Man says how to lower cholesterol without drugs: cardiologist’s advice will definitely improve blood circulation

Tortured by high blood pressure

“When I checked my health half a year ago, the doctors noticed that my cholesterol was high. I didn’t pay much attention to it, but about 2 months ago I had a serious health problem: my blood pressure went up and I couldn’t lower it, I was nauseated, Vytenis said.

– When I called the ambulance, they told me that my blood pressure was really very high and that I needed to be examined. After that, it turned out that my bad cholesterol levels had gotten worse and I should basically start taking medications. “

The man later became interested in what to do to lower cholesterol naturally.

“I consulted with the doctors and they told me that it was necessary to change the diet: eat more fish products, use fish oil, give up excess salt and sugar,” said Vytenis.

According to the interlocutor, his diet has radically changed since then.

“I try to eat pork only once a week, I eat a lot of fish, I try to eat seafood, I use fish oil, like many vegetables, I completely gave up coffee,” said Vytenis.

– My figures have fallen half a percentage point in a month and a half. It means that my health is improving, bad cholesterol is decreasing. If I continue to follow this diet, I think I will lower my cholesterol to a level that will be within the normal range in a couple of months. I have noticed that after changing the diet and abandoning fatty foods, salt, sugar, health improves substantially. “

According to Vytenis, before that his diet was “standard Lithuanian”, although the interlocutor never had a higher weight than normal.

“But I made a cup of coffee and put in a couple of teaspoons of sugar each time, plus tea. I ate, like probably most Lithuanians, a lot of pork. There was a standard Lithuanian menu, Vytenis said.

“I noticed that my well-being has really improved now, and the results show that I am on the right track.”

Food can be used as medicine

Rokas Šerpytis, doctor and cardiologist at VUL Santara Clinics, spoke about high cholesterol and how to deal with it.

According to the doctor, cholesterol itself is a necessary substance for our body, since it produces steroids and sex hormones, it is necessary for the production of cell walls in the body, it participates in the production of vitamin D and bile acids. Over the years, metabolism slows down, we eat as much food as we used to, cells regenerate less, and some cholesterol is not used.

People with high cholesterol have been found to have a significantly higher incidence of cardiovascular disease. Foods dominated by animal fats and an unhealthy lifestyle raise cholesterol, especially “bad.”

When it is too much, “bad” cholesterol begins to cause damage by building up in the walls of the blood vessels. This is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

“Cholesterol circulates in the blood along with a protein, a substance called lipoprotein. Total cholesterol is a derived indicator that consists of several fractions. There is “bad”: low-density cholesterol, labeled LDL, low-density lipoprotein, “good”, high-density lipoprotein labeled with HDL and triglycerides, labeled TAG, the cardiologist explained.

– Cholesterol generally increases when we eat too much animal fat, as well as saturated trans fat. It is also affected by a lack of movement. Not to mention that for some people, the body simply produces more cholesterol than others for genetic reasons. As a result, cardiovascular disease is much more common in some families. A person may not eat fatty foods at all, and their cholesterol is still too high. “

Cholesterol elevations generally have no symptoms and may not occur for up to 20 years. If it is very high, fat spots may appear on the corners of the eyelids, as well as on the palms, around the knee, elbow joints. Unfortunately, not having such spots does not mean that your cholesterol scores are still good. By the way, grease stains don’t always appear. Therefore, an increase in LDL can only be detected by a blood test.

However, cholesterol levels can be adjusted without medication, following certain dietary principles and being physically active.

“Food can be used as medicine and has a great impact. Eating better and healthier foods in small amounts reduces cholesterol and weight. As a result, blood pressure and blood glucose concentration often drop at the same time, R. Šerpytis said.

– A person needs to get a certain amount of calories a day. And if you eat little fat, it often happens that you eat more carbohydrates, sugar, and other unhealthy foods. Therefore, it is very important not only to reduce the amount of saturated fat, but also to replace it with quality food. For example, vegetables, fish, nuts, vegetables. “

How to affect cholesterol? The doctor presented the basic rules based on the research data:

– High content of unsaturated fats: rapeseed, sunflower and olives reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) by 0.2-0.4 mmol / l.
– Weight has a lot to do with it. If you are overweight and reduce it by 10 kg, bad cholesterol decreases by 0.2 mmol / l and good cholesterol increases.
– Physical activity: walking quickly 25-30 km per week can reduce LDL to 0.15 mmol / l.
– Foods rich in polyunsaturated or omega-3 acids have been shown to reduce elevated triglycerides. Polyunsaturated acids significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, they do not lower bad cholesterol.
– The most positive evidence is the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in vegetables, fish, fruit, olive oil. Studies show that this diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 30 percent.

As the cardiologist says, people these days eat too many high-calorie, extremely monotonous foods. For this reason, a significant proportion of people’s diet is poor, the body does not receive enough nutrients.

“It is high in fat, salt, sugar and low fiber. Obesity occurs at an increasingly younger age and more and more people suffer from it. Therefore, it is important to consume a variety of foods and foods high in fiber. If we consume flour, it is better to replace it with whole grains, since it contains many more vitamins and good carbohydrates, which are more useful, “advises R. Šerpytis.

When high cholesterol is detected, the medication is not started immediately. It first assesses a person’s risk of developing and dying from cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years. The risk depends on a person’s age, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and smoking, which significantly increases the risk.

If LDL cholesterol is greater than 4.9 mmol / l, a person is immediately exposed to high-risk individuals, regardless of age or other risk factors. Cholesterol levels also depend on a person’s degree of risk.

The low risk is 0-1%, medium 2-4%, high 5-10%. and very high more than 10 percent. What does this mean? 4 percent risk means that within 10 years, 4 out of every 100 people at risk will die of a stroke or heart attack.

“If the risk is low and the cholesterol has increased slightly, we don’t recommend any intervention, just lifestyle, diet adjustments.” If the risk is moderate, we start with a change in lifestyle and if LDL does not change enough to improve in 6 months, we start treatment. And if the risk is very high, the treatment is administered immediately. At the same time, changing your lifestyle is always recommended, “said R. Šerpytis.

Cholesterol can be naturally affected even if it is caused by genetic factors. The diet is effective in the presence of a small increase in cholesterol. Unfortunately, if cholesterol is very high, the chances of achieving good results are less. If the risk is high and there is a significant increase in cholesterol, medications are unlikely to lower LDL cholesterol to target values.

Basic rules to lower bad cholesterol:

1. Avoid trans fats;
2. Reduce saturated fatty acids;
3. Eat more fiber foods;
4. Reduce being overweight;
5. Increase physical activity.

Basic rules to reduce triglycerides:

1. Consume less alcohol;
2. Lose weight;
3. Increase physical activity;
4. Consume less carbohydrates;
5. Convert saturated fats to monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
6. Take Omega-3.

By the way, the doctor advises to pay attention to various products. Fish and nuts are very helpful in lowering cholesterol. And dark chocolate (in small amounts), according to a cardiologist, helps lower blood pressure. The key is to eat in moderation and after a while.