Risk for cardiovascular disease reduce: reduce cholesterol without the pills
Increased cholesterol levels are one of the most dangerous risk factors for heart disease. But it is not delivered of this danger, helpless. Experts explain how cholesterol can be lowered without medication.
Raised cholesterol levels are diseases with other factors such as Smoking, obesity, alcohol abuse and lack of exercise is a risk factor for cardiovascular. Some Concerned the use of the so-called statins is required. However, in many cases, values can be high cholesterol without pills reduce.
Risk factor for heart disease
As the Institute for quality and efficiency in health care (IQWiG) declared on the Portal “gesundheitsinformation.de” caused an elevated cholesterol value, no complaints.
However, unfavorable cholesterol levels in the blood of the German heart Foundation, according to the most dangerous risk factors for heart disease.
The so-called “health Check-up” can help to detect elevated values. By law ill have all three years is entitled to these Check-insured over 35 years up, including a study of the total cholesterol value.
General Recommendations
A lot of people, the unfavorable cholesterol values, and something you want to do, would not like to see on tablets.
According to the IQWiG, there are several General measures are recommended for protection against cardiovascular diseases. Some of them can also reduce cholesterol levels a little. These include:
- non-Smoking
- to take low in saturated fats themselves
- a lot of move
- Reduce weight
Stop Smoking
Give up Smoking lowers the risk for cardiovascular disease and improves the life expectancy – no matter how high the cholesterol is.
It is therefore not worth it to stop in any case, with the Smoking, even if cholesterol drops as a result.
Regular Exercise
It can also help regular exercise. The German society for the fight against fat metabolic disturbances and its subsequent writes illnesses DGFF (Lipid-Liga) e. V. in a previous communication that you can act through endurance sports positive impact on his cholesterol levels.
Accordingly, the vascular protective leaves at the end of HDL-cholesterol by up to ten percent boost, if you jog 30 minutes a day or Biking.
According to the professional society of physical activity has a positive effect on fat metabolism, especially when it is performed in the Low-intensity area, which means: “to Run without Wheezing”.
Saturated fats as possible by unsaturated replace
For people with elevated cholesterol levels, there are a lot of diet tips. But the IQWiG, the least recommendations are substantiated by any meaningful scientific studies.
A number of scientific investigations indications that a diet that is low in saturated fatty acids, can reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease provides. It is not necessary to eat a generally low-fat.
It is crucial to replace saturated fats where possible through unsaturated – that is, more vegetable food and fish to eat instead of meat and fat rich milk products.
According to the figures, there had been diseases, in studies on the diet has no influence on the result, whether the Participants lost weight or not.
Healthy Mediterranean Cuisine
According to the study results, a Mediterranean diet can help way (the Mediterranean kitchen), to reduce various risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including cholesterol.
The heart Foundation explains, comes of it instead of animal fat, for example olive oil or rapeseed oil is preferably used, which can have an impact through their monounsaturated fatty acids and polyphenols favorable effect on the cholesterol values.
In addition, a lot of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grain products, fish and poultry belong to a Mediterranean diet.
Special foods against high cholesterol
For several years, foods such as margarine places will be offered to lower the cholesterol. These products contain plant sterols that can inhibit the absorption of cholesterol. Whether these Margarines to improve the health, is the IGWiG that but still unclear.
Other food is sometimes claimed that you can reduce the cholesterol level. These mainly include artichoke extract, fish oil, garlic, Indian myrrh, Policosanol (a sugar cane extract), red rice flour, soy, walnuts, products with soluble fiber such as psyllium husks, and extracts from green tea (Catechin extracts, etc.).
Many of these products are concentrated and sold in capsules as a dietary Supplement. However, it has been shown according to the IGWiG so far, none of this means that it can prevent secondary diseases.
For most funds, there is not even convincing evidence that they can even lower the cholesterol. Only for Catechin products, which contain extracts of green tea, there are studies: In people with high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) could lower the cholesterol: The total cholesterol decreased by an average of about six mg/dl and the LDL level by about four mg/dl.
It can, however, not to infer that Catechin extracts also improve health, for example, heart attacks prevention. In addition, the studies were too short to be able to do something about the long-term effect of such products, say. (ad)