What is LDL Cholesterol?

How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally?

What is LDL Cholesterol? It is low density lipoprotein cholesterol; also known as the bad cholesterol. How to lower cholesterol naturally? Eat cholesterol reducing foods and use natural old home remedies.

What is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a type of lipid (a fat) that is found in foods from animal sources (foods such as milk, butter, cheese, eggs, beef, poultry, pork and lamb).

There is no cholesterol in fruits and vegetables and grains. Your liver also produces cholesterol (about 1000 milligrams per day) and you likely eat about 200 to 250 milligram in the foods you eat (more if you eat a meat-heavy or animal-fat heavy diet).

Cholesterol builds cell walls and creates bile salts to digest fat but too much cholesterol in your body can lead to heart disease.

Cholesterol combines with proteins to form a lipo-protein and travel through your blood stream.

What is HDL Cholesterol? What is LDL Cholesterol?

Managing your cholesterol can minimize your risk of heart attack, stroke and heart disease. There are two types of cholesterols: ‘good’ and ‘bad’. The good is HDL cholesterol and the bad is LDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol does not clog blood vessels or cause plaque build-ups; LDL cholesterol does create a fatty, plaque build-up in the blood vessels.

There are primarily two types of lipo-proteins: high density lipo-proteins (HDL) and low density lipo-proteins(LDL).

HDL is considered the 'good' cholesterol, LDL is considered the 'bad' cholesterol - if the LDL cholesterol levels are high. Unfortunately, most cholesterol is LDL and that needs to be managed. Both types have different affects on the body:

• HDL travels back to the liver, where it is processed and eliminated through the body;


• While LDL can clog blood vessels and create blockages; it builds up on the artery walls and forms into plaque, creating narrowing of the arteries; decreasing, and/or poor, blood flow; and ultimately a hardening of the arteries.

This hardening of the arteries is also called atherosclerosis and it puts you at risk for a heart attacks.

The symptoms of high cholesterol can only be determined through testing. How to test for cholesterol? It's a simple blood test.

Once your body has been living with the effects of high LDL cholesterol, it is likely you will need to go on to medication to lower the levels and manage the outcomes. You need to work closely with your doctor and medical team.

What Is LDL Cholesterol?: How to Lower Cholesterol Naturally?

What is LDL Cholesterol and more importantly how can you lower it naturally? Manage your health before it becomes a problem: use Heart Healthy Tips.

• Manage your weight: over weight individuals are more likely to have high LDL;


• Be aware of your family health history; if members of your family have had heart disease or cholesterol issues, then you need to manage your food intake and have your cholesterol levels tested on a regular basis;


• On a preventative basis, manage your foods and ensure that you choose cholesterol reducing foods for your diet. Eat more vegetables, fruits and complex carbohydrates (grains and legumes) and fish. Eat less meats, dairy, fats and other meat by-products. Avoid saturated and trans fats.

  Back to the half/quarter/quarter rule: half your dinner plate needs to be vegetables, one quarter protein, and one quarter grains/starch. If you crave meat: choose lean, skinless meat (like a chicken breast). If you need/want milk (and calcium and vitamin D found in milk is also important to our health), then drink skim or 1% milk.



• Keep active. Physical activity increases HDL cholesterol levels; which is good.


• If you’re a smoker: stop smoking. Overall health is affected by smoking.

What is LDL Cholesterol? - Next Steps To Take

Once you find out, 'what is LDL cholesterol', the next step is managing your levels. And a healthy heart diet and cholesterol reducing foods are a key part of the management program.

Recent research into diet-related solutions points to soluble fiber as an alternative, natural old home remedy. It is found as a dietary supplement (psyllium powder) or in legumes (peas and beans), whole grains (oats and barley), and some fruits (apples and berries) and vegetables (carrots, yams, broccoli).

Soluble fiber’s effect on LDL cholesterol is thought to reduce cholesterol absorption in the intestines by binding with cholesterol and being excreted from the body.

The research shows that five to 10 grams a day of soluble fiber decreases LDL cholesterol by about 5%. The American FDA allows soluble fiber products to be labelled as 'heart healthy.

Managing your diet and physical activity before you develop cholesterol issues is always the best natural remedy or solution. Be pro-active; take charge of your health; the outcome will be improved (bad) cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, improved circulation, and a lowered risk of heart attack and stroke.

To better control and manage your cholesterol, get information on Cholestro-Rite; which works on controlling LDL (bad cholesterol). Maintain healthy HDL levels and reduce risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke.