise good cholesterol by keeping triglyceride levels in check. If you have too high a level of triglycerides then your body uses up more good cholesterol to try and get rid of it; so the lower the triglyceride the more good cholesterol you have.
A final way how to raise good cholesterol is through supplementation. Having researched the various supplements available, I have come to the conclusion the best ones are the naturally blended supplements. The reason for this is because they contain a few different nutrients that not only raise good cholesterol but also help to reduce the amount of cholesterol the body produces. In fact if the supplement contains a nutrient called policosanol then this substance has been clinically proven to be as effective as stains for reducing cholesterol production but without the side effects.
Fish Oil and Cholesterol – How Are They Linked?
Jan 27th
It is a fact that fish oil supplements containing omega 3 fatty acids have been promoted in the media as being effective at lowering cholesterol levels. Although it is true that to a certain extent fish oil and cholesterol are correlated, there is no conclusive evidence that there is a direct relationship between them.
Instead of worrying about your cholesterol readings being too high, you are better off focusing on the risk of heart disease that you are exposed to. And fish oil supplements can definitely reduce that risk.
Let me explain what I mean.
As you probably know, there are two types of cholesterol, performing two opposing functions: One is LDL and is the bad one being responsible for the accumulation of plaque on your arteries and the other one is HDL, which does exactly the opposite: removes the plaque from the arteries.
Now, the risk level of you developing heart related problems at any point in your life is directly proportional to the ratio of bad to good cholesterol. The higher the ratio, the higher the risk. Therefore, estimating your heart disease risk by just the number of LDL (the bad cholesterol) alone, it surely is bad practice.
Apart from cholesterol, your triglycerides levels also play a significant role when it comes to estimating heart disease risk. In case you don’t know, triglycerides are fatty substance that circulate in the bloodstream. Too much of it might clog your arteries.
To make it even more complicated, there is an additional risk factor, which has recently been identified by scientists. This is associated with the so called C-reactive protein and is a measure of inflammation in your blood. Mind you, this protein has nothing to do with cholesterol.
To sum up, the risk of heart disease is more complex to estimate than merely basing your judgment on cholesterol numbers alone. It’s a combination of factors, which interact with each other.
Now, having formulated a more complete picture of the causes of heart disease, you can better appreciate the wonderful properties of fish oil (the omega 3 fatty acids contained in it to be exact) and how they can contribute to the reduction of the relevant health risk.
First, fish oil is a powerful anti-inflammatory, so it can help reduce the risk from the C-reactive protein.
Second, the omega 3 fatty acids help prevent clumping and stickiness of the blood. Thus, blood can flow more easily in the arteries reducing the probability of heart attacks or strokes.
Another important property of fish oil is that it helps prevent plaque build-up inside the arteries. Again, this is important, considering that what actually causes heart attacks, strokes and heart disease in general is this formation of plaques.
In conclusion, you should bear in mind that the omega 3 fatty acids contained in fish oil are excellent not only for you heart, but for your overall health in general.
But remember, not all fish oils are created equal. You have to be selective at what you use. Personally, I use the fish oil produced by a company in New Zealand, called Xtend Life. Their product far outperforms their competition.
To become better informed and see why I recommend this particular fish oil, visit my website.
