How high can my cholesterol level be?
The LDL value should be below 130 mg/dl, lower in risk patients, and measure how much cholesterol is circulating in the body. The HDL value should be over 50 mg/dl – in any case, as high as possible. It tells you how much cholesterol from the periphery gets back into the liver. The total cholesterol level has an average value of up to 200 mg/dl. More important than the total cholesterol level much cholesterol per day, however, is the ratio of LDL to HDL. If the “good” cholesterol is higher, a slightly higher LDL level is not dangerous either. In this article, we read about How much cholesterol per day?
How can I contribute to lower cholesterol levels myself?
Sports
An endurance exercise program that keeps you breathless can increase HDL levels and reduce the risk of heart attacks. However, people with high blood pressure and heart disease should never start exercising without their doctor’s approval. The doctor should also determine the intensity with which the training is to be carried out, and this must be monitored using a pulse rate monitor. The pulse rate formula 180 minus age is only used as a guide.
Nourishment
Since only a tiny part of the cholesterol in the body comes from food, a low-cholesterol diet does not make much sense. Nevertheless, numerous studies have found a connection between diet and blood lipid levels. There is, therefore, a recommendation to eat with as little cholesterol as possible. While plant foods do not contain any, all foods of animal origin (eggs, meat, milk) are high in cholesterol.
Therefore, people with elevated blood lipid levels should
- little animal food,
- predominantly vegetable food,
- 2-3x per week fish,
- high-quality vegetable oils and
- Consume as little alcohol and sugar as possible.
The cholesterol-lowering effect of this diet may be due to the higher proportion of omega-3 fatty acids found in vegetable oil, nuts, and fish. Dietary fiber, certain bitter substances, plant sterols, lecithin, and various vitamins and minerals, as found in this type of diet, also positively influences blood lipid levels.
Omega-3 fatty acids
In 1944, the British biochemist Dr. Hugh Sinclair found that the Eskimos living in Canada were extremely rare in having cardiovascular disease. However, since they ate a high-fat diet and hardly ate any fresh fruit and vegetables, Sinclair recognized the connection between their fish-rich diet with a high proportion of omega-3 fatty acids as the reason for their heart protection. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish, whose usability for the body is much better than that from vegetable oils, can lower the total cholesterol level and the triglyceride levels by up to 20% (!). Conversely, a deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids can be a reason for increased cholesterol levels.
Suppose the body is supplied with at least 1-2 g of omega-3 fatty acids per day through food or nutritional supplements. In that case, it increasingly produces certain tissue hormones (so-called prostaglandins), which reduce its cholesterol synthesis and inhibit inflammation in the body. Omega-3 fatty acids are therefore also used successfully in rheumatic diseases. They also promote blood circulation much cholesterol per day, lower blood pressure, and reduce the accumulation of blood platelets, thus forming blood clots in the blood vessels. In several current studies, the intake of at least 1-2 g omega-3 fatty acids per day has reduced the probability of dying from coronary heart disease by 36% (!) And that of sudden cardiac death by as much as 45% (!).
The following natural substances lower the cholesterol level in different ways:
Water-soluble fiber
As found in oat bran, psyllium husks and various fruit and vegetables bind bile salts rich in cholesterol. So that fat digestion is not impaired much cholesterol per day, the liver is forced to remove cholesterol from the blood to produce more bile. The level of cholesterol in the bloodstream decreases.
Bitter substances
Such as those found in wormwood, artichoke, and yarrow, which promote bile secretion. This improves fat digestion and has a positive effect on cholesterol levels, as cholesterol used to build up bile secretions. They can be supplied in the form of teas, coated tablets, and juices.
Garlic
inhibits the body’s cholesterol production, lowers LDL and triglycerides, and increases HDL. It also has a vasodilating and slightly blood-thinning effect and can therefore also help lower blood pressure. The necessary dose is 2 to 3 cloves of fresh garlic per day. Garlic extract preparations have proven to be an odorless alternative.
Lecithin
e.g., from the soy plant, can lower triglycerides, total and LDL cholesterol, and increase HDL values. A pleasant side effect: Lecithin also improves memory performance.
Plant
Sterols, which found in nuts, vegetable oils, and grains, have a structure similar to cholesterol. As a result, they compete with cholesterol molecules for binding sites for absorption into the body. The more plant sterols that get into the intestine with food, the less chance cholesterol will absorb. As a result, most of it except. Plant sterols have recently added to margarine and dairy products more and more frequently, and recently also to a multivitamin preparation.
Diet-related deficiencies in manganese, vitamin E, vitamin B3, chromium, and magnesium lead to lowered HDL values. Their supply can bring the blood lipids into balance.
Since vitamin C is essential for breaking down cholesterol in the body, a deficiency increases cholesterol levels in the liver and blood. As a potent antioxidant, like coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, and selenium, it also reduces LDL oxidation, reducing LDL deposits in the blood vessels.
If you like to work with Schüßler salts, you should take numbers 7, 9, 19, 26, and 27 for a more extended period to lower your cholesterol level.
You can also contribute to cardiovascular health with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). However, the method is not suitable for self-experiments. And should therefore only use after a detailed examination by a specialist doctor.
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