Managing Cholesterol

You need to check your lipid profile every 3 month to know about your derailed cholesterol and take seriously otherwise it will cause sudden death due to heart failure or attack.

Here are some tips for reducing cholesterol

1. Make a thick paste of curry leaves and consume one table spoon daily in empty stomach.

   
   




2. Consume chilli especially green chilli daily in curry and other dishes.

   
   




3. Consume ginger .

   
   




4. Oats meals helps to control cholesterol

   
   

Maintain a balanced diet and after check results still showing high then dont try again please consult doctor immediately and take medicines.

Dont take cholesterol silly. Its very serious.

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Cholestrol has many benefits and its definitely not your enemy. Infact low cholestrol is just as bad as high cholestrol levels. However, there are certain foods that are really bad for you and can quickly increase your bad cholestrol levels. So today I will tell you the clinically proven 5 worst foods. Bad cholestrol will increase heart related disease i.e, heart attack or strokes. Lest's start with food clinically proven

1. Dairy: Milk is for babies and cow milk is for baby cows. Now additionaly 99% of dairy products are pasturised which kills any benefits milk could have not to mention the toxins, harmones and drugs these animals are given highly concentrated in the milk which goes directly inside of you .

   
   




2. Fast Foods: It doesn't matter if it's burger, tacos, frenchfries, pizza or any thing else they are all high in carbohydrates, hydrogenates, saturated fats using unhealthy and toxic proteins simply saying cheap food which may be easy and good for wallet but it is bad for your cholestrol level and you will pay later in life.

   
   




3. Animal proteins: The saturated fats and marble fat found in meat, pork, poultry and shell-fish is horrible for your health and cholestrol levels. Now I have been noticed that even grass fed meat and free range poultry can still cause high cholestrol. So limit in your intake and more concentrate on vegetable proteins and fish especially wild calf and salmon.

   
   




4. Eggs: Thing with eggs neither will be good nor bad all the cholestrol can be located in the egg yolk which is why most experts says you should consume only egg white however most of the nutrients and antioxidants half the essential amino acids like protein also found in the egg yolk. The problem is when you cook the yolk such as bard boiled scrambled and fried eggs where the heat oxidizes the eggs and damages both the structure of fat and proteins. So the healthiest way to eat eggs is raw or lightly cooked so the yolk is still runny. My humb request dont fry it with butter or vegetable fats and make sure its organic free range eggs.

   
   




5. Baked foods/carbs ( snacks too) you see baked foods such as muffins, cakes, breads, donuts, cookies etc.this type of foods mostly eating in the morning when they are in rush to office. These are all bad because contains hydrogenated and saturated fat as well as dairy.

   
   

Note: under this same category snack food such as chips, pretzels and similar items are almost as bad as these baked foods.

Now probably your question may be you cant eat anything right unfortunately most of the best tasty and convenient foods are unhealthy for us.

You dont have to completely eliminate these foods however you should limit them. Overall limitation wins because intaking excess nectar is a poison right?

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Cholesterol is nothing but a fat like substance playing a unique role on every cells of our body. It is of two types LDL & HDL.

LDL is the bad cholesterol which breaks out of liver & finally remains in blood vessels. HDL is a good cholestrol breaks out from liver , travels throgh blood vessels and returns to the liver from where it has broken down. So we have nothing to do with HDL.

So today I will tell you easy remedy to reduce this LDL type of bad cholesterol with natural home available things.

Crush 3garlic with 3/4inch of ginger in two and half cups of water. Boil it and add handly chopped fresh coriander leaves. After 3mins of boiling turn off the flame and add 1/4 tea spoon of salt and black peper, with 1 table spoon of green tea leaves. Then close the lid and remain it for 10mins.

After 10mins strain it and drink daily on an empty stomach atleast a month to see the result.

If you follow this remedy for 2 to 3months then you can notice a drastic changes in your cholesterol level.

Important note : while following this remedy , please maintain your on time diets, proper sleep & 1hour of early morning walk to get best results.

Thanks with regards

Mahesh

If you feel this remedy as useful & helpful then please dont forget to give me your cheers like on clicking smiley symbol available at the bottom of this page.

Your valuable comments are most welcomed.

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Background

Friends - due to my hectic job demands before three years in twenties I have been diagnised with high cholesterol and BP. I have been advised with lots of medicine and I have almost went through the phase of depression. My family doctor told me something which I stil rememebr "Sajith, you want to gain something which a normal human being gain during forties. And you are succesfull also. But along with the success, you were gifted with the agonies of forties. Well, heart attack and diabetes is on the way. So, better slow down"

Being some one who always want to run ahead of time - applying break was something which I always hated to do. But yes - at the interest of health and at the interest of those who love me - I slowed down and thank god - everything is under control. Long way to go but still I am happy. With this small background let me share with you what I have learned during last three years. I researched a lot about the health parameters and would always love to share this with all as it will help you a lot. Especially when you approach a doctor, if your awareness level is better - it will help you to engage in healthy dialogue with doctor. So, this time - Cholesterol.

What is cholesterol -Cholesterol is a fatlike, steroid alcohol with the chemical structure C27-H45-OH. (Grrrr----- only chemistry students will follow this --- So let me make it simple for you)

Cholesterol is an integral part of each cell in the body. It is a waxy substance made naturally in the body. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly and it can make all it needs from some fats in the diet.

In a nutshell - it is some thing which is required at the desirable quantity and major part of cholesterol is produced in liver and minor part is being derived through our food intake.

Our body does need cholesterol to make bile salts, hormones and vitamin D.  as mentioned above, It is mainly produced by our liver. Cholesterol will build up on the artery walls when the level of cholesterol in the blood is too high. There are 2 main types of blood cholesterol:

Low Desnsity Lipoprotein (LDL) (the "Bad" cholesterol) and High Desnsity Lipoprotein HDL (the "Good" cholesterol).

WHY LDL IS BAD?

High amounts of the bad LDL will deposit cholesterol on the artery walls forming plaques. More and more plaques will narrow the arteries lumen and may eventually block blood flow. Therefore LDL is considered the "Bad" cholesterol.

Well friends - LDL can be controlled through regular exercise and diet control. (avoid fried food, oily food, as far as possible avoid hotel food etc.). All the medicines that are given for Cholesterol patients are meant to reduce LDL level.

WHY HDL IS GOOD?

The good HDL, on the other hand, takes excess cholesterol away and carries it back to the liver to be excreted. It can also remove some of the cholesterol already attached to the artery walls. Therefore HDL is considered the "Good" cholesterol as high levels of HDL in the blood can decrease the risk of heart disease. So far, no medicine is invented to increase HDL but physical activity can raise HDL level.

What is Triglyceride?

Triglycerides are the main form of fat in foods. After eating, our liver will process them. It is normal that our blood contains certain levels of triglycerides. However, if you consume excess calories regardless from any source - carbohydrates, fats or protein, our body will transform the excess calories into triglycerides for storage as body fat. Therefore it is more common to see high triglycerides in overweight or obese individuals. It can also increase the chance of heart disease. Normally, high cholesterol patients are found to have high triglycerides too.

Limits -I am aware of the normal range of over all cholesterol and the bifurcations but I am not attempting to brief it here as I think this need to be done by a certified physician. Also, the medication part is also skipped being it is a technical subject to be dealt by certified physician.

But I can definitely speak about prevention and other methods which you need to do if your cholesterol levels are high.

Prevention

A low-fat diet and adequate daily exercise prevents build-up of excess cholesterol levels in the body. It is necessary to avoid foodstuffs containing excessive fats, oils and animal proteins. The importance of exercise cannot be overemphasized. Also avoiding smoking, a predisposing factor to coronary artery disease, will help to reduce the incidence of complications.

Sum Up

-Always keep your weight under control

• Nothing can replace exercise. I suggest brisk walking / tread mill for minimum 45 minutes a day and that too with out any break. Breaks in between can be detrimental

  
  




• Analyse your diet and start cutting down on sugar, fat, fried items, junk food. I am sure - we will fail here if we aim at ambitious plan of fasting, cracking diet, having only sprouts and fruits etc. Never do this - always reduce the number of tea, quantity of junk food and supplement with fruits / salads and exercise.

  
  




• Try for full fruit diet once in a week.

  
  




• Never remain hungry. Hunger fast is always a bad solution

  
  

Also - if your tummy has grown out always remember - your heart started crying. This is the god's message for you to go for a healthy life style. If you ignore ------ well that is how population is being controlled.

