Heredity and Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a lipid, or fat chemical compound, that is made in the liver from fatty foods that we eat. It is produced by the body to provide the body's cells with the needed fluidity and flexibility for proper function. It is also one of many substances needed to create several of the body's essential hormones. The buildup of cholesterol is known as plaque once it begins to line your arteries and blood vessels. A poor diet and lack of exercise can contribute to increased levels of cholesterol and lead to heart attack, stroke and other serious medical conditions. You need the right amount of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) and LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) for your body to function properly.
Heredity can cause a condition that results in low good cholesterol. Bad genes can also cause an excess of bad cholesterol.
If your family history has a tendency toward high cholesterol, you are more likely to as well. If you grew up eating high cholesterol foods such as fried chicken, donuts and sweets like cake and pie, you will be more likely to adopt those eating habits into your adult years and have higher cholesterol. If your family ate more healthy meals you're likely to eat much the same way, resulting in more healthful cholesterol levels.
Watch out for adding lots of salt, fat, butter and unhealthy oils in your family’s cooking. Get everyone on board to adopt a healthier cooking, because it’s easier and more likely successful if everyone is working together. Helping your family switch to eating healthier foods -- more fruits and vegetables and baking instead of frying -- you can lower your own cholesterol levels as well as those of your loved ones. Having high cholesterol can put you in danger of developing other serious health conditions, such as heart disease.
Most processed foods should be avoided or eaten only occasionally. Processed foods tend to be high in fat cholesterol. An common example is everyday lunchmeats. These are usually highly processed and are not a healthy choice. Read the labels on processed foods, especially the amount of saturated fat in the product. Limiting these processed foods can help you to lower your cholesterol or to maintain lower cholesterol levels.
It is common to inherited diseases, and one that is related to high cholesterol levels is called familial hypercholesterolemia. This causes high lipid (fat) levels within the blood due to a genetic defect in the LDL cholesterol receptor. It can be spotted during early childhood and can cause high cholesterol and even early heart disease. About 50% of men and about a third of women with this condition have heart attacks by their 60th birthday.
For those who have inherited hypercholesterolemia or hyperlipidemia, treatment is critical to prevent heart disease and serious heart events. Cutting fat and cholesterol in the diet is a vital component of treatment for these conditions, as is regular exercise and management with medications.
Hypercholesterolemia or hyperlipidemia are very serious conditions that may be fatal, without careful management of cardio health. Following a more healthy diet and taking medication as prescribed can allow you to enjoy many years of good health. Most of those with familial hypercholesterolemia will eventually suffer a heart attack; those who have inherited two copies of the abnormal gene have even more dire prognosis.
How would you know if you have hypercholesterolemia or hyperlipidemia? Chest pains may occur, however, there may not be any physical symptoms.
People with these conditions develop high cholesterol or triglyceride levels during the teenage years. The levels remain high throughout their lives. They also run an increased risk of early coronary artery disease and heart attacks. Those with familial combined hyperlipidemia tend to have a higher rate of obesity and glucose intolerance.
When genetic abnormalities cause your body to produce excess cholesterol or prevent your body from absorbing it, cholesterol is certainly harder to manage. But that doesn't mean it’s impossible — it just means making an even bigger commitment to a healthy lifestyle and frequent monitoring of cholesterol levels and heart health.
If you have a known cholesterol-related disorder or family history of heart disease and heart attacks, it is important that you have your total cholesterol and cholesterol ratio checked beginning at the age of 35. This is especially important because high cholesterol has no direct symptoms. Therefore, you may feel perfectly healthy and yet have extremely high cholesterol levels or an unhealthy cholesterol ratio, which puts you at high risk for heart attacks and strokes without your ability to realize what is going on within your body.
The best ways to lower bad cholesterol? Some cholesterol drugs and pharmacy cholesterol lowering drugs have bad side effects. Try to avoid them, as there are many side effects. That’s why cholesterol information on how to do it with herbs and lower cholesterol naturally is important. Reducing cholesterol to a good cholesterol level is imperative.
Changing from an unhealthy diet to a healthy diet can reduce a cholesterol level. However, dietary changes alone rarely lower a cholesterol level enough to change a person's risk of cardiovascular disease from a high-risk category to a lower-risk category. However, any extra reduction in cholesterol due to diet will help.
An excellent cholesterol supplement that include many important natural ingredients is Cholesterol Complete™ (click here to view). It’s a powerful all-natural formula that targets both types of cholesterol; LDL (low density lipoprotein) and HDL (high density lipoprotein). LDL is the cholesterol you should be most concerned with, it is the “bad” cholesterol that clogs arteries and raises blood pressure. HDL is the “good” cholesterol that helps remove LDL from the body. You’re supporting healthy cholesterol with 100% natural approach!