FREE SHIPPING ON ALL U.S. ORDERS OVER $75* | | The Truth About Cholesterol and How You Can Support Healthy Cholesterol Levels | | Over 90 million Americans have elevated cholesterol that can lead to a range of mild to very serious cardiovascular issues.* There are many factors that can contribute to elevated cholesterol with many of them falling under the category of lifestyle choices. Exercise and diet, as well as various dietary supplements, can help you maintain cholesterol levels in the healthy range. In this article, I'm going to cover what exactly cholesterol is, the dangerous consequences of chronically elevated cholesterol levels, and various ways to support healthy cholesterol. | | What is Cholesterol and What is it Good For? | | Cholesterol is a fat-like waxy substance that is made by your liver and found in certain foods. Egg yolks, various types of meats and cheeses, and cooking fats commonly contain cholesterol. While even the mention of the word "cholesterol" can bring on negative thoughts, in reality cholesterol is needed for your body to function properly.* You can actually find cholesterol inside every cell in your body. Some of the vital functions cholesterol helps contribute to include:* - Hormone production
- Vitamin D production
- Food digestion
- Nutrient absorption
There are three types of cholesterol – high-destiny lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). HDL is considered the "good" cholesterol because it helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels by removing excess cholesterol through the liver.* LDL is often considered the "bad" cholesterol because LDL is what contributes to plaque buildup in the arteries. VLDL is the cholesterol that contains triglycerides and also contributes to plaque buildup.* | | How Cholesterol Can Be Harmful | | When the level of cholesterol circulating through your bloodstream becomes too high, especially LDL and VLDL (commonly referred to as triglycerides), it can create plaque and build deposits along the insides of blood vessels.* Once plaque forms in blood vessels, pieces of plaque can break away and create a blood clot which can eventually travel through your bloodstream to your heart or brain. In addition to creating a blood clot risk, plaque buildup compromises the integrity of blood vessels. When plaque builds up over time, this can make arteries (the blood vessels that pump oxygenated blood throughout the body) stiff and hard.* This means that the blood vessels can't pump blood as efficiently as they once did, increasing the risk of creating serious damage to your heart, brain and other vital organs. Risk factors that can increase cholesterol to unhealthy levels include:* - Poor diet
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Smoking
- Obesity
Genetics can also impact cholesterol levels. It's difficult to know if you have high cholesterol as there aren't any symptoms. This is why it's important to have your cholesterol checked with a simple blood test on a regular basis. In younger people, testing cholesterol every five years is recommended.* Men over the age of 45 and women over 55 years of age should have their cholesterol checked every 1-2 years.* Cholesterol levels consist of measuring HDL, LDL, and triglycerides as individual measures and these three measurements are combined to calculate total cholesterol. Breaking cholesterol into its three main parts is important because it can be just as dangerous to not have enough "good" HDL cholesterol as it is to have too much "bad" LDL cholesterol or triglycerides circulating through your bloodstream.* | | The Dangers of High Cholesterol Combined with High Blood Pressure and High Blood Sugar | | When arteries become stiff and narrow due to plaque buildup, the heart must work harder to pump and circulate blood. This can lead to high blood pressure, further increasing the risk of serious heart or brain problems. Elevated blood sugar can contribute to high cholesterol too. Diets high in sugar stimulate more LDL production causing cholesterol to continue to elevate.* And while elevated blood sugar, blood pressure, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol are all individually risks factors for serious cardiovascular issues, elevated levels of two or more of these risk factors together should serve as a "red alert" warning sign which shouldn't be ignored. | | Lifestyle Tips to Reduce Cholesterol | | If you're looking for ways to reduce your cholesterol, there are several lifestyle changes you can implement that can significantly help. Adding regular physical activity into your day is a great way to help reduce your cholesterol. This can be as simple as taking a daily 30-minute walk. Exercise has been shown to reduce the "bad" cholesterol (LDL and triglycerides) and increase HDL (the "good" cholesterol).* If you smoke, quitting is another big way to bring down high cholesterol.* Limiting alcohol intake can also help cholesterol return to healthy levels.* Adjusting your diet is another key step to reducing high cholesterol. Your liver is capable of making all of the cholesterol your body needs and this is why limiting dietary sources of cholesterol is ideal as you work towards achieving the right balance of "good" HDL and "bad" LDL cholesterol. Trading foods known to increase cholesterol for healthier ones is another important lifestyle choice. For example, consuming grass-fed, lean meats instead of fatty meats can make a big difference. Foods high in fiber and healthy fats can also reduce LDL and increase HDL cholesterol. Beans, olive oil, avocados, and nuts are foods rich in MCT unsaturated fats which are far better for your cholesterol health than trans fats or saturated fats.* And by changing your diet, you're more likely to return to or more easily maintain a healthy body weight which also helps lower LDL and triglycerides.* Carrying around excess body fat reduces how efficiently LDL cholesterol is removed from the bloodstream. | | How Dietary Supplements Can Help Lower Cholesterol | | Various dietary supplements have been studied to determine their effectiveness in helping to balance cholesterol levels. Red yeast rice, for example, contains monacolin K which has the same chemical makeup as lovastatin – a popular cholesterol medication. It's important to know that it is difficult to know how much monacolin K is in red yeast rice products, making it hard to predict how effectively these products actually perform in balancing cholesterol levels.* Flaxseed and garlic have also been shown to have some benefit when it comes to lowering cholesterol but should be used in consultation with your doctor due to potential interactions with other medications. Fish oil, green tea, and berberine are other supplements that scientific research has shown may reduce LDL and/or triglycerides.* | | Citrus bergamot is a remarkable fruit found in Southern Italy that is clinically shown to support healthy cholesterol and triglycerides. | | | | This research also highlights citrus bergamot's ability to lower post-meal blood sugar levels as well.* As dangerous as unhealthy cholesterol levels can be, thankfully cholesterol is something that can be managed and improved through lifestyle changes, proper nutrition and nutritional supplements. | | As I have mentioned before, I am genetically predisposed to elevated cholesterol levels so I make sure to take a research-based dose of citrus bergamot every day. If you need help managing your cholesterol, I strongly urge you to click here to learn more about the extraordinary cholesterol, triglyceride and blood sugar benefits of citrus bergamot. | | Your Wellness Explorer, 
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