Managing Your Cholesterol - The Best Way To Prevent Hearth Attacks

Cholesterol is one of the most familiar medical words today. Everyone knows “something” about it , but mostly cholesterol is associated in our mind with something “bad” and “unwanted” that happens to old and overweight people.The facts show that about 20 percent of the U.S. population has high blood cholesterol levels.

Actually holesterol is a waxy, fatlike substance (lipid) that your body needs for many important functions, such as producing new cells , some hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat.. It is present in cell walls or membranes everywhere in the body, including the brain, nerves, muscle, skin, liver, intestines, and heart.

In fact our bodies need cholesterol to function normally, but too much cholesterol can be bad for our health. Why ? Cholesterol and other fats can't dissolve in the blood. They have to be transported to and from the cells by special carriers. Cholesterol travels through your blood attached to a protein. This cholesterol–protein package is called a lipoprotein. Lipoproteins are high density or low density depending on how much protein there is in relation to fat.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the major cholesterol carrier in the blood. If too much LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the walls of the arteries feeding the heart and brain. Together with other substances it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can clog those arteries. When the coronary arteries become narrowed or clogged by cholesterol and fat deposits (a process called atherosclerosis) and cannot supply enough blood to the heart, the result is coronary heart disease. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by total blockage of a coronary artery, the result is a heart attack. This is usually due to a sudden closure from a blood clot forming on top of a previous narrowing. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is called "bad" cholesterol because it can cause cholesterol buildup and blockage of your arteries. LDL is mostly fat with only a small amount of protein.

About one-third to one-fourth of blood cholesterol is carried by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Medical experts think HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it's passed from the body. Some experts believe HDL removes excess cholesterol from plaques and thus slows their growth. HDL is called "good" cholesterol because it helps prevent cholesterol from building up in your arteries. It is mostly protein with only a small amount of fat.

Since there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol it is not only necessary to know your cholesterol level ,it is also important to know your levels of LDL and HDL.

The fact is that there are no symptoms of high cholesterol. Your first symptom of high cholesterol could be a heart attack or a stroke. The level of cholesterol can be measured only with a blood test.The results come as three main numbers:

· Total Cholesterol
· LDL
· HDL

The level of LDL should be less than 160.

Total cholesterol should be less than 200.

The level of HDL should be more than 35.

Most Important: Your LDL level is a good indicator of your risk for heart disease. Lowering LDL is the main aim of treatment if you have high cholesterol. In general, the higher your LDL level, the greater your chance of developing heart disease.

Remember : Regular cholesterol tests are recommended to find out if your cholesterol level is within normal range.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT YOUR LDL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS?

The main cause of high blood cholesterol is eating too much fat, especially saturated fat. Saturated fats are found in animal products, such as meats, milk and other dairy products that are not fat free, butter, and eggs. Some of these foods are also high in cholesterol. Fried fast foods and snack foods often have a lot of fat.

Being overweight and not exercising can make your bad cholesterol go up and your good cholesterol go down. Regular physical activity can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It also helps you lose weight. You should try to be physically active for 30 minutes on most, if not all, days.

Cigarette smoking damages the walls of your blood vessels, making them likely to have cholesterol rich plaques rupture and have heart attacks. Smoking may also lower your level of HDL cholesterol by as much as 15 percent.

Also, after women go through menopause, their bad cholesterol levels tend to go up. There is also a rare type of inherited high cholesterol that often leads to early heart disease.Some people inherit a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia, which means that very high cholesterol levels run in the family.Other people, especially people for whom diabetes runs in the family, inherit high triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are another type of blood fat that can also push up cholesterol levels. People with high blood triglycerides usually have lower HDL cholesterol and a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. Progesterone, anabolic steroids and male sex hormones (testosterone) also lower HDL cholesterol levels.

So we can make a conclusion that the main therapy is to change your lifestyle. This includes controlling your weight, eating foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol, exercising regularly, not smoking and, in some cases, drinking less alcohol.

But , depending on your risk factors, if healthy eating and exercise don't work after about 6 months to 1 year, your doctor may suggest medicine to lower your cholesterol level.

Now there are very effective medications called “statins”,such as Lipitor.

