Lower Cholesterol
Did you know that almost 40 million U.S. adults and 7% of American children have high cholesterol? While information like this might be shocking, it’s also troubling that only a little over half of the adults who would benefit from cholesterol medications actually take it. In addition, many people don’t even realize their cholesterol is high because there are no symptoms associated with it. Having high cholesterol is a very serious issue that significantly increases your chance of heart disease, which is currently the leading cause of death. Therefore, we will explore what cholesterol is, ways you can lower your cholesterol, and how doing so can help you with weight loss in San Diego.
What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that your body requires to create cells, hormones, and vitamins. There are two types of cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Low-density lipoprotein makes up most of your body’s cholesterol and can be very detrimental to your health if you have too much of it. This is because, over time, it forms plaque in the walls of your blood vessels and may eventually restrict blood flow.
HDL, on the other hand, is considered good cholesterol, and high levels of this form can actually lower your risk of stroke and heart disease. This lipoprotein carries cholesterol from various parts of the body to the liver, where it’s then flushed out. Therefore, when managing your cholesterol levels, you should aim to lower your LDL levels and raise your HDL levels so you can decrease your risk of coronary artery disease and other chronic conditions.
How Do I Lower My Cholesterol?
Before you decide to lower your cholesterol, you should first establish if your levels are off in the first place. Be sure to speak with your primary care provider and ask them to check your cholesterol levels. They’ll check your levels by doing a lipid profile, which is a simple blood test that only requires a small sample of blood from your arm or finger. Afterward, they’ll assess your results, and if your levels are high, they’ll give you a care plan. This personalized care plan may include medication and suggested lifestyle changes like weight loss in San Diego.
4 Ways To Lower Your Cholesterol
Below, we’ll share some lifestyle changes that you could incorporate to lower or control your cholesterol.
#1 Eat Healthier
You’ve likely heard this before, but what you put into your body is what you’ll get out of it. The food you eat can either improve your health or damage it. Therefore it’s essential to make healthy food choices to manage your cholesterol levels and nourish your entire body. If you want to tackle your cholesterol levels, start consuming foods that lower LDL cholesterol. Cholesterol-lowering foods do this by either blocking the body from absorbing it or dragging the cholesterol out before it gets into circulation.
Some foods you might want to consider adding to your diet are oats, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, beans, nuts, soy, and fatty fish. You also don’t want to leave out fruits like apples, oranges, strawberries, and grapes. Those fruits all include a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL. By being more cautious about what you consume and limiting the amount of trans and saturated fats in your diet, your LDL cholesterol levels should decrease over time. Following a low cholesterol diet will make you feel better and look better because you’ll likely notice weight loss in San Diego.
#2 Manage Your Weight: Consider Weight Loss in San Diego
Obesity is a risk factor for cholesterol. This is because having excess body weight can increase your bad cholesterol and decrease your good cholesterol. Typically, when you carry additional weight, you also have increased fat tissue, which means more fatty acids are being delivered to your liver. The body can experience inflammation from this and begin having trouble managing your LDL and HDL levels. However, losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight can make a notable difference. In fact, one study found that people who lost just 5% of their weight significantly reduced their LDL and triglyceride levels.
#3 If You Smoke, You Should Try To Quit
When you smoke cigarettes, your lungs absorb the vapor from them. This, in turn, damages your cells, thickens your blood vessels, and makes LDL cholesterol stickier. When it’s stickier, it clings to your arteries and clogs them up. Although HDL cholesterol is good at taking the bad cholesterol away, smoking, unfortunately, lowers your HDL levels. Therefore, it doesn’t make a significant difference. Fortunately, if you quit smoking, you can improve your HDL levels and decrease your risk of heart disease.
#4 Drink Alcohol in Moderation
Alcohol is another thing you’ll want to be careful of when it comes to managing your cholesterol levels. After you drink, the alcohol heads to the liver, where it’s broken down and reconstructed into cholesterol and triglycerides. The more you drink, the higher your LDL cholesterol levels will be, which is not ideal for managing your health. A few claims out there state that wine and other alcoholic beverages can boost your HDL levels. However, there are little to no peer-reviewed studies out there to back those claims up. If there are benefits, the risks certainly outweigh them, so it’s best to drink in moderation or not at all.
#5 Your Doctor May Recommend Cholesterol-lowering Medication
When lifestyle changes aren’t enough to lower your cholesterol, your doctor will likely recommend cholesterol-lowering drugs. There are various types of medications like this available, and they all perform in different ways. For instance, statins reduce the amount of cholesterol created by the liver while fibrates lower triglycerides and raise HDL cholesterol. Sometimes doctors only prescribe one medication, and other times, they recommend a combination of drugs. It ultimately comes down to what you and your doctor decide is the best approach for you.
Take Control of Your Health: Lower Your Cholesterol
If you’re currently not sure where your cholesterol levels are, the best thing you can do is contact a physician. As previously mentioned, having elevated cholesterol levels doesn't come with any signs or symptoms. As a result, many people don’t learn that their cholesterol levels are off until they develop a chronic condition, like atherosclerosis or have a stroke. Both conditions can be incredibly detrimental to your health. Therefore, take preventative actions like eating heart-healthy foods, quitting smoke, or drinking alcohol in moderation. Also, don’t underestimate the impact of weight loss in San Diego! The team at Perlman Wellness is skilled in helping patients reach their weight loss goals which will also help you either manage or prevent high cholesterol. So contact us today to learn more!