Have a healthy life style and remember me!

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Importance of Having  a Breakfast .

Breakfast can help prevent strokes, heart attack and sudden death. Advice on not to skip breakfast!

Healthy living

For those who always skip breakfast, you should stop that habit now! You’ve heard many times that “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

Now, recent research confirms that one of the worst practices you can develop may be avoiding breakfast.

Why?

Because the frequency of heart attack, sudden death, and stroke peaks between 6:00a.m. and noon, with the highest incidence being between 8:00a.m. and 10:00a.m.What mechanism within the body could account for this significant jump in sudden death in the early morning hours?

We may have an Answer.

Platelet, tiny elements in the blood that keep us from bleeding to Death if we get a cut, can clump together inside our arteries due to Cholesterol or laque buildup in the artery lining. It is in the morning hours that platelets become the most activated and tend to form these internal blood clots at the greatest frequency.

However, eating even a very light breakfast prevents the morning platelet activation that is associated with heart attacks and strokes.

Studies performed at Memorial University in St.Johns, Newfoundland found that eating a light, very low-fat breakfast was critical in modifying the morning platelet activation.

Subjects in the study consumed either low-fat or fat-free yogurt, orange juice, fruit, and a source of protein coming from yogurt or fat-free milk.

So if you skip breakfast, it’s important that you change this practice immediately in light of this research. Develop a simple plan to eat cereal, such as oatmeal or Bran Flakes, along with six ounces of grape juice or orange juice, and perhaps a piece of fruit.

This simple plan will keep your platelets from sticking together, keep blood clots from forming, and perhaps head off a potential Heart Attack or stroke.

So never ever skip a breakfast.

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This is a new theory which has come to my knowledge very recently and I thought that I should also share with you all.

A few days back my Father in law was admitted in a nursing home due to severe chest pain. He had an attack in 1997 and was undergoing normal treatment.

Due to the sudden pain just 15 days back we once again got him admitted in a private nursing home at Kandivli. The doctors later suggested for Angiography. We conducted the Angiography at Hinduja Hospital and knew from the reports that he has multiple blockages . The doctor told that he cannot undergo Angioplasty due to several blockages but suggested By - Pass - Surgery.

The same day evening we bought him home since the doctor suggested that his heart is very weak and we can perform the by-pass only after 15 - 20 days.

In the mean time we were discussing this issue with our relatives and friends, we got this new information from one of our family friends.

There is a new therapy in the market which is known as:- Chelating Therapy.

According to this therapy any patient who has to undergo by-pass need not undergo the same. The patient is given approx. 18 bottles of blood wherein some medicines are injected alongwith it. The blood cleans the system and removes all the blockages from the heart. The no. of bottles may increase depending upon the age factor and health of the patient. The cost of the blood per bottle would be approx. Rs. 2, 500/-. The treatment takes approx.

1 month of time. There are only 4 doctors in India and one of them is Dr.

Dhananjay Shah at Malad (Mumbai) another at Karnataka.

He has a list of patients who had to undergo by-pass from Lilavati, Hinduja and other major hospitals but after undergoing the above treatment they are absolutely fine and leading a normal life.

I give below the Doctors details for your info:-

Dr. Dhananjay Shah.

(Disp) : 2889 2089

Mob: 98194 39657

shahdhananjay@rediffmail.com.

I hope the above information would be of any help to you. Kindly pass on the message to the people you know and one can save huge amount of money, time and risk of undergoing the operation.

Life is precious! Please take care!!

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Stress is epidemic in the western world. Over two-thirds of office visits to physicians are for stress related illness. Stress is a major contributing factor either directly or indirectly, to coronary artery disease, cancer, respiratory disorders, accidental injuries, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide stress aggravates other conditions such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, herpes, mental illness, alcoholism, drug abuse, and family discord and violence.

Stress is a state of tension that is created when a person responds to the demands and pressures that come from work, family and other external sources, as well as those that are internally generated from self imposed demands, obligations and self-criticism.

Stress is both additive and cumulative. It adds up over time until a state of crisis is reached and symptoms appear. These symptoms may manifest themselves psychologically as irritability, anxiety, impaired concentration, mental confusion, poor judgment, frustration and anger. They may appear as physical symptoms. Common physical symptoms of stress include: muscle tension, headaches, low back pain, insomnia and high blood pressure. Untreated, these symptoms may lead to physical illness and sometimes death.

