Heart disease in present century is number one on the list of death mortality. It is caused by the clotting up of the blood vessels by a fatty substance called "atheroma" and is due to too much 'fat' in the blood. This process is called atherosclerosis and it can eventually lead to diseases like heart attack and stroke. There are two types of fats in the blood that commonly cause this condition. They are "cholesterol" and "triglycerides". A special blood test conducted after fasting for at least 12 hours can tell the doctor if one or both of these fats are too high in a patient.
What is Cholesterol?
According to Nature's Healing Power Through Food Cholesterol is a white fatty substance formed mainly in the liver of animals including humans. There are three important categories of lipids:
The neutral fats.
The conjugated lipids.
The sterols.
Cholesterol helps in the metabolism and manufacture of certain hormones such as testosterone and estrogen, and to help in the development of brain.
In humans, neutral fats are fatty acids esterified with alcohol, glycerol; most are esters containing three fatty acids and are called "triglycerides".
Conjugated lipids consist of phospholipids and glycolipids. Adipose tissue contains stored triglycerides. Triglycerides, cholesterol, and phospholipids are the major lipid components found in serum; these lipids exist in blood as macromolecules complexed with specialized proteins to form lipoproteins.
Optimum Range
It has always been very difficult to establish reference ranges for cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations; enormous variations exist among groups classified according to sex, race and income level, physical activity, dietary habits and geographic locations. It is also uncertain whether to consider the "average" as the "normal".Cholesterol level is determined partly by the genetic make-up and the saturated fat, and cholesterol in the diet.
Potential Risks of High Cholesterol
The three major risk factors for coronary heart disease are:
1. High blood cholesterol.
2. Cigarette smoking.
2. High blood pressure.
Good and Bad Cholesterol
Cholesterol travels in blood in small packages called "lipoproteins". All lipoproteins are formed in the liver and carry cholesterol through the body.Cholesterol packaged in low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) is transported from the liver to other parts of the body where it can be used. LDL carries most of the cholesterol in blood, and if not removed from the blood, it can lead to a buildup of fat and cholesterol in the arteries contributing to atherosclerosis.Therefore, LDL cholesterol is also known as "bad cholesterol".
Cholesterol is also packaged in high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). HDL carries cholesterol back to the liver for processing. HDL helps to remove cholesterol from the blood preventing its accumulation along the arterial walls. Therefore, HDL cholesterol is also known as "good cholesterol".
Blood Cholesterol Levels
Any level above 200 mg/dl increases your risk for heart disease. If your cholesterol is 240 mg/dl or greater, you have more than twice the risk of someone whose cholesterol is 200 mg/dl.If it is 300 mg/dl the risk is almost six times. When high cholesterol is combined with other major risk factors (either high blood pressure or cigarette smoking), your risk for coronary heart disease increases even
further.
If your cholesterol level is in the "high" category and you have high blood pressure, your risk for coronary heart disease increases and if you smoke, the risk increases almost twenty times.
Other factors that increase the risk of coronary heart disease include family history of coronary heart disease before 55 years of age, diabetes, vascular (blood vessel) disease, obesity and being a male.
How will lowering your high cholesterol help?
Lowering high blood cholesterol level will slow fatty build-up in the walls of the arteries and reduce the risk of heart attack and death caused by heart attack. If you reduce the cholesterol level by 15%, your risk of coronary heart disease could drop by 30%.
PRECAUTIONS
The primary treatment for high blood cholesterol is to follow a diet that is low in saturated fat and low in cholesterol.
Lower Down High Blood Cholesterol Level
1.Eat less than 30% of your total daily calories from fat.
2.Less than 10%of your calories should come from saturated fat. No more than 10% of your calories should come from polyunsaturated fat. 10% - 15% of your calories should come from monounsaturated fat.
3.Eat less than 300 mg of cholesterol each day.
4.Eat 50% - 60% of your daily calories from carbohydrates.
Dietary Guidelines
1. To ensure an adequate balance of all the healthy foods - carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibre, vitamins and minerals, one needs to choose from a wide variety of food.
2. We need to keep our weight in check and to prevent obesity by cutting down on fats, sugar and alcohol. Try and reduce the quantity of servings and exercise regularly.
3. Cut down on fats by selecting fish, poultry and lean meats; cut excess fats and remove the skin. Restrict the use of butter or margarine and use minimum quantity of cooking oil. Eat less of dairy products, fried food and snacks.
4. Restrict the use of sugar to minimum by eating less sweet food like cakes, biscuits and soft drinks. Reduce the use of sugar in recipes and avoid canned fruits.
5. Eat more breads and cereals, fruits and vegetables. Increase the intake of complex carbohydrates such as rice and potato.
