Reducing Your Cholesterol Levels

Cholesterol is lipid waxy like soft substance present in all body cells. The popular fallacy among laymen and many people is all cholesterol is bad. Cholesterol is an important and vital component for producing cell membranes, some vital hormones and serving other needed bodily functions, hence an essential component for a healthy body.

Cholesterol cannot dissolve in the blood and needed to be transported to target organs via lipoproteins. There are two types of cholesterol based on lipid density. The first one is Low density lipoprotein (LDL) and the second one is high density lipoprotein (HDL). The former lipoprotein is also known as Bad Cholesterol and the latter one is termed as good cholesterol. These two types of lipids with triglycerides and lp(a) cholesterol constitutes the total cholesterol count which is determined by blood count. When excess bad cholesterol circulates in the blood stream, some bad cholesterol gets deposited along the artery wall, thereby making the artery passage narrower and also makes the arteries less flexible causing atherosclerosis which in turn can cause heart attack.

About one third of blood cholesterol is carried by high lipoproteins (HDL), which is also known as good cholesterol because it prevents heart attack. Most researchers and medical experts believe good cholesterol carries cholesterol away from the artery to the liver acting as blood cleanser, thereby preventing clogging of artery; also medical experts believe HDL removes excess cholesterol from the plaque thereby slowing down the buildup. Low levels of HDL may increase the probability of heart attack.

Lowering cholesterol levels is very important to lead a long and healthy life. Cardiovascular heart disease, coronary artery disease and stroke are the cardiovascular risk factors that come with elevated and high cholesterol levels.

Some of the natural ways to reduce cholesterol levels are right exercise, correct diet and changing your lifestyle. Correct diet and exercise is imperative to reduce cholesterol levels. A low fat level, low cholesterol diet can work magic to decrease your cholesterol level.

Drugs are usually prescribed to lower cholesterol levels. One of the popular classes of drugs to reduce cholesterol levels is the statin drugs. Statin drug therapy is recommended for patients suffering from elevated cholesterol.

Most of the statin drugs in the market reduce the overall cholesterol.Use of statin drugs This has added benefit as cardiovascular research shows increase in HDL levels reduces the incidence of heart attack and stroke in the patients.