How to lower your cholesterol?
There are various ways on how to lower your cholesterol naturally. Some require some form of self-discipline, and some do not.
First, watch your diet. Limit the intake of animal and dairy products. Various studies have shown that dietary modifications can reduce cholesterol by 15 to 30 percent.
Second, stop (or at least limit as much as you can) smoking or drinking alcohol. Stop anything else that is harmful to your body.
Third, begin an aerobic exercise program. It does not have to be heavy. Something like brisk walking or jogging.
Forth, use nutritional supplements. There are various supplements that help reduce cholesterol. For example, you can use a soluble fiber supplement such as green barley, or garlic, calcium, lecithin, vitamin B, and C.
Why lower cholesterol?
The problem with cholesterol is that there are no high cholesterol symptoms and too much of it can collect in your blood vessels, forming a hard, brittle substance called plaque.
A build-up of plaque can cause your blood vessels to narrow and, reduce the amount of blood that can flow to vital organs such as your heart and brain.
If a vessel is blocked and the blood does not pump through the heart, then you’ll have a heart attack. However, if the blocked vessel, is near to the brain and the blood does not flow to your brain you’ll have a stroke. Lowering cholesterol will slow fatty build-up in the walls of the arteries and reduce your risk of a heart attack and stroke.
In fact, studies have shown that by lowering cholesterol by 1 percent, there’s a 2 percent reduction in the number of heart attacks. In other words, if you reduce your cholesterol level by 20 percent, your risk of heart disease could drop by 40 percent.