Cholesterol, a substance found in your blood, is needed to form healthy cells. But as what most people know, having high cholesterol level increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. That is why those who are at risk actively search for ways that are considered pampababa ng cholesterol. Here are some tips if you’re looking to manage your blood cholesterol levels.
The Dangers of Having High Cholesterol Level
Before we enumerate the various practices used as pampababa ng cholesterol, let us focus first on why you need to keep your levels in control.
As mentioned earlier, having high cholesterol levels increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Experts explain that while our body naturally uses cholesterol to function well, having excessive levels is detrimental.
Too much cholesterol in the blood may clog the arteries, harden them, and interfere with blood flow (as in the case of atherosclerosis). If blood flow is interrupted in the heart, the patient may have a heart attack. Moreover, if it happens in the brain, stroke may occur.
Generally, maintaining healthy cholesterol levels helps lower your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
3 Tips Pampababa ng Cholesterol
Here are some tips to help you lower your blood cholesterol levels:
Have a heart-healthy diet
One of the best pampababa ng cholesterol steps is to focus on a heart-healthy diet. This essentially means having adequate servings of fruits and veggies, choosing lean sources of protein, and ensuring that you’re getting enough calcium.
The other aspects of a heart-healthy diet include:
- Choosing your sources of fats well. Stay away from trans fats, and replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats. This step helps you achieve a healthy ratio between good and bad cholesterol.
- Increasing soluble fiber intake. Soluble fiber reduces the absorption of cholesterol in the bloodstream. Examples of foods rich in soluble fiber are oatmeal, apples, kidney beans, and pears.
- Adding whey protein to your diet. Experts say whey protein can decrease bad cholesterol. You can get whey protein from certain dairy products.
And, of course, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, it is recommended to refrain from drinking alcohol, or at least consume in moderation by limiting intake to 2 drinks or less in a day.
Stay active
Another natural practice used as pampababa ng cholesterol is staying physically active.
According to reports, doing a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise 150 minutes a week helps improve cholesterol levels. However, don’t start any exercise program without your doctor’s approval.
Walking is one of the simplest yet best way to lower the risk of blood clots. Just by walking 30 minutes every day can give you numerous health benefits such as improving blood circulation, lightening of mood, losing weight and improving sleep.
Having a healthy diet and being physically active are great practices in achieving a healthy weight, which, as stated by experts, also play a role in lowering cholesterol.
Talk to your doctor about supplements and herbs
Below are some of the herbs and supplements that may help lower your blood cholesterol levels. However, consult to your doctor first before actively using them as natural na pampababa ng cholesterol.
Niacin
Some authorities like the US Food and Drug Administration approves the use of prescription-form Niacin (vitamin B3) as treatment of abnormal blood cholesterol1 levels.
Please keep in mind that prescription-form niacin typically comes in higher doses (greater than 500 mg), compared to vitamin B supplements. Also, it’s shown to optimize blood cholesterol levels and decrease cardiovascular events. However, the latter is still under debate among experts, and will still need further studies.
Psyllium husks
You’ve probably heard about psyllium husks – the grainy, light-brownish powder that reports say helps ease digestive conditions like diarrhea, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Reports2 say that its high fiber content is also helpful in lowering cholesterol. One study3 even concluded that it may be a good therapeutic option for patients with mild to moderate high blood cholesterol.
Ginger
Several scientific investigations noted the benefits of ginger intake in lowering high blood cholesterol.
In one study5, the researchers found that ginger reduced bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol levels. They also concluded that ginger has a “significant lipid-lowering effect.”
Another paper6 highlighted that intake of 5 grams of raw ginger daily for three months reduced the level of bad cholesterol “highly significantly.”
Key Takeaways
High blood cholesterol increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases like stroke and heart attack. For this reason, maintaining healthy cholesterol levels should be a priority.
Some of the natural ways used as pampababa ng cholesterol involve having a heart-healthy diet, staying active, and talking to your doctor about herbs and supplements that may help you achieve your cholesterol goals.
But, depending on your condition, the doctor might skip the supplements and herbs, and give you cholesterol-lowering medicines instead.
Learn more about Cholesterol here.
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