Oct 07, 2008 10:40 AM
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Background
Friends - due to my hectic job demands before three years in twenties I have been diagnised with high cholesterol and BP. I have been advised with lots of medicine and I have almost went through the phase of depression. My family doctor told me something which I stil rememebr "Sajith, you want to gain something which a normal human being gain during forties. And you are succesfull also. But along with the success, you were gifted with the agonies of forties. Well, heart attack and diabetes is on the way. So, better slow down"
Being some one who always want to run ahead of time - applying break was something which I always hated to do. But yes - at the interest of health and at the interest of those who love me - I slowed down and thank god - everything is under control. Long way to go but still I am happy. With this small background let me share with you what I have learned during last three years. I researched a lot about the health parameters and would always love to share this with all as it will help you a lot. Especially when you approach a doctor, if your awareness level is better - it will help you to engage in healthy dialogue with doctor. So, this time - Cholesterol.
What is cholesterol -Cholesterol is a fatlike, steroid alcohol with the chemical structure C27-H45-OH. (Grrrr----- only chemistry students will follow this --- So let me make it simple for you)
Cholesterol is an integral part of each cell in the body. It is a waxy substance made naturally in the body. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly and it can make all it needs from some fats in the diet.
In a nutshell - it is some thing which is required at the desirable quantity and major part of cholesterol is produced in liver and minor part is being derived through our food intake.
GOOD AND BAD CHOLESTEROL
Our body does need cholesterol to make bile salts, hormones and vitamin D. as mentioned above, It is mainly produced by our liver. Cholesterol will build up on the artery walls when the level of cholesterol in the blood is too high. There are 2 main types of blood cholesterol:
Low Desnsity Lipoprotein (LDL) (the "Bad" cholesterol) and High Desnsity Lipoprotein HDL (the "Good" cholesterol).
WHY LDL IS BAD?
High amounts of the bad LDL will deposit cholesterol on the artery walls forming plaques. More and more plaques will narrow the arteries lumen and may eventually block blood flow. Therefore LDL is considered the "Bad" cholesterol.
Well friends - LDL can be controlled through regular exercise and diet control. (avoid fried food, oily food, as far as possible avoid hotel food etc.). All the medicines that are given for Cholesterol patients are meant to reduce LDL level.
WHY HDL IS GOOD?
The good HDL, on the other hand, takes excess cholesterol away and carries it back to the liver to be excreted. It can also remove some of the cholesterol already attached to the artery walls. Therefore HDL is considered the "Good" cholesterol as high levels of HDL in the blood can decrease the risk of heart disease. So far, no medicine is invented to increase HDL but physical activity can raise HDL level.
What is Triglyceride?
Triglycerides are the main form of fat in foods. After eating, our liver will process them. It is normal that our blood contains certain levels of triglycerides. However, if you consume excess calories regardless from any source - carbohydrates, fats or protein, our body will transform the excess calories into triglycerides for storage as body fat. Therefore it is more common to see high triglycerides in overweight or obese individuals. It can also increase the chance of heart disease. Normally, high cholesterol patients are found to have high triglycerides too.
Limits -I am aware of the normal range of over all cholesterol and the bifurcations but I am not attempting to brief it here as I think this need to be done by a certified physician. Also, the medication part is also skipped being it is a technical subject to be dealt by certified physician.
But I can definitely speak about prevention and other methods which you need to do if your cholesterol levels are high.
Prevention
A low-fat diet and adequate daily exercise prevents build-up of excess cholesterol levels in the body. It is necessary to avoid foodstuffs containing excessive fats, oils and animal proteins. The importance of exercise cannot be overemphasized. Also avoiding smoking, a predisposing factor to coronary artery disease, will help to reduce the incidence of complications.
Sum Up
-Always keep your weight under control
Nothing can replace exercise. I suggest brisk walking / tread mill for minimum 45 minutes a day and that too with out any break. Breaks in between can be detrimental
Analyse your diet and start cutting down on sugar, fat, fried items, junk food. I am sure - we will fail here if we aim at ambitious plan of fasting, cracking diet, having only sprouts and fruits etc. Never do this - always reduce the number of tea, quantity of junk food and supplement with fruits / salads and exercise.
Try for full fruit diet once in a week.
Never remain hungry. Hunger fast is always a bad solution
Also - if your tummy has grown out always remember - your heart started crying. This is the god's message for you to go for a healthy life style. If you ignore ------ well that is how population is being controlled.
Have a healthy life style and remember me!