Why Exercise?

When you exercise, you blow off steam in a productive manner and build stamina. In the process, you reduce your level of anxiety and will start to look and feel much better. Exercise on a regular basis, three or four times per week, and by all means, make it fun. If it helps, find an exercise buddy. You'll be feeling better in no time!

Positive Self-Talk.What's That?

Have you ever heard the saying that talking to yourself is okay, but if you start answering yourself, there's something wrong? Well here's news for you! Holding inner conversations can be quite useful. For example, if you are nervous about giving a presentation, use'self-talk' to tell yourself you can do it! Don't use self-talk in a negative sense. That will only hinder you progress. Instead, use reinforcing self-talk like, 'It worked, ''You did it, ''You can be proud .'

Not that Good Nutrition Thing Again

As they say, 'You are what you eat.' To avoid stress, avoid certain foods. Caffeine, taken in large amounts, is detrimental to your well being. Also try to avoid eating a lot of simple carbohydrates like candy, cake, cookies, etc. You may get a'quick high' as with caffeine, but that'high' will quickly end, and you will feel more tired than when you began. The foods to eat are complex carbohydrates and lots of fruits and vegetables. Your body will get everything it needs, and soon, as with exercise, you'll start to look and feel better!

Relaxation

Any exercise can aid in relaxation. Continued use of these relaxation techniques can improve your physical and emotional health quickly.

1. Deep breathing: Get comfortable, close your eyes, breathe slowly from the diaphragm.

   
   




2. Relax each part of your body: Start at scalp and go down. Eyes, cheeks, jaw, back of neck, arms, shoulders, chest, stomach, lower back, legs, feet, toes.

   
   




3. Take 15 minutes to sit and daydream about a special place. See everything, try smelling smells and hearing sounds.

   
   




4. Tense up all muscles for seven seconds and then relax for seven seconds.

   
   




5. Listen to soothing music.

   
   




6. Take a power nap(no more than 30 minutes).

   
   




7. Shake your worries away by shaking each limb.

   
   




8. Laugh, smile, have fun!

   
   

Tips for Coping with Stress

1. Hang a'Do Not Disturb' sign on your door. Read, exercise, nap.

   
   




2. Visit a museum or church, browse in a bookstore.

   
   




3. Practice listening to others talk: do one thing at a time.

   
   




4. Drop annoying, time-consuming acquaintances, activities and obligations.

   
   




5. Freely express feelings of joy, grief, disappointment.

   
   




6. Stop trying to remember everything. Write things down; make notes to yourself.

   
   




7. Allow more time than you think you'll need for catching trains, buses, planes.

   
   




8. Prepare to wait for everything - haircuts, appointments, payments.

   
   




9. Rid your life of clutter. If you haven't worn it or used it for a year, give it away.

   
   




10. Plan tomorrow before the end of the day.

    
    




11. Take a walk, there's nothing like a bit of activity to get rid of your stress. Most people end up feeling a sense of achievement.

    
    

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Just recently I had a burst blood vessel in my eye, and I went to the doctors to see if anything was untoward. He gave me a thorough going over, by checking my blood pressure and eyesight among other things. He also took a blood sample and sent this off for testing.

On returning a week later to see him for the result, he diagnosed that I had slightly high Cholesterol and put me on a course of Lipitor Tablets. He told me that these tablets belong to medicines that are known as Lipid regulating medicines and are taken orally with water to reduce the fats in my blood known as Cholesterol and Triglycerides.

He asked me if anyone in my family has or is suffering from high Cholesterol as this is known to happen. I told him that my mother suffered from heart disease and my brother has high Cholesterol.

These Lipitor tablets are white and oval in shape and contain Atorvastatin Calcium trihydrate in strengths 10, 20, 40, or 80mg of the active ingredient Atorvastatin. As my Cholesterol is only slightly high, my doctor prescribed the 10mg strength for me. The tablets come in aluminium-foiled blister packs and come in boxes containing 28.

Other(inactive ingredients) are calcium carbonate, microcrystalline cellulose, lactose, croscarmellose sodium, polysorbate 80, hydoxypropyl cellulose, and magnesium stearate.

