Steps To Lower High Cholesterol- A Risk Factor For Cardiovascular Disease

17 percent of the U.S. population has high cholesterol- one of the major cardiovascular disease and stroke risk factors- two leading causes of death in the United States. As there are usually no symptoms, high cholesterol often remains untreated. When you have high (LDL- bad) cholesterol, you may develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels which will make it difficult for adequate blood flow through your arteries, which in turn increases the risk for a heart attack or stroke. Good (HDL) cholesterol, on the other hand helps remove bad cholesterol from the bloodstream, as well as reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The best way to deal with out-of-hospital cardiac emergencies is by getting trained in the life-saving CPR procedure. The procedure comprises chest compressions and rescue breaths. Proper application can revive the life of a victim by restoring normal heart rhythm. Select a certified training site for acquiring training.

Benefits Of Cholesterol:

When we talk about cholesterol, we think of it in a negative light, but it plays a very important role in the functioning of the human body, such as HDL or good cholesterol helps to maintain the structure of cells and vessels, which helps improve the overall health and function in the body; HDL cholesterol also helps with the body’s digestion process by helping the liver create bile; last, but not the least, cholesterol helps with hormone production that helps our bodies function properly.

High Cholesterol Causes:

Some of the common causes include

1.      Eating saturated fat (unhealthy fat) in excess, which can be found in beef, pork, milk, eggs, butter, and cheese. It is very important that you check food labels as packaged foods are also said to have high levels of saturated fat.

2.      Family history is another cause, as disorders like hyperlipidemia and hypercholesterolemia can be inherited that can lead to dangerously high blood cholesterol.

3.      If you smoke, just quit it if you already suffer from high cholesterol as smoking is known to increase the damage done by your cholesterol levels.

4.      Obesity and lack of exercise is likely to increase your risk for high cholesterol.

Tips to lower cholesterol:

According to experts, some small changes to your diet can help lower cholesterol, which in turn will lower your risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke. Foods like oats, nuts, beans, tea, fatty fish, red wine, whole grains like barley, vegetable oils, etc. can improve your cholesterol.

It is advisable that you get your cholesterol screened from time to time and better to have your primary care doctor run your cholesterol test during your annual preventive exam. Your primary care doctor, in accordance to your cholesterol numbers can recommend a treatment and prevention plan, as well as follow-up testing.

To sign up for a CPR course at the AHA certified CPR Memphis, either register online, or call on 901-438-4200 for the same. Become certified at the end of the training classes after successfully passing a written exam and skills test.