Increased cholesterol causes and reduction of its treatment. The harms and benefits of cholesterol: causes of increased levels, symptoms and treatment methods

High cholesterol occurs at any age. How to deal with LDL (low density lipoprotein)? How to eat a varied diet and how long to stick to the diet?

High cholesterol clogs the walls of blood vessels

HDL and LDL - what does it mean?

Cholesterol (cholesterol)– one of the building elements of the human body, as well as the first enemy of blood vessels. It is transported to cells in a protein compound called lipoprotein.

There are several types of them:

1. High density lipoproteins (HDL). This is the “good” cholesterol. Mainly a protein compound with a low cholesterol content, which is capable of transporting free bad cholesterol for processing by the liver. The latter moves through the circulatory system, settling on the walls of blood vessels. Takes part in metabolism, the production of bile acids, hormones, and promotes the formation of cell membranes. In a healthy body, HDL dominates over other types of lipoproteins.
2. Low density lipoproteins (LDL). With an excess of LDL, bad cholesterol clogs the lumen of blood vessels, atherosclerosis develops, and problems with blood pressure begin.

Low-density lipoproteins negatively affect the walls of blood vessels

There is no exact figure for cholesterol levels in an adult. It is individual, but should fluctuate within an acceptable range of maximum and minimum. Every 5 years of life, the norm for men and women changes. A special jump is typical after 40 years of age: hormonal levels contribute.

What does high cholesterol mean?

When HDL and the liver cannot cope with the growing amount of LDL, health problems begin. Why does it increase?

An increase in LDL in most cases is not an independent disease, but a consequence of serious disorders in the body. The result of a malfunction of systems or organs, bad habits, or an unhealthy lifestyle.

The causes of high cholesterol are:

• hypertension;
• liver or kidney disease;
• diabetes;
• hypothyroidism;
• problems with the pancreas, including pancreatitis;
• a diet low in fibrous foods or unsaturated fats;
• smoking, alcoholism;
• hereditary diseases (for example, hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidemia);
• obesity, overweight;
• nephrosis;
• pregnancy;
• influence of medications, hormonal drugs;
• chronic age-related diseases (cardiovascular, digestive);
• poor nutrition.

Overweight people are more likely to suffer from high cholesterol

An abundance of fatty animal products, fried foods, sweets and fast food is an inexhaustible source of bad cholesterol. The amount of LDL in one such dish exceeds the norm several times. For example, an omelet made from 2 eggs is called a cholesterol “bomb”, because it contains a week’s worth of bad cholesterol!

The prerequisites for LDL surges are old age and hormonal imbalance. Thus, in men, the increase in cholesterol occurs over the age of 35 years, in women - after menopause.

Almost every person has trivial reasons for predisposition:

• inactivity;
• sedentary work;
• poor quality food;
• binge eating;
• lack of cardio exercise in the fresh air.

In older people, metabolism and tissue regeneration slow down, so they are at risk for increased LDL. You should review your diet so that excess yellow substance does not saturate the body from the outside.

Symptoms of high cholesterol

The person does not feel any signs of increased cholesterol. The disease progresses asymptomatically.

Chronically high LDL is indirectly expressed by:

• absent-mindedness, memory impairment;
• pain in the legs;
• pressing, pulling pain in the chest, heart;
• high pressure surges;
• early menopause.

With atherosclerosis, the excess of LDL is so great that yellowish nodules are visible on the mobile eyelid - accumulations of cholesterol in the vessels.

If there is an excess of LDL, yellow formations appear on the eyelids

Why is high cholesterol dangerous?

The consequences are the most severe. The circulatory system can no longer fully pump blood. The diameter of the vessel narrows, the walls are covered with cholesterol and do not receive nutrition from the bloodstream. This makes them thin, weak and inelastic. Organs along the path of blockage suffer from a lack of oxygen, nutrition and blood circulation.

The cholesterol layer thickens, forming plaques with blood clots that are unable to move through the narrow channel of the vessel.

Hence tissue ischemia and other irreversible disorders:

• myocardial infarction;
• cerebral stroke;
• chronic hypertension;
• thrombosis, thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities;
• sexual dysfunction in men;
• heart disease;
• circulatory disorders in the brain.