On the information leaflet that comes with the packet of tablets, it states that you can take them at any time of the day. My doctor told me to take the tablets at night before going to bed. The reason he told me to take regularly at the same time each night is that: Lipitor tablets can take a while to be absorbed into the bloodstream.

He also told me not to have much red meat or fatty foods, as these help to increase levels of Cholesterol. Foods he told me to eat are vegetables and fruit. I have also increased my exercise routines to enable my blood pressure to be reduced, as this is also a factor in my high Cholesterol level. I did get more exercise a few years ago when I managed and trained a local junior football side in which my son played.

So anyone out there, take note that exercise does help keep you fit and healthy.

As with all medicines(especially those prescribed by the doctor), some side effects may occur. These can be sickness, stomach pains, headaches, muscle pains, and diarrhoea. At the moment I have not suffered from any ill effects by taking Lipitor tablets. If I do get any of the above or any other side effects, I shall consult my doctor straight away, as other problems may be occurring with my health, and you only live once. According to the leaflet you should not take Lipitor if you are pregnant, breast-feeding or suffering from liver problems. If in doubt, then talk to your doctor.

There are some more useful tips that the doctor passed on to me for a healthier lifestyle. Some of these are on the leaflet that comes with the Lipitor tablets.

See your doctor or nurse for regular check-ups

Stop smoking

Reduce saturated fats and replace some of these with monounsaturates or polyunsaturates

Take regular exercise, such as swimming, walking or dancing

Keep an active sex life

Keep your levels of alcohol intake fairly low, although a glass of red wine will keep your heart healthy(I like a glass now and again)

Keep your weight down to reasonable level

Finally, relax and laugh

People do say that laughter is the best medicine.

Lipitor is a registered trademark and is manufactured by: Pfizer Ltd, Walton Oaks, Dorking Road, Tadworth, Surrey, UK, KT20 7NS.

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A lot of the research I have done on what I write below is both the effort of my doctor, what I have fed back to him based on trials on my ownself as well as several hours of reading. However I am not a qualified medical professional and therefore confirm with your own physician before following my advice.

A lot more Indians suffer from high lipid levels than do

most races. However the lipid profile of indians(especially high carbohydrate eating vegetarians especially from the the south of india) tends to be somewhat like this.

1. The highest values are noticed in Triglycerides

   
   




2. LDL is near normal sometimes high

   
   




3. HDL cholesterol tends to be below normal.

   
   

The lipid profile of indians described above tends to

be so.primarily driven by high triglycerides. This is

what happens.

1. Triglyceride values are high(I will explain why)

   
   




2. That drives down the HDL values

   
   




3. eventually LDL starts going up due to low HDL values

   
   

Just for the uninitiated, HDL is High Density Lipoprotein and is called Good cholesterol and the highher it is the better. LDL is called Low density lipoprotein

and is called Bad Cholesterol and the lower it is its better. Finally Triglycerides are what I call very bad

cholesterol and they need to be low as well.

When we see a high cholesterol reading what we tend to do is cut down on fat, go and exercise and drink wine to

increase HDL values and then go and do a lab test to find that our triglycerides have gone up even higher and that the HDL has gone even lower.

What happens is this, Triglycerides go up not so much

because of fat intake, but because of intaking refined sugars, alcohols and carbohydrates. It somehow seems also

to be tied to a lower than normal protein intake.

Lowered fat intake does nothing in this case, because

the carbohydrates that you eat get converted into fats anyways and get stored in your gut(if you have a big gut go check your lipids and see what your TG looks like). The effect of exercise is also not visible because higher triglycerides compensates the good effect of exercise and has a bigger effect it seems in lowering HDL.

What needs to be done is as follows

1. If you have a high lipid reading driven by TG, treat

yourself like a diabetic and cut down on sugars and

excess carb intake

1. dont drink wine.wine increases triglyceride levels

which in turn reduces HDL values(which wine is supposed

to increase) so it has the opposite effect

1. exercise regularly

   
   




2. If none of this works, go and ask your doctor if you

   
   

can take 1 to 2 gms of slow/extended release niacin

It is better than medicines like lipitor because it

has fewer side effects and it lowers triglycerides

which is what you want

1. If you have any lipid problem insist that your doctor

test for homocystine. High Homocystine levels are

another special problem for indians. You may need upto

4 mgs(my doc says Homocystine metabolism is messed

up for indians so the usual max of 2 mgs does not

always work.this was my case also).

