High cholesterol affects around 15 percent of teenagers and is, unfortunately, a growing problem. Left unchecked and untreated, the build up of cholesterol can continue into adulthood and lead to a significant increase in the risk of early heart disease. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States today. This is why teenagers with high cholesterol, and their parents, need to be aware of how to tackle the problem.

Around 1.5 percent of teenagers suffer from high cholesterol because the condition runs in their family. A cholesterol test should also be considered if there is a family history of high blood pressure. Teenagers are also putting themselves at risk of developing high cholesterol if they smoke regularly. However, the leading cause of high cholesterol in teens is obesity. Poor diets and a lack of exercise can cause a fatty build up in the arteries which can lead to severe health problems in adulthood.

To reduce the risk of your teenager developing high cholesterol, or to lower it if it has already become a problem, one of the first things you will need to do is encourage them to become more physically active. People need to aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day, 5 days a week. If they are obese or experiencing health problems they should build up to 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week in order to improve their health.

Diet is also an important factor. The biggest culprit for high cholesterol is processed foods, so meals should be cooked from scratch whenever possible. Saturated fats, which mostly come from animal produce such as meat and dairy, and hydrogenated fats, found in some oils, should be restricted. Good alternatives to 'bad' fats are liquid margarine and olive oil.

Teenagers should also ensure they are getting their 5 portions of fruit and vegetables today as these often have properties which help lower cholesterol. Apples, pears, prunes and brussell sprouts all contain soluble fibre which breaks down bad cholesterol. Soya, oats, pulses and nuts can also aid cholesterol reduction. However, due to their high calorie content nut intake should be restricted to a handful or less a day.

If trying to lower cholesterol through diet and exercise fails to yield results after a year then medication may be prescribed. These usually work by blocking cholesterol production, increasing levels of 'good' cholesterol or reducing cholesterol absorption. As with any form of medication, these drugs can have unpleasant side effects and should only be considered if all other measures have failed.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leanne_Williams

It is a scientifically proven - and well publicised - fact that eating well significantly lowers your risk of developing serious diseases. This is especially true of heart disease. If there is a history of heart problems in your family or if you are worried your lifestyle may have put you at increased risk, then it is never too late to make changes to your diet that will significantly improve your health.

If you want to lower your cholesterol levels, you first need to know which foods you should eat in moderation. Fat is essential to the body, but modern eating habits mean people are getting far more trans fat and saturated fat than is healthy. A good diet should be made up of less than 7 percent of these fats. They are found mainly in animal sourced products (meat and dairy). You should also aim for lower levels of hydrogenated fat, so should check the ingredients on your margarine to choose the healthiest option and then use this for cooking rather than butter, which is a big culprit in high cholesterol. As a general rule, processed convenience foods are worse for cholesterol levels so aim to cook from scratch most nights of the week.

There are foods which can lower your cholesterol, so you should aim to include more of these in your diet. Start your day with an oat based cereal as it is an easy way to get more soluble fibre, which can reduce your 'bad' cholesterol levels by approximately 5 percent. You can also increase your intake of soluble fibre by eating certain fruits and vegetables such as prunes, pears, apples, pulses and brussell sprouts.

If your diet is fairly balanced and sensible, you can reduce your cholesterol levels further through eating more polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These are unsaturated fats and come mostly from plant, rather than animal, sources. Try using olive oil rather than vegetable oil and snacking on almonds and walnuts. Do bear in mind though, nuts are very calorific so you should be careful how much you eat and limit it to less than a handful.

If you are concerned about your cholesterol levels, visit your family doctor. They may be able to test how high your cholesterol is, and can certainly give you further advice about how to improve your lifestyle and eating habits to reduce it and make your heart healthier.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leanne_Williams

Cholesterol is an essential fatty substance (called a lipid), which is present in the circulatory system. It is needed by the body for the production of hormones and vitamin D. A small amount is secreted by the liver, which also removes excess cholesterol from the blood stream, and the rest of it is absorbed through animal sources like meat and dairy. But if you are getting too much bad cholesterol in your diet then it can lead to life threatening conditions such as heart disease.

