High cholesterol: Nutritionist reveals top prevention tips
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LDL is harmful cholesterol that can build up in your blood vessels, increasing your risk of a heart attack. HDL is a healthy form of cholesterol that removes the bad cholesterol from the blood, delivering it to the liver where it is broken down safely. By controlling your diet and exercising you can encourage your body to produce more healthy cholesterol. Another way that doesn’t require large lifestyle changes is to change your beverage of choice.
One study conducted in Spain looked at the drinking habits of schoolchildren.
Those who consumed large amounts of water benefited from less body fat and higher amounts of HDL cholesterol.
Children who drank less water suffered a greater amount of LDL cholesterol and were more frequently overweight.
The study concluded that encouraging water over other beverages could even be an important factor in reducing childhood obesity.
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Another group of researchers examined the employees of an orange juice factory.
Having free access to the fresh fruit juice saw the employees boasting better levels of cholesterol compared to those who did not drink it.
Care should be taken with fruit juices, which are high in sugar and might contribute to other health problems if taken in excess.
Eating the fruit unprocessed often produces better health outcomes than drinking it in juices.
Soy milk is another helpful beverage for improving your cardiovascular health.
Soy is rich in isoflavones that are recognised for their antioxidant effects, meaning it can also reduce your risk of some types of cancer.
In randomised control trials, it has been found to reduce high blood pressure.
Substituting soy milk into your recipes and coffee can also be helpful to the environment.
In addition to drinking more healthily, cutting down on unhealthy beverages will do your heart good.
Drinking sugar-sweetened drinks such as sodas is associated with poor levels of HDL cholesterol.
Alcohol is also a risk factor for cholesterol, with frequent drinkers suffering from high levels of LDL.
Unfiltered coffee can rapidly increase your levels of LDL cholesterol due to the high content of fat.
It’s important to remember that maintaining good health is rarely possible from a single dietary choice.
People who drink water and other health drinks are also likely to engage in more exercise and better self-care.
A good diet and exercise is also important to avoid cardiovascular diseases that derive from poor cholesterol.
Depending on your circumstances you might also be prescribed medications that interact with cholesterol.
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