High cholesterol can cause myocardial infarction

What to do if you have high cholesterol

High cholesterol can be treated, but slowly. The first and fundamental step of cleansing therapy: the patient will have to monitor his own diet for a long time, or even for life.

Traditional recipes will help cleanse blood vessels. Mainly herbal teas and infusions that strengthen blood vessels and give them elasticity.

Medicines help thin plaques, deposits and remove LDL from the body.

Treatment with drugs

Drug treatment is varied and effective. Disadvantage: many side effects; the patient often suffers from gastrointestinal disorders during the course of treatment.

Groups of drugs for high cholesterol:

1. Statins. Medicines prevent the production of enzymes that are involved in the synthesis of cholesterol. Its quantity can be reduced by 50-60%. Mevacor, Lexor and Baykol are the most common in such therapy.
2. Fibrates. Preparations with fibric acid reduce the production of cholesterol, that is, they affect the liver. Reduce the amount of lipids in the blood. Of these, Taicolor, Lipantil, Lipanor are prescribed.
3. Preparations for poor digestibility of cholesterol in the intestines. An auxiliary agent for reducing cholesterol intake from food. The effect is insignificant, because little substance is taken in with food. By practicing diet and similar medications, the ability to replenish the body with LDL is reduced to zero. One of the popular prescriptions is Ezetrol.
4. Vitamins and oils, dietary supplements. Insignificantly, but they have the effect of reducing Omega 3, lipoic, folic, nicotinic acid, flax oil, and preparations with fish oil.

Lipantil contains fibric acid

How to treat with folk remedies

Alternative medicine knows many treatment methods. These are long courses of home remedies and are not suitable for people whose cholesterol levels are seriously elevated. Well suited for prevention and in combination with medications.

Flax-seed

How to use:

1. Grind the seed in a coffee grinder to a powder state.
2. A tablespoon of dry powder is eaten in the morning before meals and washed down with plenty of clean water. For convenience and viscosity, medications can be sprinkled with water to make them easier to swallow. They start eating after 30-40 minutes.
3. The course is 3-4 months without breaks.

Flaxseed helps lower cholesterol levels

Lemons, honey and garlic

For 1 kg of lemons there are 200 g of honey and 2 heads of garlic. Lemons are crushed together with the peel. Use a plastic grater, for example. Contact between lemons and metal reduces the amount of beneficial enzymes.

Garlic, lemon and honey - simple remedies for lowering cholesterol

Garlic is crushed into crumbs, mixed with honey and lemon pulp. Store in glass in the refrigerator.

Take 1-2 tbsp. l. before eating.

Add a third of a glass of dried linden flowers to 1 liter of boiling water. Do not boil, but close the lid, wrap it in a towel and let it brew for 20-30 minutes. Drink instead of tea, preferably without sugar.

Be careful, it lowers your blood pressure!

Linden tea lowers cholesterol but lowers blood pressure

Diet

About 70% of all cholesterol is produced by the body itself. That is, the daily rate of natural growth of the substance is 5 g. Only 30% comes into the body with food - about 1.5 g. Medicine has proven that strict cholesterol-free diets only aggravate the problem of elevated LDL: the body independently produces the substance in even larger volumes “in reserve.” It is recommended to adhere to moderation in food and give preference to natural products.

What to eat if you have high cholesterol

Baked, boiled, stewed, steamed dishes are affordable ways to prepare a diet menu.

What products are worth paying attention to:

• carbohydrates – bread, cereals, pasta;
• fruits and vegetables - all without exception, citrus fruits are especially useful;
• legumes and nuts;
• fermented milk products - with a minimum fat content of 1% no more;
• protein foods - white poultry meat without skin, red meat without fat, white sea fish;
• sugar – no more than 50 g per day, it is better to replace it with fruit.