Cholesterol cannot travel through the blood stream on its own, so it it first needs to bond with a protein. This forms a lipoprotein, and there are two types. The first is a High Density Lipoprotein. This is what doctors and dieticians would call 'good cholesterol' as it removes cholesterol from the walls of the arteries which will then allow the liver to absorb it. The second type is the 'bad cholesterol' which you should try to avoid. Low Density Lipoprotein is what causes an undesirable fatty build up on the artery walls. Left unchecked, this will eventually lead to a narrowing of the arteries which can trigger serious cardiovascular problems, for instance a heart attack.

Potentially dangerous levels of bad cholesterol are usually caused by a poor diet, but it can also be an inherited problem. For example, genetics may mean a person has insufficient LDL receptors in the liver, so too little LDL is absorbed from the blood stream. This is a common problem among men and women who suffer from heart attacks at an unusually young age.

For most people though, keeping your heart and arteries healthy is a matter of eating good food while avoiding the bad. Convenience food is often full of much higher levels of saturated fat than home cooked meals, and the rise of cardiac problems in the populations strongly correlates to the greater availability of processed food. Try instead to eat a varied diet rich in vegetables, fruit, fish and whole grains. Olive oil is a healthier option than vegetable oil, and buy trans-fat margarine for cooking purposes rather than using butter - these are much less likely to cause problematic build up in your arteries.

Another change you should make to your lifestyle if you are concerned about how cholesterol may be affecting your health is to get more exercise. Physical activity raises HDL levels. As already stated, HDL is considered good cholesterol because it helps remove and break down any build up you might already have on your artery walls so it possible to reverse some of the damage you might already have done to your body. It is never too late to reduce your risk of heart disease.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leanne_Williams

So another piece of the jigsaw slipped into place. It wasn't just rabbits who died of high blood cholesterol levels. Humans did too. Other researchers looking further back in time noted that rationing was introduced during WWII in Norway and the UK, and in both countries the rate of heart disease fell. (Although the rate of having bombs fall on your head rose rapidly, which could have had something to do with a rapid alteration in the causes of death.)

It was then found that there were some people with a genetic condition known as familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), basically, an inherited condition of high levels of blood cholesterol (LDL). Children inheriting the condition from both parents could die as young as five from heart disease. By golly, it was all beginning to look like an openand-shut case. leaping ahead in time somewhat; in the 1970s Brown and Goldstein identified that people with FH had a problem with their production of lDl receptors. With fewer LDl receptors the LDl level skyrocketed and this was the basic 'fault' in FH, which, as you will now recognize, should actually be called 'hyper low density lipoproteinemia.

It was at this time that the concept of a raised blood cholesterol started to fragment into a constellation of different lipoproteins, and LDL was fingered as 'bad' cholesterol.. And so it seemed, although I am leaping about a bit in time and space, that all the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle were falling into place. and the diet-heart hypothesis was really flying. As early as 1956 the American Heart Association (AHA), somewhat jumping the gun in my opinion, had launched the concept of the 'prudent diet'.

A prudent diet consisted of replacing butter with margarine, beef with skinless chicken, bacon and eggs with cold cereal, warm baths with cold showers and chocolate by a smack on the back of the neck with a cold kipper. In the 1960s and 1970s, huge trials on dietary modification were set up. The biggest was probably the MR-FIT trial, involving hundreds of thousands of people. What were the results of this trial? I think it would spoil things to let you know that at this point all will be revealed later on.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_Hagen

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer in America today. It can be prevented, cured, and even reversed! Hense, my writing this article on Cardiac Health.

In January 2008, I had a heart attack and had five stents put in my chest. Realizing that although this repaired the blockage in my arteries, I began extensive research into potential solutions to restore my cardiac health.

I uncovered a massive amount of research which has been done on natural alternatives. The pharmaceutical companies spend millions to convince us that only commonly prescribed drugs will fix you. I have found out otherwise and am trying to get the word out that there are alternatives.