1. High TG levels is also the road to diabetes, since one

of its effects(and cause too) is insulin resistance.

So ask for a Glucose Tolerance test(Glycosalated Hemoglobin test is useful to diagnose diabetes.GTT can

give you trends sometimes).

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Let me clarify what we mean Cholesterol here is “BAD CHOLESTEROL”(LDL;i.e.low density lipoprotein)which is getting deposited inside the the arteries causing **“ATHEROSCLEROSIS”which hinders blood circulation to the heart causing total blochage of circulation;which is commonly called as “HEART ATTACK”.

When level of this bad cholesterol rises in body;it may not give any symptoms;even if it causes “Hypertension”(High Blood Pressure).That is the reason it is called “SILENT KILLER”.

In advance cases chest; arm or jaw pain(sometimes TOOTHACHE also).these are signs which signify impeding Heart Attack.

There are other symptoms of coming heart attack;

i)Unexplained sweating all over with cold body.

ii)Unexplained dizziness;weakess; or faintness.

iii)In rare case typical book picture like squeezing;crushing chest pain may occur!

HOW TO PREVENT IT?

• 1) If you are “OBESE”(BMI more than 25) you must give serious thought to lose weight

(you must give first priorities)

2) Cut down intake of “Saturated fat” use vegetable oil(Olive;Saffola-safflower-cardi

oil;Corn oil)

3) Balanced diet- having raw salads; fruits; soups; green vegetable; Fish.(Bangda;

Salmon; tuna; sardines.(Omit red meat; organ meat like brain; kidney; spleen etc.)

4) Do not eat full; eat small frequent meal.

5) Stop smoking or any form of tobacco.

6) Physical exercise(NOT GYM!).Natural exercise like “BRISK WALK; JOGGING;

SWIMMING.

7) If your are a patient of high B.P.;then regular intake of tablets and checking BP(not at

home);do it at doctor’s clinic both sitting position and lying down position.

(SUPPLEMENTS) VITAMIN—

There are certain vitamins called as “ANTI-OXIDANTS”they help in many ways;they are SAFE.They inactivate free radicals(which can damage cells).They are—

i)Vitamin-E-prevents first step in development of plaque-ocidation of Bad

Cholesterol.

ii)Vitamin-C; It helps to recycle Vit-E; keep arteries flexible.(Not very high

dose)

iii)Beta-Carotene- they protect against heart diseases.

iv) Folic Acid—it reduces homocysteine(which is responsible for hear attack)

v)Omega3 fatty acids(in fish and flaxseed) reduce Triglycerides.

There are methods  and methods;but it depends upon you what to take;how to take up these habits;to prevent cholesterol!

Dr.Shafique Pathan.

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Most of you must be having your weekly off today. I suggest you to spare some time and think about your health.

Recently I came to know about some cases of heart attack where patients are in the age group of 26 to 32. One of my friends, Mr. Shah, has to go for bypass surgery who is around 38. According to one of the cardiologist, there is an increasing trend due to change in life style. I have written my opinion / suggestions on Overweight and Obesity(in four parts). There I have mentioned about Lipid Profile but in very short. Here I shall try to share more information about Lipid Profile and related subject.

What is Lipid?

-

Lipid is one large group of fatty or oily essential for good health. Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Lipids are class of compounds available in all living beings. Animal Fat, Plant oils, Animal sex hormones, and vitamin A, D, E, K, egg yolk, embryos of grains and other cereals are foods rich in lipids.

Why it is important?

-

Lipids are vital to animals and plants in many ways. This is a concentrated source of energy. Energy yield from lipids is very high and may be twice that of equal amount of carbohydrates or proteins. Lipid is stored in bone marrows, tissues beneath the skin, in the intestines and tissues around body organs consist of stored lipids.

Certain lipids form an essential part of the membranes that enclose and protect living cell. Similar membranes surround all bodies within the cell so that each cell body can perform its job without any interference from each others.

There are two types of Lipid; Simple Lipid and Complex Lipid. Chemistry is very complicated so I do not want go into details due to my limitation.

What is Lipid Profile?

-

Cholesterol is a type of lipid which is essential for good health but within certain limits. I repeat, Cholesterol is good if it is within prescribed limits.

