We now know that keeping cholesterol in a healthy range is important for avoiding a heart attack or stroke.
The only real disagreement amongst medical professionals is how to get there.
Certainly there will always be those who believe that prescription medications, such as statins, are the best way to achieve our goals.
Nevertheless, there is a growing number of experts that advocate natural cholesterol control as a safe and effective alternative.
Natural cholesterol control is generally considered to be marriage of diet, exercise, and natural cholesterol supplements, if needed, to provide a safe and effective long term solution, void of the harmful side effects so often associated with prescription medications.
A natural cholesterol approach can be quite effective in reining in high cholesterol once and for all.
What are some recommended benchmarks to strive for It is generally suggested that for overall blood cholesterol to be considered in a healthy range it should be no higher than 215 mg/dl.
We should not allow our LDL (bad cholesterol) to balloon over 130, and perhaps the most important of all HDL (good cholesterol) should be kept over 50, preferably over 60.
Why is HDL so important It is generally accepted that for every point your LDL decreases your chances of heart attack decrease by 2 percent.
Conversely, for every one percent increase in HDL levels, the risk of heart attack drops 4 percent.
Think of HDL or good cholesterol as scavenger molecules that gather and carry excess cholesterol out of the body.
Many experts believe that if your HDL is high enough LDL really doesn't matter.
While some might disagree with this evaluation what isn't in dispute is that optimal heart health cannot be achieved if your LDL is more than 4 times higher than your HDL.
A natural cholesterol control plan *Diet: Any natural cholesterol plan worth committing to must include a few fairly stringent guidelines.
These would include no more than 7 percent of calories from saturated fat, and less than 200 mg of saturated fat per day.
Our diet should also include foods high in soluble fiber such as oatmeal and oat bran along with foods containing plant stanols and sterols.
*Staying active is key: There are very few ways to elevate HDL levels consistently with exercise being one of the most effective.
A exercise plan consisting of 4 or more days a week lasting for 25 minutes or more is suggested.
If you are a man with a waistline over 40, or a women with a waistline over 35 you are at added risk of heart attack and stroke making staying active even more important.
* Cholesterol reduction supplements - A natural cholesterol management program would not be complete without enlisting the help of a cholesterol reduction supplement.
This type of product, when formulated correctly, can provide that added boost needed to balance good cholesterol in a sustainable heart healthy range.
The only real disagreement amongst medical professionals is how to get there.
Certainly there will always be those who believe that prescription medications, such as statins, are the best way to achieve our goals.
Nevertheless, there is a growing number of experts that advocate natural cholesterol control as a safe and effective alternative.
Natural cholesterol control is generally considered to be marriage of diet, exercise, and natural cholesterol supplements, if needed, to provide a safe and effective long term solution, void of the harmful side effects so often associated with prescription medications.
A natural cholesterol approach can be quite effective in reining in high cholesterol once and for all.
What are some recommended benchmarks to strive for It is generally suggested that for overall blood cholesterol to be considered in a healthy range it should be no higher than 215 mg/dl.
We should not allow our LDL (bad cholesterol) to balloon over 130, and perhaps the most important of all HDL (good cholesterol) should be kept over 50, preferably over 60.
Why is HDL so important It is generally accepted that for every point your LDL decreases your chances of heart attack decrease by 2 percent.
Conversely, for every one percent increase in HDL levels, the risk of heart attack drops 4 percent.
Think of HDL or good cholesterol as scavenger molecules that gather and carry excess cholesterol out of the body.
Many experts believe that if your HDL is high enough LDL really doesn't matter.
While some might disagree with this evaluation what isn't in dispute is that optimal heart health cannot be achieved if your LDL is more than 4 times higher than your HDL.
A natural cholesterol control plan *Diet: Any natural cholesterol plan worth committing to must include a few fairly stringent guidelines.
These would include no more than 7 percent of calories from saturated fat, and less than 200 mg of saturated fat per day.
Our diet should also include foods high in soluble fiber such as oatmeal and oat bran along with foods containing plant stanols and sterols.
*Staying active is key: There are very few ways to elevate HDL levels consistently with exercise being one of the most effective.
A exercise plan consisting of 4 or more days a week lasting for 25 minutes or more is suggested.
If you are a man with a waistline over 40, or a women with a waistline over 35 you are at added risk of heart attack and stroke making staying active even more important.
* Cholesterol reduction supplements - A natural cholesterol management program would not be complete without enlisting the help of a cholesterol reduction supplement.
This type of product, when formulated correctly, can provide that added boost needed to balance good cholesterol in a sustainable heart healthy range.
SHARE