6. Drink less alcohol. Instead have more water.
7. Use less salt to avoid increase in blood pressure.
Home Remedies to Control Cholesterol
Alfalfa - Alfalfa contains all the elements necessary for the softening of the hardened arteries and cleaning up fatty deposits within the coronary arteries. The seeds of alfalfa are useful in sprouted form.They can also be taken in salads, sandwiches and in soup form.
Almond - Almonds are highly nutritious nuts and contain monounsaturated fat, which is known to reduce cholesterol.
Apple - Apple contains a high soluble fibre called „pectin? that helps lower cholesterol, in other words, it prevents the building up of cholesterol in the walls of blood vessels, thus keeping the heart free from any ailments. A diet rich in flavonoids (abundant in apples) lowers the risk of heart disease and may help prevent strokes.
Avocado - Avocado has the same type of cholesterol lowering fat as almonds and olive oil. Raw avocados can be put in salads or spread on bread or crackers.
Avocados also protect arteries against oxidative damage that makes cholesterol dangerous.
Barley - Make chapattis with barley flour and bran or wheat flour mixed together and eat them daily. This reduces the blood cholesterol level. The fibers of the grain removes the fat deposits collected in the arteries over a long period of time, thus cleaning the arteries and valve around the heart.Barley also aids the suppression of cholesterol production in the liver and prevents dietary fats and cholesterol from being absorbed in the intestines.
Beans (dried) and seeds - Legumes or beans are the best and safest food for reducing bad cholesterol. According to one test, beans improve the HDL-LDL cholesterol ratio by 17%. Take about 80 - 100 grams of dried beans or baked beans twice a day for best results. This also raises the good HDL cholesterol.Heart patients should have soya beans, sunflower seeds and wheat germ regularly.
Brinjal - The leaves of brinjal plant and brinjal itself - cooked and eaten as a vegetable, reduces the cholesterol level in the blood, thus preventing heart diseases. Consume cooked brinjal regularly. The
seeds of brinjal have certain properties that bind the cholesterol and take it out through the intestines, thus preventing the absorption of cholesterol in the blood.
Cabbage - Eat cooked cabbage regularly. Cabbage contains vitamins B and C which strengthens the blood vessels, keeps the cholesterol level under control and prevents the walls of the arteries from getting thick, thus preventing any heart diseases. Cabbage also helps reduce palpitation of the heart.
Carrot - Carrots contain high anti-cholesterol soluble fibre including pectin. This reduces the bad LDL cholesterol and raises the good HDL cholesterol. The fibre in two carrots can lower the cholesterol by 10 -20%. Beta-carotene in the carrots also raise good HDL cholesterol.
Eat at least two raw and fresh carrots daily, thus keeping the heart free from any diseases. Carrots can also be taken in soup or juice form and they can also be eaten raw, cooked or boiled.
Coriander seeds - These seeds have cholesterol reducing property, thus, to reduce high cholesterol - take a decoction made from boiling two teaspoonfuls of dry coriander seed powder in one glass of water. Take this twice a day for a few months to bring down blood cholesterol level.
Fenugreek leaves - Cook this as a vegetable and consume it regularly. It lowers the cholesterol level.
Fenugreek seeds - Soak 10 - 12 seeds in one-fourth cup of water overnight and have both - the seeds and the water, next day in the morning with a glass of water. This will reduce the cholesterol level.
You can also boil some seeds in about one and a half cup of water, then strain this liquid, add 1 teaspoonful of honey and drink it. Do this daily. Both these remedies are useful for cardiac
problems.
Fibre - One must incorporate more fibre in their daily diet as fibre reduces the absorption of cholesterol, thus preventing heart diseases. Some rich sources of fibre are unsieved wheat flour, whole grains and pulses, fresh fruits and vegetables in raw form. Fruits and vegetables rich in fibre and vitamin C prevents platelet clumping that leads to formation of blood clots.
Garlic - Garlic is a powerful anticoagulant food. It prevents blood clotting. It also prevents and treats atherosclerosis. Even if consumed in moderate amount, garlic will help thin the blood, thereby reducing formation of blood clots within the arteries.
Take 2 - 3 raw cloves of garlic every morning. This reduces the high cholesterol level thus preventing heart diseases.
There are certain compounds in garlic that lower cholesterol by reducing liver, Bad cholesterol is the main cause for blocking the flow of blood through the heart. Garlic reduces this bad cholesterol thus protecting the heart and preventing atherosclerosis / arteriosclerosis.
Grapefruit - The pulp of grapefruit contains a unique type of soluble fibre called galacturonic acid that helps lower blood cholesterol. It also aids in dissolving plaque or reverse plaque formation that is already clogging the arteries. But it must be noted that the juice of this fruit does not contain any fibre and hence it does not show any cholesterol lowering effects.
Grapeseed oil - Oil extracted from grapeseed (which is used for mild dressing), is very effective in raising good HDL cholesterol.