The drug works by helping to clear harmful low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol out of the blood and by limiting the body's ability to form new LDL cholesterol. Each tablet Lipitor includes 20mg Atorvastatin. It is in a class of medications called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. It works by slowing the production of cholesterol in the body. Lipitor has shown the ability to halt, not just slow, the potentially fatal buildup of plaque in clogged arteries. While a handful of drugs now available slow the buildup of new plaque, or atherosclerosis, in coronary arteries, no drug on the market has been proven to both stop new build-up and clear existing plaque.
by: Richard Clement
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Kontrol Kolesterol Selama Berpuasa

MENYANTAP menu makanan manis dan tinggi lemak plus kurangnya aktivitas fisik di bulan puasa, bisa memicu tingginya kadar kolesterol. Nah, bagaimana mengatasinya?

Banyak kebiasaan makan yang salah yang terjadi saat bulan Ramadan tiba. Mengonsumsi makanan berlebihan misalnya, kebiasaan ini menjadi salah satu kebiasaan dari beberapa orang saat berbuka puasa atau saat makan sahur. Umumnya, orang memakan makanan secara berlebihan karena sebagian dari mereka merasa takut jika siang hari kelaparan, apabila tidak menyimpan cadangan makanan yang banyak. Kebiasaan tersebut juga semakin diperburuk dengan kebiasaan tidur setelah makan sahur yang semakin menumpuk cadangan lemak tubuh.

Dikatakan spesialis penyakit saraf serta Ketua Bidang Humas dan Penyuluhan Yayasan Stroke Indonesia Dr H Sutarto Prodjo Disastro SpS, bahwa apabila pola makan yang salah terus dilakukan, maka tidak dapat dipungkiri kesehatan tubuh pun akan terganggu, seperti stroke yang disebabkan kolesterol. ”Untuk menghindari penyakit serius seperti stroke, mengontrol kolesterol serta menjalani hidup yang lebih sehat, baik selama Ramadan dan Hari Raya, maupun setelah itu sangatlah dianjurkan,” tandasnya.

Dikatakan Marketing Communications Senior Manager PT Pfizer Indonesia Andriani Ganeswari, bahwa sudah menjadi kebiasaan setiap Ramadan serta saat Idul Fitri, kita memiliki kecenderungan mengonsumsi makanan dan minuman yang manis dan bersantan.
Selain itu, kita pun cenderung untuk mengurangi aktivitas olah tubuh dengan alasan untuk menyimpan tenaga agar kuat menjalani tugas sehari-hari.

”Tanpa kita sadari perubahan gaya hidup selama Ramadan dan Idul Fitri ini dapat menimbulkan risiko kolesterol tinggi,” ucapnya. Untuk itu, bagi para penderita kolesterol, sangat disarankan untuk mengontrol pola makan selama Ramadan dan saat Idul Fitri nanti, serta tidak lupa untuk berolahraga ringan.

Bisa dikatakan, peningkatan jumlah penderita stroke di Indonesia identik dengan kolesterol yang diakibatkan pola hidup yang tidak sehat. Menurut Yayasan Stroke Indonesia, saat ini ada kecenderungan meningkatnya jumlah penyandang stroke di Indonesia dalam dasawarsa terakhir. Kecenderungannya menyerang generasi muda yang masih dalam usia produktif.Hal ini akan berdampak terhadap menurunnya tingkat produktivitas serta dapat mengakibatkan terganggunya sosial-ekonomi keluarga.

Kolesterol merupakan senyawa lemak kompleks yang 80% dihasilkan dalam tubuh, yaitu oleh organ hati dan sisanya dari luar tubuh lewat asupan makanan. Kolesterol memiliki beragam fungsi bagi tubuh, antara lain sumber energi, pembentukan dinding sel, dan pembentukan hormon.
Selain itu, kolesterol membawa dampak baik untuk kesehatan apabila kadarnya dalam darah masih dalam keadaan normal. Namun apabila kolesterol yang berada dalam darah kadarnya melebihi batas normal, justru akan memberi dampak negatif dan membahayakan kesehatan.

Di negara-negara maju dengan konsumsi kolesterol yang tinggi, seperti Amerika Serikat, penyakit jantung merupakan salah satu penyebab utama kematian. Penelitian yang dilakukan American Heart Association (AHA) menyatakan bahwa lebih dari 100 juta orang di negara tersebut memiliki kadar kolesterol di atas rata-rata dan 40 juta di antaranya berkadar kolesterol yang sangat tinggi. Kondisi ini menyebabkan angka kematian akibat penyakit jantung dan stroke mencapai 500.000 orang setiap tahunnya.

