Monday, February 2, 2009

HRT Lower Cholesterol & Prevent Heart Disease

"Health Information": Many experts in medical have been trying hard to get the solution to lower bad cholesterol.They have been doing experiments looking for the solution to lower cholesterol, specially for the post menopausal women. This is because Post menopausal women have some health concerns, not the least of which is the need to lower cholesterol. Recent studies of the cholesterol levels in older women seem to indicate that cholesterol is lowered slightly for some older women who undergo Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Unfortunately, still the incidence of heart disease is not as greatly affected – at least not the way they would like.

The specific study examining postmenopausal women, called the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS), was conducted by the National Heart and Lung Institute. It found that the women on HRT had a “modest” drop in the Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol. It also raised the High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol which is the good cholesterol. Both raising HDL and lowering LDL cholesterol are important in lowering overall blood cholesterol levels to the desirable range of under 200 mg/dl.

Because of the other results of the study the conclusion was that HRT should not be used as a means to lower cholesterol. The negative results far outweighed the benefits of lower cholesterol for these women. More women in the HRT group, for example, had more blood clots, gallbladder disease, and in the first year, more cases of heart disease. By the fourth and fifth years of the study, however, the number of incidences of heart disease dropped for the women on HRT.

Anyone at any age can lower cholesterol without drugs, hormones, or drastic diets. A well balanced and enjoyable diet that allows for some indulgences in moderation is enough to lower cholesterol without prescription drugs. The important aspect of diet is balancing certain nutrients and ensuring the consumption of enough of specific vitamins and minerals



Lowering Cholesterol procedures and devices

"Health Information" : Having high level of bad cholesterol is a big problem for every one since this is so risky for their health. Thus many medical experts try hard to solve that serious problem. As we know when cholesterol levels have reached such a critical level it is not uncommon for doctors to recommend certain procedures and devices to surgically remove the dangerous build up of plaque resulting from long term high cholesterol. Most people today are aware of their cholesterol readings and have the choice for lowering cholesterol or face one of these serious and invasive procedures.

Angioplasty is a process of expanding the arteries, generally those surrounding the heart so that the blood can freely flow once again. This is done to prevent a complete closing of the artery which would lead to a potentially fatal heart attack. The arteries are expanded by inserting a balloon like device into the blood vessel and then “blowing” it up. This stretches the artery and keeps it open. The elasticity of the artery may not support doing this procedure more than a few times.

There are other devices that can be used for lowering cholesterol surgically. These scrape or cut away at cholesterol build up within the arteries. A laser that was first used in 1992 can be used to “melt” away excess plaque. This dissolves the low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) in a way that if there were enough time, the good high density lipoprotein (HDL) might be able to the job well enough itself. That is why it is important to have enough HDL to manage LDL.

To avoid the need for surgical intervention, cholesterol can be managed and lowered in much less traumatic ways. The first course of action should be to have your cholesterol checked and monitored annually. If it appears to be high, a low cholesterol and low fat diet should be top priority. This should be combined with an extensive exercise program that strengthens the heart and naturally raises HDL cholesterol.



Cholesterol Treatment ApoA-l Milano Mimics HDL Action

"Health Information": Understanding the risks of having high level of bad cholesterol is very important since knowing that can prevent us having serious health problems.Nowadays there have been many studies on the risk of having high Density Lipoprotein (LDL). In the study of good vs. bad cholesterol it’s all about ratios. The good cholesterol, which is the High Density Lipoprotein (HDL), needs to be high enough in relation to the bad cholesterol called Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL). When there is not the proper balance or LDL is just too high, then the arteries can become clogged with excess cholesterol and result is a condition where the arteries become hardened called atherosclerosis.

Scientists have long known that HDL does a good job of cleansing the arteries from the waxy buildup of too much LDL cholesterol in the blood. All cholesterol is linked with apolipoprotein, a molecule that carries the cholesterol through the body. HDL cholesterol has a form of Apo with it that is the ApoAl molecule. It is this molecule that makes HDL the great cleanser.

In human studies, injecting people who have high cholesterol and especially low levels of HDL, with ApoAl Milano the results were amazing. In just five weeks the participants were able to completely flush their arteries of the plaque buildup. The discovery that led to the research happened in the late 1970s when an Italian man with high blood fat, low HDL and high LDL still had clean arteries. After studying his close relatives and finding the same was true, doctors discovered a mutant form of ApoAl and dubbed it ApoAl Milano.

The next step to understanding how ApoAl works is to see if all versions of the molecule will be just as effective and the Milano variety. Early research indicates it may be, because of the positive response in animal studies.

Most people are not as genetically fortunate as to be able to maintain high levels of LDL and low HDL cholesterol and not have it negatively impact their arteries.



Diet Tips on How to Lower Cholesterol

Many people are now aware of their health since health is very important in our life. We can not do everything if we get sick. One of the problems making some one easily get sick is having high level of bad cholesterol. This article describes about diet tips to lower cholesterol that might be very useful.

A huge part of what contributes to good or bad cholesterol levels is your diet. You may think that you have to give up all your favorite foods or eat some kind of sawdust-flavored cereal each day in order to attain low cholesterol. Not true. There are simple additions and a few minor subtractions to your diet that will greatly help to low cholesterol upto the recommended levels, even if you have a family history.

Exchange that four letter word “diet” for a more positive sounding phrase such as eating plan. Since most people get enjoyment from eating, it is one step toward making good food choices a positive experience. Attaining low cholesterol through the right food choices sets your thinking toward what you can have, instead of focusing on what you cannot have.

Many of the best low cholesterol foods are easy to add to your diet or substitute for others. For example, try having a cup of green tea in place of another morning beverage, as green tea is full of flavonoids. This will help blood platelets that are sticking to the arteries pass on through. However, avoid drinking milk with tea because milk will bind with the flavonoids, which causes them to pass through the intestinal tract. This means you lose the apparent antioxidant benefit. Think you can’t have avocados in a healthy eating plan? Think again. Avocados are high in fat, but it is monounsaturated fat, which is actually good for you. They also don’t have any dietary cholesterol at all! Just be aware of calorie count, even in foods low in cholesterol and containing “good” fat. Weight gain will negative the positive results of foods low in cholesterol.

Another great addition to your eating plan is anything that is high in fiber. Look for food with at least 5 grams of fiber per serving to realize some great benefits of low cholesterol.