Guava - Guava is a rich source of vitamins A, B and C. Its high fibre content aids in keeping the cholesterol level under control .
Ladyfinger - Have soup daily, this will reduce the cholesterol level and will keep the heart healthy.
Method to prepare soup - Take 10 - 12 whole raw lady fingers and wash them thoroughly. Slit them lengthwise. (Do not cut the into two halves, just slit them). Then, boil them whole in one
liter of water till the water is reduced to half a liter. Strain this liquid through a muslin cloth and have it plain or with salt and pepper if you so desire. You may throw away the boiled bhindis. Note: Squeeze them while straining only slightly so that some mucilage is extracted. Do not squeeze them too much as then the soup gets very sticky and may not be palatable.
Another method is to cut 4 - 5 ladyfingers lengthwise in two pieces, or in two halves and soak them overnight in some water. The next morning, remove the bhindis from the water and drink that water. Doing this regularly reduces the cholesterol level in the blood.
Lemon - Mix the juice of one whole lemon in a glass of warm water with one teaspoonful of honey and have it daily early in the morning or in the evening one hour after dinner. This will help reduce weight
and cholesterol level.
Oats - Eating oats regularly during breakfast lowers blood cholesterol level. Take some oat grains, wash them and boil them.Then, strain the liquid and have the boiled grains with milk every
morning for breakfast. Ready-made packs of oatmeals are also available.
Oat grains raise the HDL level (high-density lipoprotein), which prevents heart attacks and hypertension. It also controls the sugar level and triglycerides in the blood, thus preventing heart attacks. But do not have too much oats as this may cause flatulence, bloatedness of abdomen and stomach pain. Have it twice or thrice a week.
Onion - Onions contain certain essential oils that keep the cholesterol level under control and prevent deposition of fat on the arteries, thus keeping the heart healthy and strong. They are anti-
coagulant in nature, thus keeping the blood free from clots. Eating raw onion is most effective. All patients with coronary heart disease should consume onions daily. Raw onions help raise good HDL cholesterol level and thins the blood.
Take half a cup of raw onion juice mixed with one teaspoonful of honey and ginger juice; this reduces the cholesterol level. Onions can also be taken in salad form daily with meals. Onion therapy works in about 70% of patients suffering from high cholesterol and hypertension.
Red pepper / red chilli - Consume red pepper in your diet regularly. Seeds of red chillies are highly beneficial in lowering the cholesterol level. Red pepper also prevents blood clots since they are anti-coagulant. People eating capsicum chilli peppers regularly in their diet as seasoning and as an appetizer are less vulnerable to blockage of arteries.Those who have low sugar level in their blood must avoid consuming chillies.
Safflower oil - Safflower oil contains the highest linoleic acid content of all edible oils. Studies have showed that this fatty acid has medicinal value and is highly beneficial in lowering serum or blood cholesterol level.
Soybeans - This is the best food to lower the cholesterol level as it is rich in lecithin. Lecithin, which is a fatty food substance, is highly beneficial in reducing increased cholesterol level. It has the ability to break up the cholesterol into small particles, which can easily be handled by the system. Sufficient intake of lecithin prevents the cholesterol from building up against the walls of arteries and veins.Soy and soy products can be taken in the form of soy milk or soyabeans - soaked overnight and cooked the next day and eaten with wheat chappatis. Soy flour is also used for making soy chapatis. All these are highly beneficial for reducing cholesterol level.Soybeans are known for their high protein content. Soybean oil is excellent for frying and is easily digestible and contains no cholesterol. It rejuvenates the endocrine glands.
Tea - Tea not only lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels, but also strengthens the capillaries. Herbal tea has anti-oxidant properties. This lowers the risk of heart diseases.
Green tea is excellent for reducing blood pressure and strengthening blood vessels. It also prevents thrombosis or coagulation of blood in the heart.
Turmeric - Turmeric, in powder form or in the root form (fresh turmeric), is good for heart as it keeps the cholesterol level under control.
Turnip - Have one boiled turnip once a week as this reduces the cholesterol level in the body.
Walnut - Walnuts are also highly beneficial in lowering the blood cholesterol level.
What to avoid by heart patients - Heart patients should avoid taking any aerated drinks, alcohol, almonds, animal fats, bananas, butter, cakes, cheese, chocolates, coconut and coconut oil, colas,
cream, custard apples, dairy products, dried fruits and nuts, eggs (have only two in a week), fatty food, fatty meat (where fat is visible on the meat), food cooked in fats like coconut oil, butter, ghee or lard, fried food, ghee, groundnuts, ice-cream, hard water, honey, hydrogenated fat, jam, lard, oil capsules, organ meats like liver, kidney and brain, pastries, potatoes, preservatives, processed food, puddings, raisins, refined flour, roots and tubers, sapotas, shrimp, spinach, soft drinks, sugar, sweets and whole milk or milk containing high fat.
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