Sementara data yang dikeluarkan WHO pada 2002, menyebutkan bahwa hiperkolesterolemia menyebabkan 4,4 juta kematian di dunia. Sebagian besar dari orang yang memiliki sifat hiperkolesterolemia adalah mereka yang mempunyai rata-rata kadar kolesterol cukup tinggi antara 200–250 mg%. International Stroke Conference (konferensi stroke internasional), suatu konferensi yang diadakan di Wina, Austria pada 2008 menyatakan bahwa jumlah pengidap stroke di kawasan Asia terus meningkat. Stroke yang juga merupakan penyebab kematian ketiga terbesar di Indonesia saat ini, cenderung mengancam usia-usia produktif di bawah 45 tahun.

Dikatakan spesialis penyakit jantung dan pembuluh darah dr Arieska Ann Soenarta SpJP (K), bahwa tingginya kadar kolesterol dalam darah dapat mengganggu kesehatan, salah satunya adalah meningkatkan risiko serangan jantung koroner. Di beberapa negara maju, prevalensi penyakit jantung koroner sebenarnya sudah mulai menunjukkan penurunan beberapa tahun terakhir ini, tetapi tidak demikian dengan negara berkembang. Pola hidup yang tidak sehat merupakan faktor utama penyebab meningkatnya kasus penyakit jantung koroner yang diakibatkan tingginya kadar kolesterol dalam darah. ”Karena itulah, sangat penting bagi masyarakat untuk mulai menyikapi kolesterol dengan bijak sejak dini dan mengubah gaya hidup ke arah yang lebih sehat,” tuturnya dalam acara temu media bertema ”Kontrol Hidup Kontrol Kolesterol” yang diadakan PT Pfizer Indonesia beberapa waktu lalu.

Perlunya Cek Kolesterol Rutin

Banyak cara untuk mengontrol kolesterol. Bagi yang belum memiliki sifat hiperkolesterolemia, risiko gangguan ini dapat dikontrol dengan secara berkesinambungan mengontrol gaya hidup mereka melalui pola makan dan olahraga. Untuk mendeteksi risiko kolesterol yang mungkin dihadapi, masyarakat juga harus secara rutin melakukan cek kolesterol setidaknya enam bulan sekali.

”Deteksi rutin ini dapat membantu masyarakat untuk lebih cepat bertindak dalam mengantisipasi gangguan kolesterol apabila tingkat risiko mereka sudah dinyatakan tinggi,” paparnya.

Bertindak dengan cepat untuk menurunkan kadar kolesterol jahat yang ada di dalam tubuhnya, adalah satu tindakan yang harus dilakukan bagi seseorang yang telah terdeteksi memiliki risiko gangguan kolesterol tinggi. Konsumsi obat-obatan secara teratur dan mengubah gaya hidup, dapat dilakukan untuk menurunkan kadar kolesterol.

”Kadar kolesterol juga harus diperiksa secara rutin di laboratorium dan dikonsultasikan dengan dokter,” jelas Arieska. Sejak 2005, Pfizer telah mengenalkan konsep 3 Ring Peduli Kolesterol yang bertujuan untuk membantu masyarakat dalam mengontrol gaya hidupnya agar terbebas dari gangguan kolesterol.
okezone.com
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Why High Cholesterol (And High Choline) Foods May Be Good For Your Blood

Choline is an essential nutrient but not, strictly speaking, a vitamin although it is often mistakenly thought of as a member of the B complex, with which it has numerous functions in common. Choline should be found in abundance in a normally healthy diet, but deficiencies have been linked with cardiovascular and liver disease, as well as impaired cognitive function.

Until as recently as 1998 it was believed that the body could manufacture an adequate supply of choline from the closely associated...

nutrients, vitamin B12 and folic acid. It is now accepted, however, that although the body can indeed synthesise choline in limited quantities, an adequate supply from the daily diet is also required for the avoidance of a number of potentially serious deficiency conditions and diseases.

Most choline in the body is contained in the phospholipids, a particular type of fat molecule of which the most common, phosphatidylcholine, more commonly known as lecithin, is also an important dietary source of choline.