Many are aware of the untimely passing of Tim Russert 58, NBC newsman who died June 13, 2008 of a massive heart attack. His doctor had diagnosed him with coronary artery disease for which he had been prescribed medication and exercise. He also performed well on a stress test in April. For about one third of all with coronary disease, sudden death is the first symptom.

There is very little one can do (except preventative action) to predict sudden cardiac arrest which takes more than 310,000 Americans every year. That is more than breast cancer, lung cancer, stroke and AIDS. Russert's death is a wake-up call to thousands of men and women who never thought they might be courting a coronary.

Forty-two percent of all deaths in the United States are directly related to circulatory disorders.

Some figures are related below:

Heart Disease kills 361,276 men & 371,133 women

Cancer including lung kills 280,465 men and 253,845 women

Strokes kill 60,225 men & 93,081 women

Diabetes + Atherosclerosis make these the number one killer today!

The circulatory system is vulnerable based on many factors including the genetic factor, which is how I became interested (inherited heart issues from my parents). I haven't smoked, was not eating high fat foods, I have exercised regularly and do not live a stressful life. Yet, I found myself in the hospital with chest pains and a heart attack.

There are four fantastic resource books that have been written concerning arginine and nitric oxide. They answered all of my questions about these powerful substances. These books document how the natural amino acid ingredient arginine, and nitric oxide which is created by the endothelium (smooth muscles lining the inside of blood vessels) from arginine are an answer to most folk's prayers. They are proven by these books to be a natural preventative and cure for heart attack and stroke.

It was very fortunate I was in the hospital when I had my heart attack, for 30% of heart attacks the very first warning is instant death. The U. S. healthcare system is dominated by expensive technologies to treat patients after they suffer a heart attack. Very little is done to prevent heart attacks.

Arginine is the body's key source of nitrogen. After reviewing the evidence, my position is that I believe along with the authors of the four resource books, that arginine is essential for many individuals, especially as they age. While young, our cardiovascular and other bodily systems have not yet suffered the damage that often comes with aging. It is in our latter years, when the cardiovascular system's need for ADNO becomes greater than ever, because our health has been compromised by years of heart un-healthy habits or genetics.

If you already suffer from atherosclerosis, hypertension, and the cavalcade of other chronic disorders -- I believe based on my research, that supplementing your body with 5 grams per day of liquid arginine is critical to your long-term health. L-arginine is reasonably priced and available in many health food stores in capsule, powder and tablet form. In order to get the adequate supplementation to your diet it is easier and less expensive to use the liquid which has a 90% assimilation in a quality liquid form.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lemoyne_Bloom

Supporting heart health includes a combination of exercise, a heart healthy diet and heart supplements. Each of these three elements plays an important role in promoting heart health and the combination of all three works in synergy for maximum heart health benefits.

Exercise

The American Heart Association suggests that even moderate activity can be beneficial for the heart. According the studies the effect of inactivity on the heart is comparable to that of smoking, raised cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. So living an inactive lifestyle may be as harmful for the heart as smoking!

The American Heart Association recommends that all healthy adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week. Such activities can include swimming, jogging, aerobic dancing, yard work, gardening, walking, climbing stairs, or cycling.

Aerobic exercises in particular help to stimulate the production of oxygen in the blood and increase heart palpitation. This gives a good workout for the heart and lungs. Anaerobic exercise helps to build muscles. It is advisable to mix your exercise routine with aerobic, anaerobic and stretches.

Exercise helps to:

* Strengthen the functions of the heart and lungs, as well as other organs in the body.
* Build strength and endurance
* Help to increase energy levels
* Optimize metabolism
* Release stress and tension accumulated in joints and muscles
* Increases joint mobility and flexibility
* Supports healthy circulation of blood to all organs
* Tones skin health
* Helps promote regularity of bowel movements
* Supports immune health

Before starting any exercise program consult with your doctor for an exercise regiment that is suitable for you.

