Do you know that cholesterol is found in baby formula and has got some surprising facts about them? Cholesterol is a waxy, fat like substance which is present in all your cells, and your body s cholesterol level says a lot about the health of your heart in the future. Having high cholesterol increases your risk of acquiring heart diseases and hence, you should try to maintain a normal cholesterol level.


Here are some surprising facts about cholesterol, which you should know about:

You cannot live without cholesterol: We are born with cholesterol in our bodies and infants get more cholesterol from mother s milk. This is why cholesterol is added to baby formula. All the hormones and cells of your body need cholesterol for proper functioning. It also builds the cells and helps the liver to prepare fat processing acids.
One out of three adults have high cholesterol: It is important for all people above the age of 20 to get a cholesterol checkup every five years. According to studies, around 32% of adults in the USA have got high cholesterol levels. Your cholesterol levels may also be affected by factors such as your diet and stress.
High cholesterol can be genetic: Genetics is a major influencing factor in high cholesterol levels. Research has proven that almost 75% of high cholesterol cases are genetic in nature while 25% occur because of diet.
Children can have high cholesterol as well: There is a common misconception that high cholesterol is an issue involving adults only. However, children may also have high cholesterol and it is recommended for you to get your child tested at an early age. For children who are obese and have a family history of heart attacks and high cholesterol, a selective screening is important.
Sweating raises the levels of good cholesterol: Sweating is good for increasing the levels of good cholesterol in your body. You should follow a healthy diet including food items like avocado and salmon. Working out is also important for raising your HDL levels, which prevent heart disease.
Supplements may help in lowering cholesterol levels: The first option for controlling your cholesterol levels is to work out regularly. If you are at a risk of heart attack or have hypercholesterolemia, you have to bank on supplements such as plant stanols and sterols. You can also take cholesterol reducing medications such as statins.
Earlier, the medical community was reserved about prescribing cholesterol lowering medicines and they were given only to critical heart patients. In modern day, statin treatment is recommended to people who have even little chances of heart attacks or stroke.

Cholesterol - 6 Interesting Facts About It!

Know Your Cholesterol 

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that’s found in all cells of the body. The term cholesterol is often directly related to a heart condition. But the truth is that not all types of cholesterols are harmful for your body. It is important that one knows about the different types of cholesterol, having healthy levels of both types of lipoproteins is important, deal with them appropriately and lower the chances of having a stroke or getting a heart disease. Bad cholesterol levels can be high in people irrespective of them being thin, if it is genetic or if they are smokers.

Types of Cholesterol.

The Bad One:

LDL cholesterol sometimes is called “bad” cholesterol. A high LDL level leads to a buildup of cholesterol in your arteries. Lowering your cholesterol may slow down, reduce, or even stop the buildup of plaque in your arteries. It also may reduce the risk of plaque rupturing and causing dangerous blood clots.

The Good One:

HDL cholesterol sometimes is called “good” cholesterol. This is because it carries cholesterol from other parts of your body back to your liver. Your liver removes the cholesterol from your body and  is important for the body as it reduces the risk of heart attack, disease and strokes.

Cholesterol count of the body is counted by adding the two types of cholesterols (LDL and  HDL) along with body's triglyceride level. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood. Too much of this type of fat may raise the risk of coronary artery disease.

The level of your cholesterol shows the level of risk your body is in, to have a stroke or a heart condition. Other factors which determine the risk are whether the person is a smoker, diabetic, has high blood pressure along with their age, sex and race.

Cholesterol levels are affected by:

1. Genetics: Genetics have a direct effect on your cholesterol level. If the levels have been high in the previous generations, you are automatically at higher risk of this condition.An inherited condition called familial hypercholesterolemia causes very high LDL cholesterol.

2. Age and Weight: Once we cross the age of 20, our cholesterol level starts to rise. Being overweight however is also a high risk factor of increased levels of bad cholesterol in the body as well as developing heart disease.

3. Lifestyle: Less or no exercise is another reason which reduces the good cholesterol in the body, as does being overweight. Regular exercise however reduces LDL and increases HDL in the body. Also a diet rich in saturated fats makes your LDL levels shoot up and puts you to higher risk.

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 Know Your Cholesterol: Good Vs Bad

Cholesterol is a vital component, which helps the body to make healthy cells. This wax like component is found in the lipid of the blood. An increased cholesterol count elevates the risk of heart diseases in a person. It thickens the vessels of the arteries resulting in less oxygen flow in the heart. This, in turn, increases the chances of a stroke. High cholesterol can happen from lifestyle habits and inheritance. It is completely treatable and preventable.