Choline is known to be crucial for the proper functioning of the brain’s neurotransmitters, and in the form of lecithin is an important element in the composition of cell membranes and effective biochemical communication between cells.

Lecithin, moreover, is vital for the liver’s ability to break down fat and cholesterol into the “Very Low Density Lipoproteins” (VLDLs) which are carried around the body in the bloodstream. Any deficiency of choline or lecithin may therefore result in the liver becoming unable to metabolise dietary fat and cholesterol in this way, and the resulting accumulation may lead to the condition known as “fatty liver” and ultimately perhaps to serious liver disease. Some research even suggests that the changes in the liver brought about by choline deficiency may lead to an increased risk of liver cancer, although not all authorities regard this research as conclusive.

VLDLs are also necessary for the production of the High Density Lipoproteins (HDLs), the so-called “good cholesterol”, which is generally recognised as a significant protector against cardiovascular disease. There is also some evidence, although the research is not yet universally accepted, that choline may assist in the breaking down of homocysteine, a naturally occurring protein within the body, which is strongly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

These protective effects may appear somewhat paradoxical, because the milk, eggs and liver which are the richest food sources of choline have been condemned in the past for the amounts of supposedly dangerous cholesterol they introduce to the body.

A small (3oz) serving of beef liver, for example, will provide more than 350 mg of choline, and a single large egg perhaps 125 mg or more. So strict vegetarians who adopt a low fat, and supposedly low cholesterol diet which excludes these choline rich foods, may paradoxically be placing their cardiovascular health at risk.

Fortunately, however, this is a relatively simple problem to resolve, as supplies of lecithin manufactured from soy beans are readily available from health food stores. A single teaspoon (3.5g) of the granular supplement may provide around 130 mg of choline and is reasonably palatable when sprinkled in suitable drinks or on cereals. Peanuts and wheatgerm are also useful vegetarian sources.

To put the quantities mentioned above in some kind of context: the US Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) has recommended an “Adequate Intake” amount for choline of 550 mg a day, or a mere 4-5 teaspoons of granular lecithin and it has been estimated that most adults are able to obtain between 700 and 1,000 mg a day from a normally healthy diet. Caution should be exercised, however, in the treatment of the FNB recommendation which appears to have been set at the lowest level necessary to avoid liver damage. And it may be noted also that the 700 mg figure for the lower end of the range of normal intake seems perilously close to the 550 mg a day regarded as adequate by the FNB.

But the avoidance of serious damage to a vital organ is, to put it mildly, the very minimum one would reasonably expect of a “healthy” diet, and a very long way indeed from the optimum health which nutritional practitioners insist should be the aim.

For example, although conventional medicine remains reluctant to accept the link as proven, there is some evidence that choline in amounts of up to 1g can improve cognitive function and particularly memory. Choline is known to act as a stimulant to the production of essential neurotransmitting chemicals, and there is also some evidence that high intakes during pregnancy may encourage optimal development of the foetal brain and nervous system.

Although the possible reasons are not fully understood, there is also good evidence that high doses of choline may significantly improve athletic performance in long distance endurance events such as marathon or triathlon.

So given that the FNB has established 3.5 grams (ie 3,500 mg) a day as the upper safe limit for choline intake before any potential (and minor) side-effects might be encountered, and that choline cannot be stored in the body, there seems no reason not to aim for an intake well in excess of the recommended minimum or “adequate” amount.

Granular soy lecithin can provide a simple and convenient means of supplementation with such doses.
by: Steve P Smith

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Managing Your Cholesterol - The Best Way To Prevent Hearth Attacks

Cholesterol is one of the most familiar medical words today. Everyone knows “something” about it , but mostly cholesterol is associated in our mind with something “bad” and “unwanted” that happens to old and overweight people.The facts show that about...

20 percent of the U.S. population has high blood cholesterol levels.

Actually cholesterol is a waxy, fatlike substance (lipid) that your body needs for many important functions, such as producing new cells , some hormones, vitamin D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat.. It is present in cell walls or membranes everywhere in the body, including the brain, nerves, muscle, skin, liver, intestines, and heart.

