Heart diseases
rank high in list of leading causes of deaths in the country. Many people up to
this time are suffering from heart diseases and sooner or later they would be
added to the statistics. But if people would only realize that there are easy
and simple ways to prevent heart diseases, the number of deaths due to them
would decrease. They need to realize that the key is for them to aim for an HDL increase and an LDL decrease. HDL
or high-density lipoproteins are called good cholesterol while LDL or
low-density lipoproteins are called bad cholesterol. Both of them can be done
by following the simple ways suggested here.
There are two
major ways to increase HDL and decrease LDL levels. They are lifestyle changes
and medication.
What constitutes
lifestyle changes? You must start by changing your sedentary lifestyle into an
active one. Involve yourself in physical activities. Run or jog for at least 30
minutes per day. You can also join dancing classes. It will also be good if you
will take on a sport like badminton. If you are a couch potato, stand up and do
something physical. You can walk your dog outside. You can also considering
walking to the store to buy food and other items instead of just having them
delivered. Physical activities increase HDL level effectively.
The next thing
you must do is to examine what you eat. Proper diet boosts HDL increase.
Instead of eating fatty food, choose healthy alternatives such as cereals and
oatmeal. You can also increase your
intake of fruits and leafy vegetables. Though fats have been associated with
cholesterol you cannot remove them from your diet entirely. What you can do is
to get them from right sources. Instead of animal fats, you can just get them
from vegetable oil. Sunflower and olive oils are usually the first ones
recommended.
Also, part of
lifestyle changes is quitting vices such as smoking. Smoking lowers HDL so
stopping it will help a lot. With regard to drinking alcoholic beverages, you
do not necessarily need to stop it because there are studies that show that
alcohol can increase HDL. However, there is a caveat to that. You must drink
only a glass or two per day.
As said earlier,
you can also increase your HDL level through medication. Some common medicines
given are statins, niacin and fibrates. However, you must consult your
physician first before you take any of these. A careful examination must be
done before you can be advised to have one.
If you do not
want to be part of the increasing statistics regarding deaths in the country
you must follow these tips. With them, you can expect the needed HDL increase
to prevent heart diseases.