If you have high cholesterol, it is good to eat a lot of vegetables and fruits

List of prohibited products

Things to forget:

• fried, fatty foods;
• spices and any flavor enhancers;
• smoked meats, dried meat;
• fish caviar;
• animal by-products;
• canned food;
• fast food;
• animal fats and all cooking fats;
• eggs - 1-2 pieces per week, if you exclude the yolks, then without restrictions;
• fatty dairy products, aged gourmet cheeses;
• sweet baked goods, puff pastry.

Every year, a huge number of people die due to heart and vascular diseases. The main cause of death is high cholesterol, as a result of which atherosclerosis develops - a chronic disease of the arteries due to lipid metabolism disorders, accompanied by the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels.

Cholesterol is an organic fat-based compound found in cell membranes.

Fortunately, today there are many ways to help reduce cholesterol and achieve its constant value. In this article we will look at the norms, symptoms, causes, treatment and prevention of high cholesterol.

The norm depends on age. So, for women from 40 to 50 years old the norm is 6.6 mm/l, from 50 to 60 years old - 7.2 mm/l, from 60 years old - 7.7 mm/l. For men up to 6.7 mm/l.

The general norm of cholesterol in the blood for women is 1.92 - 4.51 mm/l, for men - 2.25 - 4.82 mm/l.

For biochemical blood tests for men and women:

• LDL (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) - up to 3.5 mm/l.
• HDL (high density lipoprotein cholesterol) - more than 1 mm/l.
• Triglycerides - up to 2 mm/l.

Symptoms of high cholesterol

As such, there are no special symptoms of high cholesterol in the blood, that is, it is impossible to determine “by eye” an increased cholesterol level. But, as a rule, cholesterol is detected if you have symptoms of atherosclerosis. Often people learn about high cholesterol only after a heart attack.

Symptoms:

• Angina - pain or discomfort in the chest;
• Pain in the legs when moving;
• Xanthoma - the appearance of yellow spots on the skin;
• Ruptures of blood vessels;
• Heart failure;
• Causes of high cholesterol

Common causes of high cholesterol:

• Nutrition. Due to improper, unbalanced nutrition, cholesterol increases more often. Eating foods rich in cholesterol (offal, egg yolks, fish, butter, cream, pork) leads to increased cholesterol. In addition, processing foods containing saturated and trans fats also requires large amounts of cholesterol. These products include food mainly of animal origin.
• Obesity. There is no particular connection between weight and cholesterol, but excess weight is a cause of heart problems.
• Sedentary lifestyle. With regular physical activity, the level of “good” cholesterol increases and the level of “bad” cholesterol decreases.
• Bad habits. Smoking affects the functioning of the cardiovascular system and helps reduce the level of good cholesterol. And alcohol (red wine) with moderate consumption (no more than 2 glasses a day) increases “good” cholesterol, but with an increase in the amount of alcohol consumed, the opposite effect is created.
• Heredity. According to the results of numerous studies, it is believed that genetics is the main cause of high cholesterol.
• Diseases. Diseases such as hypothyroidism, diabetes, kidney disease, high blood pressure and others can cause high cholesterol.

Scientists are increasingly saying that it is heredity that determines a person’s cholesterol level.

How to lower high cholesterol

Traditional methods and remedies

• To prepare lemon-garlic tincture, take a head of garlic and 1 whole lemon, mince them, add 0.7 liters of water and leave in a dark place for 7 days. Take 2 tbsp before meals.
• Beet. The most effective remedy for combating “bad” cholesterol. Take 50 ml of beet juice half an hour before meals.
• Oats. Oats contain biotin, which helps strengthen the immune system, nervous system and reduce cholesterol. To prepare, take 1 glass of pure oats and add a liter of warm water. Infuse for about 10 hours, after half an hour cook on low and leave to infuse for 12 hours. Strain and bring the volume to the original volume (up to 1 liter). Drink 250 ml 3 times a day. Course up to 3 weeks.
• Red clover. To prepare, take 2 tbsp of meadow clover and pour a glass of cool water over it, place in a water bath (15 minutes). Strain and take 2 tbsp before meals. Course - 3 weeks.
• Herbs. This recipe can help even in the most advanced cases. 6 parts motherwort, 4 parts dill seeds, 2 parts coltsfoot, horsetail and St. John's wort, 1 part strawberry leaves. Pour 1 tbsp of herbal mixture of herbs into 250 ml of boiling water and leave for 2 hours. Take 4 tbsp before meals. Course - 2 months.