Diet that Supports (Heart) Health

There is really no such thing as a heart healthy diet! What we're talking about is well-balanced nutrition which is recommended for everyone. The reason we think it's a heart healthy diet is because of the consequences associated with unhealthy eating which have a direct or indirect influence on heart health.

A well balanced diet supports healthy eating habits and overall health, including cardio health. A balanced diet includes:

* At least 5 servings a day of fresh fruits and vegetables
* At least 6 cups a day of grains (preferably whole grains).
* An adequate intake of 25 to 40 grams of dietary fiber a day
* Watching your calories to maintain an optimal weight.
* Limiting your intake of high calories foods, as well foods that contain trans fats, hydrogenated oils, fast foods and fried foods.
* Eating fatty fish at least twice a week for the omega 3 benefits.
* Focus on eating nutritional foods, instead of high-calorie foods which have little nutritive value.

Heart Supplements

There are certain nutrients that research shows have a favorable affect on cardio health. Take a look at these nutrients and how they help to support heart functions:

* Omega 3 fatty acids. Both the Food and Drug Administration and the American Heart Association have recognized the benefits of Omega 3 fatty acids for supporting heart health by helping to maintain normal cholesterol levels.
* CoQ10. This vitamin-like substance is concentrated in the heart muscles and provides energy for its functions.
* Folic acid.This member of the B vitamins helps to support healthy homocysteine levels, needed to arterial health.
* Phytosterols. Research indicates that phytosterols may play a role in the proper elimination of bad cholesterol from the system, inhibiting its absorption by the body.

A well-formulated cardio supplement like CardioMatrix contains a blend of the above heart-healthy nutrients. Used regularly, they play an active role in supporting cardio health along with a healthy diet and exercise regimen.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Agrawal

More and more women are dying of heart disease. What is more dangerous is that most of the women who die of heart disease do not even know that they have it. Women are aware of cervical problems, of breast cancer but do not think that they are susceptible to heart disease.

Most people really think that women do not get heart disease. They also mistakenly believe that women have the same symptoms as men when it comes to heart disease. Both these assumptions are untrue.

Women get heart disease and the symptoms can be radically different. The symptoms are not normally the crushing pain that men get. It can be shortness of breath, anxiety, insomnia, chronic indigestion. Popping digestive pills and sedatives is what women do when they get these symptoms and this can aggravate the problem.

Uncontrollable risk factors for heart disease are:

1. Heredity. If you have a family history of heart disease or stroke you can be susceptible to heart disease.
2. If you are post menopausal or have had a hysterectomy, you are at risk.
3. After a certain age, you should get your heart exam done.

Controllable risk factors are;

1. Hypertension
2. Smoking
3. Cholesterol that has increased or decreased HDL
4. Diabetes
5. Obesity
6. Obesity and sedentary lifestyle
7. Birth control pills along with smoking


Women have traditionally been care givers and do not take time off to look after themselves and this can aggravate the condition.

However, you should now start taking care of your own health and heart

1. Go through your family's medical history to know if you are at risk.
2. Start some sort of cardio exercises, at least for 30 minutes thrice a week.
3. Eat a healthy and balanced diet. Include fresh leafy vegetables, food high in anti oxidants; reduce fats and red meats in your diet. Your diet should mainly comprise of whole grains, vegetables and fruits.
4. Ensure that your blood pressure is normal.
5. Have a positive and healthy attitude. Do not be negative. An excellent way to maintain this attitude is by yoga
6. Take proper rest.
7. Avoid smoking.
8. Eat foods rich in Vitamins B, B6 and B12, Vitamin C, and those that contain Beta Carotene and Selenium. You could take them as supplements too, since they are anti oxidant and you're your arteries healthy and supple.
9. Eat fish at least twice a week, as omega 3 fatty acids contained in the fish reduce blood clot formation. Alternatively take fish oil capsules.
10. Your diet should reduce your cholesterol and also provide you anti oxidants. Your regular exercise and meditation will also help you de-stress and bring hypertension into control. In case you have difficulty starting an exercise program, join yoga classes or start walking with a friend. This is an enjoyable way of socialising and also staying healthy.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Gates