Article Sphere Logo

Taking Vitamin And Pills To Lower Cholesterol

By Expert Author: Jan Richards | Article Abstract
Word Count: 471 words | Views: 217 view(s)
Having an abnormally high cholesterol level can put one at risk of developing heart disease. It won't be an instant thing; heart disease can gradually develop as a person ages and as one continues to maintain a very high cholesterol level. If you plan to live well over your years, then lowering your cholesterol levels at the earliest time possible will be able to help you achieve your goal.

There are certain medications available in the market today that aim to lower cholesterol levels. They are grouped in different classes most notable of which are HMG-CoA Inhibitors or otherwise known as "statins". The drugs belonging in this group try to block the enzyme HMG-CoA, which functions as one of the steps required to convert fat into cholesterol. Statins are known to be the most effective cholesterol lowering agent to date and have become a great help to people requiring drastic reduction of their cholesterol levels.

There are also cholesterol lowering drugs called bile acid sequestrants that work by binding itself with the bile produced by the human liver. Bile is the substance that aids in the digestion system and in the absorption of fats in the intestine. Bile acid sequestrants prevent the formation of cholesterol by preventing bile acid from digesting fats.

There are also vitamins that help lower cholesterol levels. Most prominent among them is Vitamin B3 or niacin. Niacin is one of the eight water-soluble B vitamins that help the body convert carbohydrates into glucose which is used in the body for energy. The B vitamins are also important in the breakdown of body fat and protein as well as in the aid in making the nervous system, skin, eyes, hair, mouth, and liver healthy. Niacin also helps the body in getting rid of toxic and harmful chemicals.

Niacin has also been found to increase the effects of other cholesterol reducing drugs. But such an effect would only be possible if niacin is taken in large doses. But people are also warned to be careful of trying to lower their cholesterol levels by taking in large doses of Niacin. Large amounts of this B vitamin can cause flushing of the skin due to dilating blood vessels as well as other side effects such as itching, headaches, nausea and muscle cramps.

Other vitamins and substances also credited in helping the body lower its cholesterol levels is Lecithin and vitamins C and E. Lecithin works by allowing fats and cholesterol to be dispersed from the body and help prevent fatty buildup in the arteries. Vitamins C and E have also shown to help in trying to help prevent heart disease by protecting LDL cholesterol from damage. Although LDL cholesterol is also known as the "bad" cholesterol, most cardiologists believe that only damaged LDL contributes to the increasing risk of heart disease.
Jan Richards

About the Author/Author Bio

To learn about high cholesterol foods and normal cholesterol levels, visit the Cholesterol Guidelines site.

Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Taking-Vitamin-And-Pills-To-Lower-Cholesterol/156457

Article Submitted: 2008-07-22 | This Article has been viewed 217 times.

Rate Article

More "Cholesterol" Related Articles

 
 

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Cholesterol" article category.

People interested in the above article "Taking Vitamin And Pills To Lower Cholesterol" are also interested in the related articles listed below:

 
There are two types of blood cholesterol: Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and High-density lipoproteins (HDL). LDLs are bad because they are the ones responsible for deposit of plaque on the arteries walls. Deposit of plaque reduces the diameter of the artery and thereby restricts flow of blood through it. Therefore it can increase the risk of heart disease. HDLs are good because they remove cholesterol from arteries walls and carry it back to the liver to be excreted. Therefore HDLs in the blood can decrease the risk of heart disease.
High Cholesterol is a very common diagnosis by doctors nowadays when dealing with patients. Cholesterol has been identified as to increase the risk of heart diseases. But what is Cholesterol at all? Cholesterol is a substance produced by the human liver. The body produces Cholesterol to build up acids that help with the digestion of fat that we eat with our meals.
Statins are known currently to be by far the most effective medications for the lowering of high blood cholesterol levels. However this comes with a price. The usage of statins may be accompanied by statin side effects such as muscle damage, liver damage and gastrointestinal symptoms. The degree of damage, however is usually mild and reversible by discontinuation of the drug.
Cholesterol lowering foods are foods that are low in dietary cholesterol, but also low in saturated fat. Saturated fat is the key because it affects your cholesterol level far more than dietary cholesterol. Saturated fats can produce as much as 4 times more cholesterol in your blood than dietary cholesterol.
Are you suffering with high blood cholesterol level? In addition to proper medication, diet also plays an important role in lowering high cholesterol. As soon as high cholesterol levels are found in someone without heart disease, they should begin a diet recommended by the American Heart Association that states a person should consume less than 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol per day. They should also limit saturated fats to 10 per cent or less of total calories and normal fats 30 per cent or less of total calories.
The right grains for breakfast may have an important contribution to the blood sugar regulation after meals because certain grain products may have indigestible carbohydrates and a low glycemic index (GI), according to a dissertation from the Lund University.
A high cholesterol level has been linked with a number of diseases. There are many factors that contribute to the increase in cholesterol level. The most prominent among them is to following a diet that is high in saturated fat. Prolonged intake of fat foods, lack of exercises, smoking and drinking habits can contribute to the unhealthy increase of LDL (bad cholesterol).
 
Article Directory Home All Categories Health And Fitness Cholesterol
 

Can't find what you're looking for? Try Google Search!
 
Copyright © 2005 - by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners.

Afrikaans Albanian Arabic Belarusian Bulgarian Catalan Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish German English Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Irish Italiano Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Maltese Dutch Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swahili Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Welsh Yiddish