Need to lower your cholesterol? More than 50% of American adults have borderline high or high cholesterol. According to the American Heart Association, 20% of adults have high cholesterol. A cholesterol level of 240 or above doubles your risk of heart disease compared with a lower cholesterol level of 200 or below.
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's produced by your liver. You also get cholesterol from many of the foods you eat. These foods include meat, whole milk, cheese, butter and eggs.
Your body uses cholesterol for many important functions. But a high level of cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease, which can lead to heart attack.
The major measures of cholesterol include Total Cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. LDL cholesterol is the "bad" cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is "good" cholesterol. Most fat in foods, and in your body, takes the form of triglycerides. When you consume more calories than you need, the extras are converted to triglycerides and stored in fat cells.
If you have above-normal triglycerides, you're also likely to have high total cholesterol, high LDL and low HDL.all risk factors for heart disease. Several factors can put you at risk for high cholesterol levels...
Certain factors put you at risk for high cholesterol levels.
- Heredity/family history
- Being overweight
- Diet high in saturated fat and trans fatty acids
- Diabetes
- Physical inactivity
- Gender
- Stress
- Smoking cigarettes
- Alcohol use
- Low fiber in the diet
- Underactive thyroid
- Age
Although some of these risk factors are out of your control, there are several actions you can take to lower your cholesterol levels and your risk of heart disease.....
Here are some of the basics you can follow to lower your cholesterol:
1. Reduce the amounts of bad fats (saturated fat and trans-fatty acids) that you consume each day. (different color)
- Replace foods high in saturated fat--fatty meats, butter, full-fat milk and cheese--with those high in monounsaturated fats. Olive and canola oils, most nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans), avocados, peanuts, and peanut butter are all sources of monounsaturated fats.
- Reduce your consumption of french fries, doughnuts, cookies and crackers, as these foods are high in trans-fatty acids.
- Make lean protein, particularly soy and fish, part of your regular diet.
- Use canola or olive oil when possible. These may actually lower your cholesterol levels.
- Look for processed foods made with unhydrogenated oil rather than hydrogenated or saturated fat.
- Use margarine as a substitute for butter, and choose soft margarines (liquid or tub varieties) over harder stick forms. Look margarines labeled "trans-fat free."
2. Add more fiber to your diet.
- Add whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables to your meals.
3. Keep your weight in check. Your risk of high cholesterol and heart disease increase if you are overweight.
- Being overweight seems to disrupt the normal metabolism of fats. So, even if you eat less fat, you won't get the fullest cholesterol-lowering benefits unless you lose weight.
- Weight loss often is accompanied by the good results of lowered triglycerides and increased HDL levels.
- A realistic goal for gradual, weekly weight loss works better than trying to attain a rapid or dramatic weight loss.
4. Make regular exercise a priority.
- Moderate exercise three to five times per week can help promote weight loss, reduce LDL and triglyceride levels, and produce favorable levels of HDL.
- Select a program of regular, aerobic physical activity that suits your individual physical fitness level, heart health and exercise preferences.
- You should check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.
5. If you smoke, stop. Smoking reduces your good or HDL cholesterol and is linked to about 20% of deaths from heart disease.
6. Limit your intake of alcohol.
- Alcohol is "good" because it increases HDL cholesterol (the good one).
- Alcohol doesn't decrease LDL (bad) cholesterol. And, drinking too much alcohol can damage your liver and heart muscle, lead to high blood pressure and raise your triglyceride levels.
So.if you follow these guidelines, you're all set...right? Lifestyle changes can help, but it may take more than that to get your cholesterol levels under control.
Or, maybe you're thinking that you can make some changes in your lifestyle and eating habits, but there's just no way that you can follow all of these recommendations. And, even if you do, your heredity, gender, age or other factors that you don't control may sidetrack your efforts.
Don't be discouraged. There's another simple way you can drive down your cholesterol levels...no matter what caused them in the first place..
Points to keep in mind as you begin to use CholesterTrim:
- Have your cholesterol levels measured before you begin taking CholesterTrim.
- Try to exercise regularly and follow healthy eating habits.
- Don't skip doses of CholesterTrim and take the recommended amount of four capsules daily.
- Wait at least 8 weeks before having your levels retested (12 weeks is better).
