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Friday, January 9, 2009

Getting To Know Your Health Guardian, HDL Cholesterol

By Ned Dagostino

A healthy level of HDL cholesterol guarantees protection against heart disease. HDL cholesterol is instrumental in controlling its bad cousin, LDL cholesterol. Let's learn how to maintain a healthy HDL cholesterol level.

Simply put, we should do our best to enhance the level of HDL (good) cholesterol and reduce the level of LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Pharmacological researchers are busy formulating medications to raise the level of HDL to combat heart disease. These medications apart, there are a number of alternative techniques which do pretty much the same thing in a more natural manner. Cardiovascular exercise is a form of exercise which concentrates on improving the blood circulation, which is vital to maintaining a healthy cholesterol balance. So if you already have heart disease or simply want to avoid getting it, cardiovascular exercise is a powerful way to attain the desired cholesterol balance.

Cardiovascular exercise must be done regularly for it to be effective. The American Heart Association's recommendation is very simple: just put in 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise every day. You can even do it in stages. There is another opinion, led by Dr. Mercola, who says that one hour of cardiovascular exercise is necessary and that too at one go.

To help your HDL cholesterol to remain at a healthy level, you should not have any food which contains heavy amounts of LDL cholesterol. Saturated fats as food items or as cooking medium are notorious in this regard. Omega-3 and mono-unsaturated oils and fats are good for HDL cholesterol.

Some fats like omega-3 fats actually enhance the level of HDL cholesterol. Include fish in your diet because they are rich sources of these beneficial fats. Margarine and creamy and sugary processed food items are bad for HDL cholesterol, and should be restricted. Dietary control coupled with regular cardiovascular exercise will improve your HDL cholesterol level.

Next put your lifestyle under a scanner. Do you smoke? Cigarette smoking is turning out to be a bigger killer than originally thought. Stop it, immediately! Smoking smothers the HDL cholesterol in the blood. Are you obese? Obesity aids and abets the malefic HDL cholesterol. Follow regular workouts specially designed to reduce obesity.

Modern life is very hectic. This leads to many stressful situations. Stress has an immediate effect on the cholesterol level in the blood. Stress management techniques are very helpful in keeping the cholesterol balance at a healthy level. Change your outlook on life to handle stressful situations safely. Consider a change of work environment for the sake of your health.

This article shows you how to improve the HDL cholesterol level in three simple ways: regular cardiovascular exercise, proper nutrition, and curbing lifestyle excesses. Follow these steps to improve your HDL cholesterol. Once that happens you will be protected from critical heart diseases.

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