Cholesterol is an important part of membranes of cells in our body. Liver uses cholesterol to produce ‘Bile Acids’ act as a digestion aid. Our body produces hormones with the help of cholesterol. Hormones influence body activities.

Triglycerides are one more lipid stored by cells for energy. Cholesterol and Triglycerides are the two major fatty substances in the blood. Both are carried through the blood by Lipo-proteins. There are two types of Lipo-proteins – Low Density Lipo-proteins(LDL) and High Density Lipo-proteins(HDL). Cholesterol in blood can be identified as LDL Cholesterol and HDL Cholesterol.

LDL can be found on the walls of arteries of our heart. High level of LDL Cholesterol is primary cause of heart attack. People normally have more LDL-Cholesterol in blood than HDL Cholesterol.

Lipid Profile is an analysis of blood that indicates amount of Cholesterol and Triglycerides in mg/deciliters

Factors causing high cholesterol level

-

Cellular molecules called LDL-receptors control the amount of cholesterol in the body. Reason for high LDL Cholesterol in our blood is due to consumption of food that is having high cholesterol or saturated fat content. Saturated fats are available in animal fats and vegetable fats. Selection of right kind of edible is very important because in India we consume lot of fried food and sweets. In case of ready to eat food, we really do not know what they are using. Vanaspati and Pure Ghee are full of cholesterol and widely used for tasty food.

People may have high cholesterol due to some abnormal Gene that prevents formation of LDL receptors. This is an inherited disorder. Once should consult Experienced Doctor.

Other factors that can be the cause for high cholesterol are malfunctioning of thyroid gland, kidney diseases, diabetes and use of various medicines. Once should consult Experienced Doctor.

Limits of Lipids(normal range)

-

Total Cholesterol – 140 - 250 mg/dl

HDL Cholesterol – 35 to 65 mg/dl

LDL Cholesterol – 90 to 160 mg/dl

VLDL Cholesterol – Max. 35 mg/dl

Triglycerides –  25 to 160 mg/dl.

-

I have written this article to increase awareness. Please consult an Experienced Doctor for advice on Lipid Profile and general health. Analysis should be by a Reputed Pathological Laboratory only. I am not very sure of the reliability of automatic machines being used by small laboratories.

-

I go for Lipid Profile check every year because somehow I am managing to be within the limits. Your doctor is the right person to advice you about the frequency of the test and medication / corrective actions, if required.

-

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Watch out you skinny guys out there! You may be the ones with high cholesterol level. How I know this was through a personal experience of my college mate.

I had always thought that high cholesterol level was for people who are on the'round' side until my friend told me that she had this high cholesterol level in her and it is hereditary. I was shocked to hear it from her because she was skinny. At forty, she could still fit into her pair of jeans she had been wearing since she was eighteen years old. I asked her whether she was serious about it or whether she was joking and her answer was'No'.

All the while, I had been the one who was particular about cholesterol level because I have never been skinny. I guess this is also hereditary unless I go all out to exercise. However, when I went to have a check-up at the clinic, I was told that my cholesterol level was in fact very low. I took the opportunity to ask the doctor about my'skinny' friend who had high cholesterol level and the doctor said that one of the factors is that it is hereditary. The other reason is perhaps more psychological because when a person is skinny, he or she will not be as conscious as those on the plump side and will tend to eat all kinds of food that has high cholesterol level thinking that it would not cause any harm because they are skinny. But NO! They may be proved wrong.

So, my advise to all out there! I don't mean to scare you guys who are in the'skinny' category and I am also not trying to be bland but take it in good faith.

Why not go for a check-up to make sure that your cholesterol level is O.K., then you can eat anything under the sun fearlessly. Take care and stay healthy.

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Fat and Cholesterol go hand in hand. I have followed a low fat eating plan for over 14 years and my cholesterol count shows that. It is also a good way to lose weight.

You would be surprised what has fat in it. There are the obvious things such as fried foods, chips, and all those snacking type foods and meat. That you expect.

When my doctor first told me to go low fat one of the things he said to eat was fish. He did not specify that it should be white fish only and when I checked out the fat content in salmon, which I loved I soon found out it was very high and I dropped it from my diet.

