What Increases and Decreases Good & Bad Cholesterol?
Factors leading to and Increase in Cholesterol
Poor eating habits Diet that is high in saturated fat tends to
elevate cholesterol. Saturated fats are found mostly in foods
that come from animals. Saturated fat raises you LDL ("bad")
cholesterol level more that anything else in the diet. Eating
too much saturated fat is the main reason for high levels of
cholesterol and high rate of heart attacks.
Smoking Cigarette smoking lowers HDL ("good") cholesterol levels
and is one of the six major risk factors of heart disease. It
also increases the tendency for blood to clot. Once a person
quits smoking, HDL cholesterol levels rises within weeks or
months to levels that are equal to their nonsmoking peers.
Excess Weight Excess weight tends to increase your LDL ("bad")
cholesterol level. If you are over weight and have high
LDL-cholesterol level, losing weight may help you lower it.
Heredity Heredity can make certain individuals more prone to
high cholesterol. Genes play a role in influencing you
LDL-cholesterol level. Your genes influence how high you LDL
("bad") cholesterol is by affecting how fast LDL is made and
removed from the blood.
Stress Stress over the long term has been shown in several
studies to raise blood cholesterol levels. One way that stress
may do this is by affecting your habits. For example, when some
people are under stress, they console themselves by eating fatty
foods.
Alcohol consumption Alcohol intake increases HDL ("good")
cholesterol but does not lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol. But
drinking too much alcohol can damage the liver and heart muscle,
lead to high blood pressure, and raise triglycerides. Because of
the risks, the benefit isn't great enough to recommend drinking
alcohol if you don't do so already.
Factors which Lower Cholesterol in the Body
Good Eating Habits Eating healthy is a vital part of lowering
you cholesterol. Increasing fiber intake by as little as 3 grams
per day can help lower cholesterol. Good sources include
oatmeal, soy, legumes, some vegetables, and beans. A healthy
diet includes minimal saturated fat. However, monounsaturated
fats (olive oils) have a positive effect on cholesterol. Alcohol
should also be kept to a minimum.
Exercise Along with diet, exercising is an important part of
achieving a healthy cholesterol level. Being physically active
can help lower you cholesterol level, whether it involves
everyday activities like cleaning or gardening or structured
exercise program. Exercise sets off a series of enzymatic
reactions in the body that increases HDL's and lowers
triglycerides. This will ultimately lower LDL's ("bad") and
total cholesterol.
Weight Loss This is actually the most significant independent
contributor to cholesterol reduction. While exercise and proper
diet contribute to cholesterol reduction. In most cases weight
loss must occur to see an improvement. The good news is that
only a five percent weight loss can alter cholesterol
significantly.