High cholesterol is a problem that absolutely anyone can face. This phenomenon is quite dangerous for the entire human body - first of all, it is the cause of atherosclerosis. A perfectly he althy and cheerful person with high cholesterol levels can experience a large number of he alth problems and even become disabled.
How to lower cholesterol at home and with medication? This will be discussed later in the material.
What is cholesterol
Cholesterol is a kind of substance found in the human body. In appearance, it is a fat-like composition of white color, which is contained in the blood. There are two types of cholesterol in nature: positive and negative. The second is lipoproteins.low density, which are formed as a result of the combination of cholesterol with a protein contained in human blood. In the event that lipoproteins have a high density, they are called positive cholesterol. Negative fat deposits have bad properties, being deposited in the blood vessels and blocking them, forming gaps.
How to act
How does cholesterol enter the human body? Its main let - with foods that contain a large amount of fat. As a rule, these include food of animal origin. Dietitians often recommend reducing the amount of foods such as fried meat, full-fat milk, and sausage in your diet to avoid an increase in negative cholesterol levels. However, they also talk about the food that helps cleanse the body - it includes various cereals, fruits and vegetables, that is, all those that contain fiber.
What is good for cholesterol
The presence of cholesterol in an acceptable amount in the body is simply necessary, since it takes part in a wide range of its vital processes, in particular, in the production of sex hormones (both in men and women), as well as the synthesis of non-sexual.
Cholesterol is also found in the membrane, that is, in the walls of the cells of the body, providing their density. Also, due to it, the exchange of substances between the cell itself and the space located around it is carried out. The basis of vitamin D, necessary for maintaining the normal functioning of the human body, also consistscholesterol.
What is the danger of high cholesterol
People with high cholesterol levels suffer from a large number of diseases, most of which are related to the cardiovascular system, as well as to the kidneys.
What level of this substance is considered safe? The acceptability of the amount of cholesterol in the blood is determined depending on the age category of the person and his gender. On average, the natural indicator in adult men and women fluctuates around 3.6-5.2 mmol per liter of blood, and it is considered normal. In older people (from 45 years old), the normal level of a substance is its amount from 6.27 to 7.77 mmol / liter.
Questions about how to lower cholesterol if its level has become elevated should undoubtedly worry people, since a high rate of its content leads to sudden strokes, atherosclerosis (often of the lower extremities), heart attacks, and angina pectoris. It is not uncommon for people with elevated cholesterol levels to experience sclerosis of the renal vessels.
When can cholesterol levels increase? Doctors answer this question in the same way - at any age, since in practice there are a considerable number of such cases when this problem overtakes very young people and even adolescents. Doctors believe that the main reason for the development of the disease is malnutrition, combined with reduced physical activity.
So, how to lower cholesterol at home?What vegetables, fruits and other foods contribute to this? What drugs are the most effective? Let's look at this in more detail below.
How to lower cholesterol: advice from doctors
Many nutritionists, gastroenterologists, and other medical professionals offer a we alth of advice on how to significantly lower your cholesterol levels. To do this, they strongly recommend eliminating fried foods from their daily diet or minimizing their consumption. It is necessary to eat only he althy foods cooked in boiled, stewed or steamed form. You should also completely abandon lard and margarine - such products are otherwise referred to as trans fats. They are best replaced with olive oil or soybean oil, sunflower oil is also perfect for this purpose.
Significantly lowers blood cholesterol levels by completely eliminating fast food, as well as cakes and sweet pastries, which is especially true for store-bought products.
Lack of physical activity, as well as addiction to alcohol and smoking, also negatively affects the human body, making its cholesterol elevated. As for nicotine, it helps to fix fat deposits on the walls of blood vessels, gradually clogging them.
Harmful and useful foods
In order to lower cholesterol in the blood, diets must be adhered to. What should she be? First of all, correct. The daily diet should not contain prohibited foods, but consist only of useful andproperly cooked food.
How can you lower your cholesterol? First of all, products that are useful for the body include all those that contain a large amount of fiber in their composition. In addition, you need to pay attention to seafood, fish (especially red), but try not to include a large amount of red caviar in your diet. The omega-3 contained in oily sea fish lowers cholesterol in the best way, beneficially affecting the functioning of many vital organs.
Among plant foods, there are also a considerable number of those that help reduce the amount of harmful fats. These include legumes, barley, carrots, avocados, as well as nuts and various types of cereals. In addition, people who are concerned about their he alth should definitely include cold-pressed vegetable oils (olive, sunflower, rapeseed, etc.) in their diet. Does flaxseed oil lower cholesterol? Yes, it reduces - it is also recommended among the products useful for the body.
Which vegetables have a beneficial effect on cholesterol levels in the human body? Eggplant, cabbage, cucumbers, and zucchini are often noted among them. Does garlic lower cholesterol? Yes, and, moreover, copes with the task perfectly. Along with this product, ginger and onion should also be noted, which perfectly stimulate the body's metabolism, due to which all unhe althy fats are eliminated much faster.
What fruits lower cholesterol? First of all, doctors recommend eating those that containcontains a large amount of fiber. These include apples, watermelons and oranges (if not allergic to citrus fruits). Much attention should also be paid to cranberries - this is a truly valuable berry that contains a huge amount of vitamin C, as well as antioxidants, which, by breaking down harmful fats, not only have a beneficial effect on the general condition of the body, but also prevent heart attacks and strokes.
Vitamins
In nature, there are a considerable amount of vitamins that reduce cholesterol. They can be found in pharmacies in their pure form, and they are also found in many foods.
A positive effect on the positive level of cholesterol in the human body has a daily and sufficient intake of foods that contain vitamins E, F. Be sure to pay attention to ascorbic acid, it is sold in any pharmacy and is very cheap. B vitamins, as well as menaquinone and beta-carotene, are also recommended for people who are thinking about how to lower cholesterol.
Some doctors draw the attention of patients to the fact that treatment with vitamins is much safer than statins (special drugs to lower the level of harmful fats in the body). This is due to the fact that the latter very often cause complications in the work of other organs. In addition, the action of vitamins is aimed not only at the breakdown of fats, but also at the improvement of the whole organism as a whole and the prevention of various other types of diseases.
Where can I find the listed vitamins? If we talk about beta-carotene, then it is found in vegetables and fruits of red, as well as orange colors. Examples of these are: carrots, oranges, raspberries, peppers, etc. As for the acceptable norm, for an adult organism, the intake of one milligram of beta-carotene per day is catastrophically necessary. As for vitamin B, it is found in high content in foods such as potatoes, cereals, pasta, brewer's yeast, etc. This group of products has a positive effect on the functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract.
Don't know how to lower high cholesterol? You should eat foods that have a high content of vitamin C. It is he who is an excellent antioxidant, which instantly suppresses various kinds of inflammatory processes. Products containing vitamin C also actively help in the fight against atherosclerosis. As you know, the largest part of vitamin C is found in citrus fruits.
As for vitamin E, it also acts as an excellent antioxidant. Its regular consumption prevents the development of atherosclerosis in the body, as well as the appearance of cancers. The main source of this component is germinated wheat, which also has a positive effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Vitamins F are lipid substances, they consist of three types of acids: arachidonic, linoleic, and linolenic. This component also perfectly stimulates the processes associated with the reductioncholesterol in the blood, facilitating the metabolism of this substance. You can get it from cold-pressed vegetable-type oils.
Herbs
What cholesterol-lowering herbs are known to modern science? Many people who know a lot about the beneficial properties of plants and their parts often recommend using various decoctions of dried and fresh herbs. Among the most useful are those that contain a combination of pectin, a large amount of minerals and vitamins.
Cholesterol-lowering herbs include dandelions (plant roots), viburnum (bark, leaves), alfalfa leaves, oats (grass and grains), linden (flowers), calendula, licorice (root), and flax (seeds). In addition to these herbs, there are also others that also have a positive effect on the process of lowering blood cholesterol.
Of all the useful plants, many connoisseurs make useful collections - combinations that are ideal for taste and medicinal properties. However, before you start using any type of herb, you should definitely visit a doctor and consult with him about the correctness of the choice made. This is due to the fact that the presence of medicinal properties in the herb does not guarantee the absence of contraindications associated with its use.
Green tea - good for the body
Green tea fans who consume it regularly never think about how to lower cholesterol. This is due to the fact that natural tea leaves, processed in a special way and properly brewed,are excellent antioxidants and help fight the negative effects of excess fats formed in the human blood. The secret of the magical effect of this drink lies in the fact that in the structure of green tea leaves there is a high level of catechins - elements that reduce the oxidation of lipoproteins, which causes the formation of negative deposits. As experiments conducted by scientists have shown, as a result of regular consumption of green tea (6-7 cups a day), the level of concentration of harmful substances in human blood plasma changes significantly.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs
People who suffer from diseases associated with an increased amount of body fat in the blood, often seek to eliminate the existing problem with the help of medications. In the study of this issue, today's medicine has stepped far ahead and provides for the presence of a large number of cholesterol-lowering pills. As practice shows, the most effective among them are alpha-lipoic acid, Clofibrate, Lexol, Baycol, Fenofibrate, and Colestid.
