Keys to a Healthy Heart

High blood pressure and high cholesterol can disrupt the good health of your heart and cause heart disease and stroke. And now there is evidence to suggests that both conditions may very well be interconnected.

According to a recent study, conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School,men with the highest levels of total cholesterol were 23 percent more susceptible to developing high blood pressure than those who had the lowest levels.

Hypertension and high cholesterol are associated with atherosclerosis also known as hardening of the arteries. Unfortunately, once a condition of high blood pressure occurs it often lasts a lifetime. Lack of exercise, a diet rich in saturated fat and low in fiber, stress and obesity are some of the risk factors for high blood pressure.

Exercise, a healthy diet and medications called anti-hypertensives are used to treat high blood pressure and hypertension symptoms, however, they are often accompanied by side effects that include nigh time incontinence, dizziness and swollen ankles, to name a few. Because of these adverse effects many people are now seeking natural alternatives that are professionally formulated; in fact, a natural high blood pressure remedy may be the key to supporting healthy blood flow in the arteries, relaxing the cardiac muscles and relieving nervous tension.

As mentioned earlier, a high cholesterol level is a major enemy of the heart. Cholesterol is a type of lipid or fat that is found in foods such as eggs, meats, milk, ice cream and other whole fat dairy products. However, food is not the only source of cholesterol; the body also produces its own in the liver which gets carried through the bloodstream by certain proteins forming what is called lipoproteins. The most important are the high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL). LDL is referred to as "bad cholesterol" because it blocks blood vessels.

When LDL cholesterol levels are high, health problems can arise. As LDL gets deposited on the wall of the arteries (known as plaque) they become narrower and narrower, reducing the blood flow and hardening the arteries. This condition is dangerous as it can lead to both heart attack and stroke.

The risk factors for high LDL cholesterol levels include: excess weight, heredity, a diet high in saturated fat and trans fat, lack of exercise and age.

To lower your cholesterol is important to exercise regularly and watch what you eat. In a list of high cholesterol foods you will find cheeses, milk, baked goods, red meat and certain oils, to name a few. By making changes to your lifestyle and by following a diet to lower cholesterol you are being proactive in taking control of the factors that contribute to high levels of "bad cholesterol" and reducing your risk of heart problems down the road.

Fortunately, as you can see, there are several options to lower cholesterol naturally and we invite you to learn more about what you can do to maintain healthy levels of LDL cholesterol. Get valuable information on ways to lower cholesterol without side-effects, which foods you should avoid and which ones you will want to eat more of by clicking on the corresponding links. Also, learn the truth about rice bran oil and the benefits of guggulipid. See for yourself why these can be beneficial to your heart and other organs and systems in your body.

In case that you are considering a treatment with statins, read first about statin side effects and health risks involved. Drugs such as Lipitor may cause muscle pain and other unwanted side effects that you could avoid.

The experience of many people who once were told that their bad cholesterol "had gone through the roof" demonstrates that by making a few key changes it's possible to bring LDL levels down in just a few months.

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Legal Disclaimer: The information contained in this web site is for educational purposes only and its not meant to replace medical advice, diagnose or treat any disease. Nutritional benefits may differ from one person to another, because each person is different. Medical doctors and healthcare professionals can provide disagreeing opinions on health issues consequently each person in the end is responsible for directing their own health care.