In fact our bodies need cholesterol to function normally, but too much cholesterol can be bad for our health. Why ? Cholesterol and other fats can't dissolve in the blood. They have to be transported to and from the cells by special carriers. Cholesterol travels through your blood attached to a protein. This cholesterol–protein package is called a lipoprotein. Lipoproteins are high density or low density depending on how much protein there is in relation to fat.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the major cholesterol carrier in the blood. If too much LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the walls of the arteries feeding the heart and brain. Together with other substances it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can clog those arteries. When the coronary arteries become narrowed or clogged by cholesterol and fat deposits (a process called atherosclerosis) and cannot supply enough blood to the heart, the result is coronary heart disease. If the blood supply to a portion of the heart is completely cut off by total blockage of a coronary artery, the result is a heart attack. This is usually due to a sudden closure from a blood clot forming on top of a previous narrowing. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is called "bad" cholesterol because it can cause cholesterol buildup and blockage of your arteries. LDL is mostly fat with only a small amount of protein.

About one-third to one-fourth of blood cholesterol is carried by high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Medical experts think HDL tends to carry cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver, where it's passed from the body. Some experts believe HDL removes excess cholesterol from plaques and thus slows their growth. HDL is called "good" cholesterol because it helps prevent cholesterol from building up in your arteries. It is mostly protein with only a small amount of fat.

Since there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol it is not only necessary to know your cholesterol level ,it is also important to know your levels of LDL and HDL.

The fact is that there are no symptoms of high cholesterol. Your first symptom of high cholesterol could be a heart attack or a stroke. The level of cholesterol can be measured only with a blood test.The results come as three main numbers:

· Total Cholesterol
· LDL
· HDL

The level of LDL should be less than 160.

Total cholesterol should be less than 200.

The level of HDL should be more than 35.

Most Important: Your LDL level is a good indicator of your risk for heart disease. Lowering LDL is the main aim of treatment if you have high cholesterol. In general, the higher your LDL level, the greater your chance of developing heart disease.

Remember : Regular cholesterol tests are recommended to find out if your cholesterol level is within normal range.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT YOUR LDL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS?

The main cause of high blood cholesterol is eating too much fat, especially saturated fat. Saturated fats are found in animal products, such as meats, milk and other dairy products that are not fat free, butter, and eggs. Some of these foods are also high in cholesterol. Fried fast foods and snack foods often have a lot of fat.

Being overweight and not exercising can make your bad cholesterol go up and your good cholesterol go down. Regular physical activity can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels. It also helps you lose weight. You should try to be physically active for 30 minutes on most, if not all, days.

Cigarette smoking damages the walls of your blood vessels, making them likely to have cholesterol rich plaques rupture and have heart attacks. Smoking may also lower your level of HDL cholesterol by as much as 15 percent.

Also, after women go through menopause, their bad cholesterol levels tend to go up. There is also a rare type of inherited high cholesterol that often leads to early heart disease.Some people inherit a condition called familial hypercholesterolemia, which means that very high cholesterol levels run in the family.Other people, especially people for whom diabetes runs in the family, inherit high triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are another type of blood fat that can also push up cholesterol levels. People with high blood triglycerides usually have lower HDL cholesterol and a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. Progesterone, anabolic steroids and male sex hormones (testosterone) also lower HDL cholesterol levels.

So we can make a conclusion that the main therapy is to change your lifestyle. This includes controlling your weight, eating foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol, exercising regularly, not smoking and, in some cases, drinking less alcohol.

But , depending on your risk factors, if healthy eating and exercise don't work after about 6 months to 1 year, your doctor may suggest medicine to lower your cholesterol level.

Now there are very effective medications called “statins”,such as Lipitor.

The drug works by helping to clear harmful low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol out of the blood and by limiting the body's ability to form new LDL cholesterol. Each tablet Lipitor includes 20mg Atorvastatin. It is in a class of medications called HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. It works by slowing the production of cholesterol in the body. Lipitor has shown the ability to halt, not just slow, the potentially fatal buildup of plaque in clogged arteries. While a handful of drugs now available slow the buildup of new plaque, or atherosclerosis, in coronary arteries, no drug on the market has been proven to both stop new build-up and clear existing plaque.

So if you are loosing the battle with LDL levels , you can visit my site http://www.craforhealth.com/cholesterol.html, dedicated in the effective medical care , to find the proper treatment for your disease.
by: Richard Clement
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