However, anyone who is concerned about their he alth regarding the level of this substance should understand that the selection of cholesterol-lowering pills cannot be done on their own, since using the wrong drug can only aggravate the situation or cause other diseases. To select the correctmedicines, you should consult a medical professional who will recommend a specific drug based on the results of these blood tests, as well as other studies.
Folk remedies
Those people who for some reason cannot afford treatment with medications and continue to think about how to lower cholesterol using other methods can turn their attention to options for eliminating the problem that have long been used in folk medicine. medicine. For a long time, those suffering from such a problem eliminate it using tinctures of various medicinal plants.
One of these is a remedy based on valerian and tansy. As practice shows, it is rather unpleasant in taste, but very effective. To prepare a healing decoction, you should take a glass of a mixture of dry tansy leaves and valerian, mixed in the same proportion. It must be poured with a glass of boiling water and insisted under the lid for at least a quarter of an hour. After preparing the decoction, it is recommended to eat a quarter cup for two weeks (once a day). The problem of elevated lipoprotein levels is eliminated for a fairly long period, provided that the person continues to eat right.
Many experts in traditional medicine claim that the best way to lower cholesterol is to eat flax seeds every day. They can also be used as an excellent medicine. It's getting readysimple: the desired amount of flax seeds must be ground using a coffee grinder, and then consumed in a teaspoon before eating. Some people prefer to add this compound to food, which is also very useful.
Another tool that helps in the fight against the problem under consideration is dried dandelion root ground in a coffee grinder. It should be eaten by a teaspoon before meals (every day).
Hawthorn fruit tincture also has a positive effect on blood cholesterol levels. In order to properly prepare it, you should pour a large spoonful of berries with a glass of boiling water (you can pre-dry them), cover with a lid and let it brew for a couple of hours. After the broth is ready, it should be filtered through a sieve or cheesecloth. The finished product should be taken every day in a small amount - 3 tablespoons immediately after meals.
From early childhood, every child knows that plantain is a medicinal plant that helps fight various ailments. If it is necessary to lower the level of negative lipoproteins, it can also serve as an excellent tool. To do this, you need to prepare the right tincture from it, which is made exclusively from fresh leaves and stalks of the plant. First, they should be thoroughly washed, crushed and squeezed to obtain healing juice. The liquid must be filtered and mixed with an equal amount of bee honey. The ingredients should be placed in a heat-resistant dish and then over very low heat until the mass becomesliquid (about 15 minutes). This procedure can also be performed in a water bath. The resulting composition is recommended to take a tablespoon twice a day.
And finally, another remedy to combat high cholesterol levels, made on the basis of dill seeds and valerian root. To prepare it, you should take a couple of tablespoons of dried seeds and, combining them with the same amount of crushed dry valerian root, pour boiling water in an amount of 500 ml. After mixing, the jar with the mixture should be covered with a lid and, wrapped in a towel, left in a warm place to infuse for 10-12 hours. After the specified period, the mixture should be thoroughly filtered through gauze. Next, add 4 tablespoons of bee honey to the resulting tincture, stir well until it is completely dissolved and send to a cold place for storage. It is necessary to drink such a remedy every day before the process of eating (a couple of tablespoons). As practice shows, the composition prepared according to this recipe is very effective and is recommended by many doctors for the treatment of the problem of high levels of negative lipoproteins in the blood.
Sports
Another reliable tool that definitely helps to reduce cholesterol levels in the body or prevent it from rising is sports. As statistics show, people who regularly engage in sedentary work, lead a passive lifestyle and do not pay attention to sports at all, are especially susceptible to this disease. That is why every person who wants to maintain their he alth innormal, is obliged to increase the level of daily physical activity for the body by signing up for a gym, aerobics, arranging morning exercises, jogging, or simply taking daily walks.
As practice shows, 30 minutes of simple exercises a day is enough to maintain the level of lipoproteins at a normal level. In addition, you should know that regular exercise significantly reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke.
