Keeping Your Cholesterol Under Control
It's likely that you've heard the word cholesterol coupled with descriptions of hip new diets and prescription medications. The truth is, many people don't truly understand what it is or what its role is in the functions of the human body. Controlling your cholesterol is an important thing to do, but you first need to understand what it is, and the ways that different kinds of cholesterol affect you differently.
Cholesterol is a lipid (fatty acid) that resides in the cell membranes of the human body. Most cholesterol is actually synthesized in the body, but a good percentage of it is ingested as a component of food.
There are two different kinds of cholesterol that must be differentiated between: good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Bad cholesterol, or LDL, has been linked to cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke if ingested at unhealthy levels. Good cholesterol, HDL, on the other hand, is responsible for important bodily functions. HDL cholesterol helps to build and maintain cell walls and perform other cell maintenance.
Cholesterol Control: What Can You Do About It?
There are quite a few ways to control your blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol is not soluble in blood, so it sometimes takes a helping hand. Most of these are simply lifestyle changes that can have a huge and beneficial effect on your cholesterol levels.
The most obvious ways are to choose your diet carefully. Foods that are high in fat have a tendency to raise cholesterol. That said it's important not to cut out fats completely from your diet. Be sure to choose foods that are low in saturated fat but have a reasonable amount of unsaturated fat. The body naturally requires a small amount of fat for important body functions.
Lean red meat and fish are both good choices and should be incorporated liberally into your diet. They are high in protein, which helps to build muscle, and relatively low in fat content. It's also easy to choose dairy products that are low in fat, and such a change will make controlling your cholesterol much easier.
There are also a number of drugs used to control cholesterol currently available. Your doctor can prescribe them individually or in combination with other medications. As with any new drug, it's important to inform your healthcare professional about any other medications that you are taking at the time.
The side effects of cholesterol controlling drugs tend to be relatively mild, and will generally cease after your body adjusts to the new medication.
