The LDL Cholesterol Connection With Heart Disease
Medical research proves beyond doubt that there is an unholy nexus between LDL cholesterol and heart disease. The long and the short of it is: LDL cholesterol is bad for the heart! What then is LDL cholesterol and what can we do to control it? The answer to that question is the burden of this article. Please do take the time to read it, it can mean the difference between robust good health and a lifetime of illness.
The LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels are maintained within a normal range by the body’s natural regulatory mechanism. Sometimes this regulatory mechanism malfunctions, or maybe the body is flooded with cholesterol by ingestion. In any case the blood cholesterol level exceeds the normal range. This leads to a serious condition which can lead to severe health problems.
Excessive LDL cholesterol sticks to the inner walls of the blood vessel and forms a plaque which reduces the blood flow. This condition is called arteriosclerosis, which is the harbinger of critical heart diseases.
Blood backs up from this point leading to high blood pressure which severely stresses the heart. Worse, small bits of the LDL cholesterol blockage can get dislodged and flow down with the blood. If these bits of LDL cholesterol enter a capillary, which is a very fine blood vessel, the capillary gets blocked starving the areas served by the capillary network of vital blood. If this happens in the brain, then areas of the brain just shut down leading to a form of paralysis called a ‘stroke’. If the blood flow to the heart itself is cut off, a heart attack occurs possibly leading to a fatality. These are just two situations which can occur when LDL cholesterol exceeds the normal limit. There are a great number of similar situations, collectively called cardiovascular disease, which are directly linked to the excessive LDL cholesterol level.
The best way to recover from this situation is to help the body to regulate the amounts of HDL and LDL cholesterol. We can do this by changing over to a low-fat diet, free of foods that are rich in LDL. Some fats, like the omega-3 fats found in fish, are actually helpful in reducing LDL cholesterol. So we should include fish in our diet. Drink a lot of water to increase blood circulation and excretion.
Check the medium your food is cooked in. Stop using polyunsaturated vegetable oils because they change to trans-fats on heating, and trans-fats are harmful for health. Use olive oil instead, because it is a good cooking medium. Just this much is good enough to bring about a drastic reduction of LDL cholesterol.
Smoking actually helps to elevate the LDL cholesterol level in the blood. Give up smoking and see the LDL cholesterol beat a hasty retreat. Follow the other steps in this article to ensure your freedom from a dangerous heart condition.
Medical research shows that stress leads to LDL cholesterol buildup. Lowering your stress level will lower your blood LDL cholesterol too. The moral of the lesson is that you should relax more often, give up those activities that add to your stress, and pick up those activities that reduce your stress.
Say no to saturated fats, both as food and as a cooking medium. Say no to cigarette smoking. Say no to stress. Say no to inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle. Say yes to regular exercise. If you do all this, you’ll be saying: “Good riddance, LDL cholesterol! Hello, health!
