| Maintain healthy LDL levels is considered to be one of | | | | According to the American Heart Association to |
| the most important factors in reducing a person’s | | | | maintain levels of LDL in a heart healthy range your |
| risk of heart attack, stroke, and artery disease. While | | | | total dietary fat intake should be no more than 30 |
| most know LDL simply as bad cholesterol, LDL actually | | | | percent of total calories consumed daily and most of |
| stands for low density lipoproteins. When a | | | | that fat should be in the form of polyunsaturated and |
| person’s levels of LDL are consistently high (over | | | | monosaturated fats; along with omega 3 fatty acids |
| 130) it causes the buildup of fatty deposits inside the | | | | found in cold water fatty fish. |
| arteries known as plaque, narrowing the arteries and | | | | The most dangerous type of fat, as it relates to heart |
| reducing blood flow to the heart. If left untreated | | | | and artery disease, is that of saturated fat. The AMA |
| arterial blockage will eventually occur, leading to a heart | | | | suggest keeping saturated fat consumption below 7 |
| attack or stroke. | | | | percent of total calories, which equates to around 11 or |
| Healthy levels of LDL are generally considered to be | | | | 12 grams for every 1600 calories consumed. |
| under 120 milligrams for each deciliter of blood for | | | | What next? Maintaining healthy levels of LDL, in most |
| those with no family or personal history of heart | | | | cases, is about eating right, changing old habits, |
| disease. On the other hand if you have a personal or | | | | adopting new healthier habits, and enlisting the help of |
| family history of heart disease, or have one or more | | | | convention medications such as statins or natural |
| of the other common risk factors (smoking, obesity, | | | | cholesterol reducing remedies if needed. Put simply, this |
| inactivity, high blood pressure, diabetes etc…) healthy | | | | basically means finding ways to increase HDL (good |
| levels of LDL will be in the 90 to 100 mg/dl range. | | | | cholesterol) and decrease LDL (bad cholesterol levels), |
| Diet and healthy levels of LDL There are two basic | | | | and bring overall cholesterol down to acceptable heart |
| ways your body gets cholesterol: from the foods you | | | | healthy levels. Certainly the aforementioned statin |
| eat and by producing it internally through the liver. The | | | | drugs will be one of your options but they do carry a |
| truth of the matter is that the liver produces enough | | | | number of serious label warnings. The side effect risks |
| cholesterol each day to supply your requirements. | | | | have made natural cholesterol reduction supplements |
| What this means is that any cholesterol consumed | | | | combined with diet modification and smart lifestyle |
| from the diet must be either used or disposed of | | | | choices (not smoking, staying active) a safe and |
| through solid waste, otherwise it will end up in your | | | | effective combination worth considering. |
| arteries in the form of plaque. | | | | |