Medicines and medicines

• Active ingredient - simvastatin: Vazilip, Owencor, Simvastatin, Simvastol, Zocor, Sincard, Simgal, etc. Rarely used due to the emergence of more effective analogues.
• Active ingredient - fenofibrate: Lipantil 200 M, Traikor. Suitable for lowering cholesterol in diabetes mellitus. With constant use, the number of cases of complications due to diabetes mellitus decreases. Also promotes the elimination of uric acid. Contraindicated for bladder diseases and allergic reactions to peanuts.
• Active ingredient - atorvastatin: tablets Atomax, Atorvastatin, Liptonorm, Torvacard, Tulip. Standard drug for lowering cholesterol. More powerful than simvastatin. Efficiency has been proven.
• Active ingredient - rosuvastatin: Akorta, Crestor, Rosucard, Rozulip, Roxera, Tevastor, Mertenil. The potency of rosuvastatin is superior to atorvastatin. In minimal doses it gives effect. It is preferably used for significant deviations of cholesterol from the norm.
• Cholestop- a natural remedy to combat bad cholesterol.
  The main active ingredient is amaranth seeds and juice. The plant contains squalene, a component that effectively reduces cholesterol levels. Its effectiveness has been confirmed by research from the Research Institute of Therapy and Preventive Medicine.

Diet

In order to return cholesterol levels to normal, you must strictly adhere to certain dietary rules:

• Limit your intake of foods high in cholesterol. There are studies that disprove this theory, but doctors recommend consuming no more than 200 mg of cholesterol per day.
• Reduce your intake of foods that contain saturated fat or trans fat. For example, saturated fats are found mainly in animal products and in palm and coconut oils. Trans fats are produced through chemical reactions and are found in fast food and confectionery products.
• Add fiber-rich foods. Fiber promotes the removal of bile and reduces the absorption of cholesterol. You can get fiber from legumes, grains, vegetables and fruits.
• Dairy products. When choosing dairy products, pay attention to their fat content. The recommended fat content of products is no more than 2%.
• Replace vegetable oil with olive oil. Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fats, which help lower overall cholesterol levels; in addition, monounsaturated fats only reduce “bad” cholesterol, leaving “good” cholesterol untouched.
• Meat. Replace fatty pork with poultry and lean beef. Reduce your consumption of sausages, bacon, sausages.
• Bread. Replace white bread with bran or wholemeal bread.
• Coffee. Limit your consumption of brewed coffee, as cooking produces fat, which leads to an increase in cholesterol in the blood.

Products

White list of foods that lower cholesterol: citrus fruits, oatmeal, legumes, carrots, pistachios, sweet peppers, eggplants, poultry, low-fat milk, vegetables, fruits, fish containing omega 3, dill, prunes, raisins.

Black list of foods that increase cholesterol: fatty meats, processed foods, seafood, fatty dairy products, egg yolks, fatty broths and soups, fried potatoes, pasta and dumplings, confectionery, brewed coffee.

Prevention

It is better to prevent the occurrence of a disease than to treat it. It is very important to follow preventive measures:

• Do not be nervous. All diseases are due to nerves. Nerves do not affect cholesterol levels, but they affect the heart, and this entails the development of atherosclerosis.
• Move more. Movement is life, so give your body at least 3 times a week physical activity for 30 minutes. Tip: add more dynamic aerobic activity: running, walking, cycling, etc.
• Get rid of excess weight. In parallel with weight loss, cholesterol levels will also decrease.
• Give up bad habits. Bad habits are the most dangerous enemy of any body, so limit, or better yet, give up smoking and alcohol.
• Switch to proper nutrition. This is one of the most effective ways to reduce cholesterol. Important! You need to stick to this kind of healthy eating all the time!

To summarize, it can be noted that any body needs general examinations and tests at least once every 1 year. By identifying the disease in its early stages, the treatment process is simplified and takes less time. Any complications and omissions due to high cholesterol are life-threatening.

