Cholesterol is a vital ingredient of our body and is required for proper functioning of our cells. But as famous proverb goes “Excess of anything is bad” and so goes with cholesterol as well. Too much cholesterol in blood causes its deposition to the walls of blood vessels leading to narrowing or even complete blockage . All these may lead to coronary artery disease and other cardiovascular diseases.
Cholesterol does not exist alone in blood and it \travels through the blood on proteins called lipoproteins. There are many types of lipoproteins are there and one of them is LDL or low density lipoprotein also called as the "bad" cholesterol. A high LDL level leads to a build-up of cholesterol in your arteries. Another type of cholesterol is HDL, also known as the "good" cholesterol. It carries cholesterol from other parts of body back to liver where it gets removed from body. Additionally, in order to reduce the chances of cardiovascular disease one can decrease the LDL cholesterol and increase the HDL by various means.
Ways To Lower Cholesterol Levels
In an exclusive interaction with OnlMyHealth, Dr Nityanand Tripathi- Director & HOD - Cardiology & Electrophysiology, Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh sharees a few ways on how lower cholesterol levels of the body.
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1. Food and Eating Habits
A heart-healthy eating involves limiting the amount of saturated and trans fats in the diet. It recommends to eat and drink only enough calories to stay at a healthy weight. The food should be chosen from a variety of nutritious foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. Some of the prominent healthy eating plans are Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet and the DASH eating plan.
2. Weight management
Maintaining a close eye on your weight losing weight can assist in lowering your LDL (bad) cholesterol if you are overweight. For those who have metabolic syndrome, this is very crucial. High triglyceride levels, low HDL (good) cholesterol, and being overweight with a big waist measurement are among the risk factors for metabolic syndrome (more than 40 inches for men and more than 35 inches for women).
3. Physical exercise
Everyone needs to engage in regular exercise (30 minutes on most, if not all, days).
4. Controlling stress
Chronic stress has been linked to an increase in LDL cholesterol and a decrease in HDL cholesterol, according to research.
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5. Giving up smoking
Your HDL cholesterol can increase if you stop smoking. Having more HDL can help lower your LDL cholesterol because HDL helps eliminate LDL cholesterol from your arteries.
6. Drugs for lowering cholesterol
Making lifestyle changes alone does not sufficiently decrease cholesterol for some people. Additionally, they could require medication. Drugs that decrease cholesterol come in a variety of forms. They have various mechanisms of action and potential adverse effects. Inquire with your doctor about the best medication for you.
You must continue making lifestyle modifications even if you take medication to lower your cholesterol.
7. Use lipoprotein apheresis
High cholesterol that is inherited is known as familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Lipoprotein apheresis is a treatment that some FH patients may receive. LDL cholesterol is taken out of the blood during this treatment using a filtering device. The remaining blood is then returned to the machine.
8. Supplements to decrease cholesterol in people
Some businesses market supplements that, according to them, help lower cholesterol. Numerous of these dietary supplements, including red yeast rice, flaxseed, and garlic, have been researched. There isn't enough proof to date to say that any of them work to lower cholesterol levels. Additionally, there is a chance that supplements will interact negatively with medications. Before ingesting any supplements, make sure to see your doctor first.