Cholesterol is a fat like substance found in all the cells in our body. Our body need some cholesterol to make vitamins that help to digest foods. The normal cholesterol is less than 200 are consider desirable for adults. Reading between 200 -239 mg /dl is considered borderline and about 240 is considered as high.
But high levels of cholesterol can increase the risk of heart disease. It can develop fatty deposits in blood vessels and and form a clot that cause heart attack.
Causes
- smoking
- unhealthy diet
- high BP
- lack of exercise
- diabetes
- Intake of foods like fatty beef, dairy products, saturated vegetable oils
- Stress
- Lack of sleep
Symptoms
- Heart diseases
- Stroke
- Left sided chest pain
- Blood pressure
- Dizziness
- Blurred speech
- Pain in lower leg
Home remedies to lowering cholesterol
- stop smoking
- Lose excess weight
- Reduce stress
- Eliminated transfats from diet
- Exercise regularly
- Eat heart healthy foods
- Eating fruits, vegetables, grains and Beans
- Reduce saturated fats
- Increase soluble fibre rich diet
- Swimming improved body weight and reduce cholesterol level
- Garlic clove daily, reduce your cholesterol level.
- Green tea block cholestrol absorption in the intestine. Take 2 to 3 cups of green tea is all you need
- Coriander seeds
- Fenugreek seeds help reduce cholesterol synthesis in liver. ½ – 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds daily is recommended.
- Niyasin, soluble fibre are best for reducing cholesterol.
Prevention
- Avoid bread, white rice, white potatoes, dairy products, sugar, fried foods, red meat foods in high saturated fats