If you don’t take action, it may be too late – your cardiologist will advise you on how to control your cholesterol without medication.

According to the latest research and practice, modern cholesterol control must be different from what many people imagine. First, you don’t need to panic when you see an increase in cholesterol in the research line, because it’s increased further by stress, the press release says.

Secondly, if cholesterol is only 20-30 percent higher than normal, it is still possible to restore it by natural means, it is important to choose them correctly.

Third, the rise in cholesterol equals only the top of the iceberg, behind which lie a series of threats of damage to blood vessels, the formation of blood clots, the consequences of which are critical.

Changes in the walls of the blood vessels, without warnings.

Many people still have doubts about when and how to worry about the condition of the blood vessels. This is because although we cannot feel cholesterol in any way. This asymptomatic condition is misleading because cholesterol makes blood vessels more vulnerable, increases blood clotting and viscosity, putting them at risk for diseases like heart attack and stroke.

Milda Kovaitė, a cardiologist at the Santara Clinics of the Vilnius University Hospital, said that people in the hands of doctors often hear that they have high cholesterol. They cannot believe it because they have barely been sick since they were young, they have not visited an outpatient clinic and they do not even have a card for their medical history.

Many people believe that health problems are only necessary when something is wrong. However, this is the so-called ostrich tactic, when hiding your head in the sand makes you think that there is no problem.

If an increase in blood cholesterol is found, it is serious. Mainly because low-density cholesterol is inseparable from the formation of blood clots. This is a risk factor for a much more complex disease called atherosclerosis, so, as it is necessary to control cholesterol, it is important to control other factors in parallel: blood clotting (due to protection against blood clots) , blood sugar, overweight, high blood pressure.

The inflammation begins in the walls of the blood vessels.

– Why is low-density cholesterol called “bad”? What diseases is it associated with?

Cholesterol is mainly associated with vascular vulnerability that leads to the development of a number of diseases. The worst property of “bad” cholesterol is to accumulate in the wall of the blood vessels, where inflammation occurs and an atherosclerotic plaque forms, which is the beginning of a thrombus.

Cholesterol is worse than with high blood pressure because high blood pressure is easier to detect when measuring blood pressure. If a person does not see a family doctor, does not participate in a cardiovascular disease prevention program, they may not suspect that they have a targeted pump in their blood vessels.

Critical level: in just a few minutes

– What is the risk if the blood vessel narrows?

– When a blood vessel begins to narrow and this process is chronic, problems develop with the blood supply to certain organs. If the heart muscle is touched, there is a risk of death. The site of the blood vessel where the atherosclerotic plaque forms is already damaged, which means that blood clots form more easily at that site. This is called atherothrombosis.

If we are agitated, stressed, and sometimes for no apparent reason, the atherosclerotic plaque may rupture, bleeding may begin on the plaque itself, or a thrombus may form at the plaque site, meaning that in just a few minutes the vascular lumen can reach critical levels and then myocardial infarction occurs. myocardial infarction.

Unfortunately, up to 60 percent of men who have had a heart attack do not remember having any health problems, it turns out they did not feel anything, and the first symptom is a heart attack. This is less common for women, around 40%. In cases, the first sign of the disease is myocardial infarction.

Atherosclerosis damages many blood vessels, narrowing its lumen. Atherothrombosis also develops stroke, narrowing of the kidneys and leg arteries.

It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to check

– Who needs preventive controls if it doesn’t hurt?

– Often, only people who see a cardiologist discover they have high levels of bad cholesterol in their blood. Only a small percentage of people know that they have high bad cholesterol before reaching the hospital. Not good.

There are patients who, when they fall into the hands of doctors due to a heart attack, are surprised: “I don’t know how it happened, I didn’t even have a medical history because I had never had anything before.” In such cases, I explain that there is nothing to be proud of, it shows that even for forty or fifty years you did not care about your health.

This situation shows that the person did not visit the outpatient clinic and did not carry out any preventive exams. Meanwhile, prevention helps prevent many diseases, not just cardiovascular disease.

– What happens if my cholesterol is slightly elevated?

– If cholesterol is only elevated, we first assess the overall cardiovascular risk of the individual patient based on their medical history. It is this risk that helps determine what cholesterol level to target.

If the risk is low, the level of low-density cholesterol in the blood should not exceed 3 millimoles per liter, if the risk is medium, it should not exceed 2.5, if the risk is high, less than 1.8, and if the risk is very high, less than 1.4.

According to the guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology, there is still a particularly high risk, and then the limit for low-density cholesterol must be less than 1 millimole per liter of blood.

Save materials derived from plants.

– If people avoid medication, is it possible to help?

– Many people know that statins are drugs that regulate bad cholesterol in the blood. These medications should only be prescribed by a doctor. If a doctor prescribes cholesterol medications, they must be taken. If drug treatment is not yet indicated, cholesterol levels can naturally drop.

Rational diet and exercise are like a prayer to “Our Father”, but another important tool that it is impossible to do without is the correct choice of a food supplement to control not only cholesterol but also blood circulation.

– What plant materials are most effective?

– If we want to control cholesterol correctly, that is, not only to “lower” the level of bad cholesterol, but also to improve blood circulation throughout the body, protect against blood clots, strengthen blood vessels, inhibit the development of atherosclerosis, the combination of nato kinase (from fermented soybeans), monacolin K (from fermented red yeast yeast) and Q is required. In this case, monacolin K as a highly biologically active compound can be reduced by about 20-30%. Cholesterol levels in the blood, the enzyme natatinase reduces the risk of circulatory disorders, improves blood circulation throughout the body and protects against blood clots, and Q10 strengthens blood vessels. This ensures triple control of blood flow and cholesterol.

– Change of habits: in your favor?

– It is not about starting with medications, but adjusting the cholesterol rate by changing lifestyles and developing new eating habits. It is advisable to eat more protein, since it is a basic component of our cells and avoid animal fats, which means eating the least amount of rustic cream, butter, curd possible, without using cream, skim milk, without mayonnaise, it can be replaced with olive oil and other vegetable oils.

The diet should be enriched with carbohydrates of plant origin, as well as dietary fiber, which reduces the absorption of cholesterol in the body. However, berries and fruits should be eaten in moderation: up to 300 grams per day, since they are rich in fructose, it is better to choose more fresh salads and vegetables – cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes.

With the help of a very strict diet, blood cholesterol levels can be expected to drop by as much as ten percent.

– Are there any studies on the effect of exercise on “bad” cholesterol?

– Exercise alone, as well as diet, will not do wonders: if this figure reaches around 4.5 millimoles per liter of blood, it can be reduced to 4. But this does not mean that physical activity does not affect it, since it accelerates metabolism, which which is good for the body.

In the fight against “bad” cholesterol, it is also necessary to lose weight, reduce the so-called abdominal obesity, since it is associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease.

There is hope that cardiovascular disease can be delayed for several years, perhaps even a decade, with timely and comprehensive prevention measures.