What causes high cholesterol?
The blood carries the cholesterol which is attached to the proteins. The combination of cholesterol and protein is known as the lipoprotein. Primarily there are two different kinds of cholesterol that the lipoprotein carries:

    Low-density lipoprotein: LDL is the bad guy that carries all kinds of cholesterol present in the body. It eventually rests on the walls of the arteries, making it narrow and hard.
    High-density lipoprotein: This is the good guy which scans the excess cholesterol and take them back to the liver.

Ideally, the body should have low LDL and high HDL. But often the reverse happens, resulting in high cholesterol and cardiac diseases. Factors such as unhealthy diet, inactivity for most of the day and obesity is responsible for the same. Even the genetic set up can play a hand in a high count of LDL in the body. There is nothing that can be done in this case except to seek medical help.

6 factors that put you at risk:

    Poor diet: Cholesterol levels are dramatically increased when baked products and saturated fats are consumed in an excess amount. Other high cholesterol food products include dairy products, processed fats and red meat. Refraining from this food items will drastically reduce the chances of getting high cholesterol in the body.
    Obesity: Obesity results from too much of fat storage in the body. It not only fatigues a person faster, but puts a person at high risk of getting cholesterol. The body mass index should be always lesser than 30 to abstain the risk of cholesterol.
    Waist circumference: A waist circumference of more than 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women can increase the risk of cholesterol.
    Diabetes: This is one of the major causes of high cholesterol. It not only damages the artery lining, but results in higher LDL and lower HDL.
    Less workout: Leading a life which is devoid of exercise and jogging can increase the chances of getting high cholesterol. Exercise boost HDL count in the body and mitigates the risk of low HDL.
    Smoking: The blood vessel walls get damaged with smoking. The blood vessels start accumulating fatty acids thereby increasing the chances of getting high cholesterol.

What Causes High Cholesterol? 6 Factors That Put You at Risk

Cholesterol is a type of fatty acid that is produced by the liver. The body uses cholesterol to perform various activities such as synthesizing of hormones, bile acid and vitamin D. Ayurveda views it as an important component of the body in terms of lubrication. The Ayurvedic approach of balancing cholesterol is not only to curb the cholesterol amount, but also to strictly control diet so that the secretion of cholesterol can be curtailed. Here are a few Ayurvedic hat-tips that can help to lower cholesterol and restore normal body function of the body:

Medicago satina: They are better known as Alfalfa and is famous for their ability to deal with artery-related diseases. They are capable of clearing arteries that are congested with cholesterol. They can be consumed daily as a whole or by mixing them in juice.
Arjuna: Arjuna is yet another powerful Ayurvedic herb that is mighty powerful in dealing with cardiac conditions such as heart blockages, heart attacks etc. The bark of the Arjuna tree can be taken and consumed in the form of powder. They have the capability to dissolve cholesterol and prevent heart blockages. This should be consumed earlier in the morning, before breakfast with lukewarm water.
Coriander: Coriander is considered to be one of the best herbal diuretic agents. It can revitalize the kidneys and help them perform better in terms of excretion of waste. The kidney, therefore, can flush the excess cholesterol from the body. Coriander can be consumed along with food on a daily basis.
Garlic: Garlic again has been known to mankind for centuries and is extremely beneficial for people suffering from high cholesterol. Two cloves of garlic on a daily basis can completely neutralize the effect of high cholesterol in the blood. Apart from freeing up arteries, garlic has multiple other health benefits.
Guggulu: This herb is one of the popular herbs among ayurvedic practitioners for treating high blood pressure and high cholesterol in the blood. They contain guggulsterones, which is known to be an active blocker of bad cholesterol in the blood. Consumption of 25 mg of this substance can make a person totally free from high cholesterol. They can be taken after any meals.
Holy basil or tulsi: Holy basil is another popular and traditional Indian hub that is extensively used by ayurvedic practitioners to treat high cholesterol in the bloodstream. They can eliminate excess cholesterol through the kidneys. It is used for preparing multiple medicines. It is a proven medicinal herb that is very efficient in dealing with excess cholesterol in the blood. They have the ability to disintegrate cholesterol from the body. 2-3 leaves of tulsi can be consumed on a daily basis.

