Understanding Cholesterol

Causes

Symptoms

Prevention

Cholesterol is a crucial element in maintaining good health, but when your levels become imbalanced, it can lead to serious health issues.

At Wellness Tree, we’re committed to providing you with the information and products you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. In this blog post, we’ll delve into what cholesterol is, its causes, symptoms, and how you can prevent high cholesterol.

What is Cholesterol in simple terms?

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in all cells of the body. It is essential for producing hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help digest foods. However, high levels of cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease.

Cholesterol is a type of lipid that performs many essential jobs in your body. Lipids are substances that don’t dissolve in water, so they don’t come apart in your blood. Instead, they travel through your blood to reach different parts of your body that need them.

Your liver makes enough cholesterol to support your body’s needs. But you also get extra cholesterol from the foods you eat. Your body does have a system for getting rid of excess cholesterol. But sometimes, that system doesn’t work as well as it should or becomes overloaded. As a result, you can have extra cholesterol circulating in your blood. And that’s when you might run into trouble.

Cholesterol itself isn’t bad. It’s actually vital for you to live. But too much cholesterol can be harmful. That’s why it’s important to learn about cholesterol, including its functions and types. This knowledge can help you understand why you need cholesterol — but not too much of it. It can also help you understand what your cholesterol numbers mean and how to take action to lower them if needed.

What are some of the Causes of High Cholesterol

Understanding what causes high cholesterol is the first step in preventing it. Several factors can contribute to high cholesterol levels, including:

1. Unhealthy Diet: Diets high in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol can raise cholesterol levels. Changing what foods you eat can lower your cholesterol and improve the armada of fats floating through your bloodstream. Adding foods that lower LDL, the harmful cholesterol-carrying particle that contributes to artery-clogging atherosclerosis, is the best way to achieve a low cholesterol diet. These are some foods that help to lower cholesterol.
2. Lack of Physical Activity: Physical inactivity can lead to weight gain, which is linked to higher cholesterol levels.
3. Obesity: Excess weight increases cholesterol levels and reduces the good cholesterol (HDL).
4. Smoking: Cigarette smoking can lower good cholesterol (HDL) and raise bad cholesterol (LDL).
5. Genetics: Family history can play a significant role in determining cholesterol levels. For example, familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited genetic disorder that can cause abnormally high levels of LDL cholesterol. FH makes it harder for the body to remove LDL cholesterol from the blood, which can lead to cholesterol buildup in the arteries and veins. This buildup can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke at a young age. If a parent has FH, each of their children has a 50% chance of inheriting it.
6. Age and Gender: Cholesterol levels typically rise with age. Women are more likely to have high cholesterol after menopause.

What are the symptoms of high Cholesterol?

High cholesterol often shows no signs or symptoms. A blood test is the only way to detect it. However, in some cases, high cholesterol can lead to symptoms related to heart disease, such as:

• Chest pain or angina
• Heart attack
• Stroke

Ways to Prevent High Cholesterol

Preventing high cholesterol involves making lifestyle changes and sometimes taking medications. Here are some effective strategies:

1. Healthy Eating: Incorporate a heart-healthy diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Limit your intake of saturated and trans fats. It is suggested that you eat non fried salmon or other fatty fish at least twice a week. The reason for this recommendation is that some fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids. These are healthy fats that have been promoted for a variety of heart, brain, and other health benefits.

Your body can’t make omega-3 fatty acids. So you need to get them from your diet. The ideal sources are from foods like:

• Fatty fish such as anchovies, salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines, trout, and tuna (bluefin and albacore)
• Flaxseeds
• Nuts, especially walnuts

Even though food should be your main source of omega-3 fatty acids, most people don’t get enough of this nutrient from diet alone. If that’s the case with you, your first step should be to eat more fish and other omega-3 foods. Besides providing omega-3s, these foods have other health benefits, including:

• Proteins
• Vitamins
• Minerals

Types of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

There are three main types of omega-3 fatty acids:

• EPA: This type of omega-3 is found primarily in:
  • Fish
  • Fortified foods, such as some brands of eggs and orange juice
  • Fish oil supplements you can buy without a prescription
  • Prescription fish oil
  EPA helps lessen inflammation in the body.
• DHA: This type is found in:
  • Fish
  • Fortified foods, such as some brands of eggs and orange juice
  • Fish oil supplements you can buy without a prescription
  • Prescription fish oil
  • Algae supplements
  DHA is essential for brain health and function.
• ALA: This is contained in walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds. It’s also found in vegetable oils such as:
  • Canola oil
  • Soybean oil
  • Flaxseed oil
  The body converts ALA to its more active forms — EPA and DHA — but only in small amounts.

Check out Wellness Tree’s Omega Oil Range for a healthy boost.

2. Regular Exercise: Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise most days of the week. Activities like walking, running, and swimming can help maintain a healthy weight and lower cholesterol.
3. Maintain a Healthy Weight: Losing excess weight can help lower cholesterol levels.
4. Quit Smoking: Stopping smoking improves your HDL cholesterol level. Natural remedies can help you quit for good.
5. Limit Alcohol Intake: Drinking alcohol in moderation is key. Excessive drinking can lead to serious health issues including high cholesterol.
6. Add supplements to help lower your cholesterol naturally. These are a few of the options available:
   • Lip Script:

     LipiScript is a comprehensive formula designed to promote cardiovascular health and aid in managing cholesterol, triglycerides, and homocysteine levels.

     It combines key ingredients such as Policosanol, Inositol Hexanicotinate, Guggulipid, Beta Sitosterol, and Turmeric to address multiple aspects of cholesterol regulation and arterial health.

     By inhibiting cholesterol synthesis, reducing triglyceride levels, and supporting the balance of HDL and LDL cholesterol, this supplement aims to maintain a healthy lipid profile.

     Learn more

   • Berberine:

     Berberine acts as a potent activator of AMPK (adenosine monophosphate protein kinase) in the body. AMPK, dubbed the ‘metabolic master switch,’ plays a crucial role in regulating various aspects of health, including blood sugar levels, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and body composition. While AMPK activation can occur naturally through calorie restriction and exercise, berberine offers an additional means of activation.

     Learn more

   • Red Yeast Rice:

     Experience the holistic power of NOW Red Yeast Rice (RYR) with an enriching blend of nature’s finest ingredients, meticulously crafted to invigorate your health and vitality. For centuries, Asian traditional herbalists have revered RYR for its myriad benefits, harnessing the potent synergy of fermented Red Yeast (Monascus purpureus) with rice. NOW combines this ancient wisdom with modern science, ensuring each capsule is a testament to purity and efficacy.

     Our formula goes beyond tradition, incorporating Alpha Lipoic Acid and CoQ10 to fortify your body against free radicals, safeguarding your cells and promoting overall wellness. CoQ10, renowned for its cardiovascular support, synergizes seamlessly with RYR to bolster heart health and vitality. Meanwhile, Silymarin joins the fray, lending its expertise in nurturing liver function, facilitating detoxification and promoting a robust internal environment.

     Learn more

Helpful Resources

For more in-depth information on cholesterol, check out these trusted resources:

• Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa
• Mayo Clinic Cholesterol Overview
• World Health Organization – Cardiovascular Diseases

Final Thoughts

Managing cholesterol is an essential aspect of maintaining overall health. By making informed lifestyle choices and incorporating the right products, you can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease. At Wellness Tree, we’re here to support you every step of the way. Explore our range of health and wellness products here

Stay healthy and informed!

For any queries or personalized advice, feel free to contact us through our website or visit our blog for more health tips and product recommendations.

Healthline – Natural Cholesterol Reducers