Asparagrus is a vegatable that is high in fat and who would think veggies aren't good for you? I am not saying never have these things. Some things I dropped all together, and others I allow myself once in awhile a small taste.

Peanut butter is loaded with fat and another of my favorite foods. I buy the lesser fat one that is super expensive and have it maybe once a month.

Basically if you want to lower your fat intake, broil or bake all foods, nothing fried.If you must fry it use non stick cookware of high quality that requires not adding any oil or butter.

Eat healthy snacks when you must snack like fruit, dried fruits, even popcorn not dripping in butter just butter flavored.

Eat lots of green leafy vegatables. I buy many no fat items. Some are terrible and some are really good. All my salad dressings are no fat and they taste normal to me.

I eat boneless, skinless chicken breast broiled, white turkey and white fish. If I have any other type such as red meat it is once every 2 weeks and in a small quantity.

Watch the dairy products. Again there is a lot of fat. I buy egg substitutes which are real eggs with out the yolks as the yolk is the part with the fat or you can use regular eggs and take the yolk out.

I started with whole milk, adjusted to 2% then down to 1% and now I use skimmed. Once you get used to it you will never know the difference.

Ask your doctor about a low fat program for yourself. I lost 60 pounds eating this way and in 15 years have only gained back 20 of it and that is because I started to cheat on the plan.

We only have one life to live so let's live it healthy and as long as possible.

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Managing Cholesterol in this day and age of fast food and convenience foods is really hard.

I went to the doctor about 2 years ago and was told that my cholesterol was on the high side.  The doctor then proceeded to give me some advice on how to lower it, without medication.

Here are a few of the tips that my doctor recommended.

Add whole grains to my diet.  In the morning, instead of eating an egg and a muffin.  Have some oatmeal(or any whole grain cereal) with skim milk and some fruit.

Use only polyunsaturated fats and oils when cooking.  And use as little as possible of this too.

Eat at least 4 servings of fresh fruit and veggies, every day.  No exceptions.  Every day!

Consume less red meat and more fish and poultry(without the skin).  Boil, broil, bake or grill your fish and poultry.  Add all the spices you like(spices are good for lowering cholesterol too)and you won't miss the fried taste, which we've all come to like.

Have a glass of wine with your meal.  Strange as it sounds, it helps lower cholesterol too.(I said 1 glass, not 1 bottle!)

Exercise, get enough rest and drink lots of water too.

I did all this for 3 months.  At the end of 3 months, I returned to the doctor, and to my surprise, my cholesterol level was lower by 30 points.

Although still not low enough according to the doctor, I continued following his instructions and and on my next visit(another 3 months) my cholesterol level was.below what the doctor wanted it to be!

I basically try to stick to this type of diet, although there are times I love my piece of pie or cake.  I do cheat, but my cholesterol level is well under control now!

Try following the above suggestions, and I guarantee you'll drop some cholesterol points, and some pounds!  And you'll feel better in the long run.  =)

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We are living in a world where fast foods are becoming very popular in our fast life. That means, we need to be extra cautious with the food we eat. I thought of giving you ten quick health tips, to manage your cholesterol. They are,

1) Add fibre to your diet. Oats, fruits, cereals etc are fibrous food which can lower cholesterol.

2) Cook with oils containing polyunsaturated fats. Sunflower oil, sesame seed oil( gingelly oil) and similar oils help dissolve LDL -the bad cholesterol.

3) Eat more fresh fish. Fish has protein. Fish is high in cholesterol- fighting omega 3 acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat.

4) Add olive oil to all your salads. Because, olive oil contains monosaturated fat, another cholesterol fighter.

5) Exercise! Regular aerobic exercise increases HDL, the good cholesterol.

6) Reduce your saturated fat intake. Foods like beef, butter, whole milk dairy products and poultry skin are high in saturated fat. It is better to remove the skin off, when you cook poultry.

7) Watch your weight. Each pound of excess weight adds to your total blood cholesterol.

8) Eat eggs in moderation. An average of four eggs a week is a good target for a heart healthy diet.

9) Stop smoking. Smoking increases LDL and decreases HDL .

10) Have your cholesterol checked every month. Ask your doctor to check your cholesterol levels. If you find it high, you can correct it with proper diet.

If you follow all these ten tips, you are sure to manage your cholesterol. Manage your cholesterol and live a longer, healthier life!

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