High Cholesterol - 6 Top Ayurvedic Remedies to Lower It!

Cholesterol is one of those terminologies that need a clear and fresh understanding, right from scratch. It is nothing but obvious and common for you to primarily know about the ill effects of cholesterol and what it does to your body; from increasing the risks of cardio-vascular diseases to adding to your waistline. However, it is time we all got a fresh perspective on what cholesterol is.

So, to start off, what is actually cholesterol?
It is waxy substance produced by the liver which plays an important role in the proper functioning of the cells, digestive process and synthesis of Vitamin D in the body. As cholesterol is a fat based substance that does not dissolve in blood, it is transported, throughout the body, by a protein called the  lipoprotein . The lipoproteins that carry cholesterol are of two types: Low-Density 

Lipoprotein (LDL) and High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)

Why is LDL  bad ?
LDL is known as  bad  cholesterol as it is responsible for plaque formation that reduces flexibility of the arteries and tends to clog them.

Why is HDL  good ?
HDL is known as the  good  cholesterol because it gets rid of excessive LDL from the arteries and transports them to the liver where they can be broken down. Too much of bad cholesterol in the body can lead to clogged arteries that may result in stroke or a heart attack. Now that you know that too much LDL cholesterol is bad for you, you need to keep it under control while raising the good cholesterol (HDL) levels. In order to do that, you need to make certain modifications in your lifestyle.

Some of them can be:

Eat foods that are good for the heart: Avoid eating saturated fats and trans-fats as they raise LDL levels in the body. Instead, choose foods that are rich in the heart healthy monounsaturated fats such as almonds and olive oil. Also, include foods that are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids such as fish oil; these fatty acids increase HDL levels in the blood.
Exercise regularly: Exercise not only helps you to lose calories but also increases the good cholesterol levels in the body. Aim for 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular exercises in the form of brisk walking, running or cycling to keep your heart muscles healthy.
Stop smoking: Smoking can cause the blood vessels to narrow down, thus increasing blood pressure, owing to the constriction of the blood vessels. Quit smoking right away and your ticker will thank you for it. Remember to limit alcohol consumption as well.
Maintain optimal weight levels: It s time to get rid of all the excess fat from the body, especially the visceral fat (abdominal fat). Obesity increases the risk of heart diseases and also has a negative effect on the cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol - Lifestyle Habits That Help Control it!

For a long time cholesterol in totality was seen as a bad thing for your body although the truth was a little more complicated than that. Cholesterol primarily is divided into two types, one of which can be categorized as bad cholesterol and the other as good cholesterol. Let's have an in-depth look at both the categories.

Ldl or low density lipoprotein aka bad cholesterol: cholesterol is a wax like chemical which is found all over the body and it has important functions to perform. Cholesterol is carried all over the body by lipoproteins. The low density lipoproteins are denoted as bad cholesterol as they can accumulate on the walls of the blood vessels and cause blockages resulting in many ailments. Ldl levels of 190 and above are considered dangerous. 

Some of the risks associated with it are:
1. Heart disease
2. Stroke
3. Atherosclerosis
4. Peripheral artery disease among many others

Hdl or high density lipoprotein aka good cholesterol - this is a form of cholesterol which is usually desired in higher quantities as it removes ldl from the system by dislodging it from the arteries and then carrying it through the bloodstream into the liver. The liver then breaks it down and removes it from the body. Thus, higher number of hdl cholesterol is always desirable. Some of the ideal numbers for hdl cholesterol within the body are:

For women - ideal: 60 mg/dl, dangerous: 50 mg/dl or lower
For men - ideal: 60 mg/dl, dangerous: 50 mg/dl lower

The role of triglycerides
Good and bad cholesterol levels also depend on the levels of triglycerides within the body and not just ldl or hdl cholesterol. Triglycerides are another type of fat which are used to store energy within the body, but can also affect your health. It is most associated with atherosclerosis when the levels of triglycerides are high within the body. 

Some habits that contribute to high levels of it are
A. Lack of physical activity
B. Obesity or being overweight
C. Excesses in alcohol consumption
D. Smoking
E. Bad diet and others

Thus the good cholesterol vs bad cholesterol war also includes other factors, most of which can be easily changed by making subtle changes in lifestyle and incorporating healthier habits. This will increase the good cholesterol and the other relevant elements and reduce the bad.

Good Cholesterol Vs Bad Cholesterol

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