Treatment of cholesterol is a long process and requires strength and patience. Today, there are many options for successfully reducing blood cholesterol, ranging from proper nutrition to traditional recipes. Do you have experience treating high cholesterol?

Content

Cholesterol performs an important function in the human body, so its presence is not a bad sign. However, there is a division into “good” and “bad” fractions of this substance. When a blood test for cholesterol shows high levels, you should start lowering it. This can be done with the help of diet, folk recipes or medications.

How and with what to reduce blood cholesterol at home

When indicators go beyond normal limits, various problems may arise in the body associated with the deterioration of the blood vessels (blockages, narrowing of the lumen). High levels of the substance (hypercholesterolemia) can provoke the development of stroke and myocardial infarction. The human heart and vascular system are under attack. To quickly lower the level of a harmful substance in the blood, cholesterol-lowering pills are used. If the normal indicator is slightly increased, you can use folk recipes and diet.

No drugs

Not every person is ready to start taking medications for any ailment, which are often very expensive. In cases where a slight reduction is necessary, a cholesterol-lowering diet will help. Reducing the consumption of certain foods and increasing others can normalize blood cholesterol levels. Also, with increased levels, traditional medicine can come to the rescue with recipes for tinctures, decoctions of garlic, herbs and oats.

Using cholesterol-lowering foods

The diet for high cholesterol is not strict, does not have any special time restrictions, and you can stick to it constantly. You cannot eat fried, salty, spicy, or alcohol. You can create a diet at your own discretion, based on the following permitted products that will help treat high cholesterol in the blood:

1. Complex carbohydrates: pasta, grain bread, cereals, fruits, vegetables.
2. Protein: cottage cheese, white fish, lean red meat, white meat (skinless poultry). Meat dishes need to be boiled, stewed or baked; stewed vegetables go well with them as a side dish.
3. Eggs - no more than 4 per day, but if you separate the yolk, then consumption is not limited in any way.
4. Sugar - no more than 50 g per day with elevated cholesterol levels.
5. All fermented milk products are allowed, provided the fat content is not higher than 1%.

Folk remedies for high cholesterol

There are special folk decoctions and remedies that effectively reduce high cholesterol. To cleanse blood vessels from atherosclerotic growths, reduce the risk of the formation of cholesterol plaques, and remove toxins, traditional methods are suitable. The following remedies are considered the most popular and effective:

1. Calendula infusion. To treat high cholesterol, take 30 drops before meals, the course should last a month (at least).
2. Flax seeds. You can buy them at the pharmacy for a small amount. To treat high cholesterol, it is added to food in whole or crushed form.
3. Alfalfa. Young sprouts of this herb should be eaten raw, 15-20 blades per day. The leaves of the plant can be ground to extract the juice. For treatment and 3 times a day, consume 2 liters.
4. Squeeze 10 cloves of garlic through a press, pour in 2 cups of olive oil. Let the mixture sit for 7 days. Use the infusion for treatment as a seasoning for food.

Medicines

In cases of a sharp change in the content and the necessary rapid treatment of high cholesterol in the blood, drug therapy is prescribed. There are several groups of drugs that are well suited for treatment. As a rule, a patient with high cholesterol is prescribed:

1. Statins. A cholesterol medicine that blocks the production of enzymes involved in its formation. According to clinical data, a reduction of 60% can be achieved. Drugs in this group increase the level of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), which protect the body from heart attack and stroke, and can reduce the amount of triglycerides. The most common drugs from this group were Lexol, Baykol, Mevacor. The main contraindication is pregnancy; in other people it can cause gastrointestinal upset.
2. Fibric acids help lower the level of triglycerides and low-density lipoproteins, which cause the development of atherosclerosis when in excess. They reduce cholesterol by prescribing Clofibrate, Gemfibrozil, Fenofibrate.
3. A group of medications that interact with bile acid. Medicines are prescribed as often as statins. Sometimes these groups of drugs are taken simultaneously, which simplifies the fight and helps cure the disease faster. As a rule, when levels are elevated, Colestid or Questran are prescribed to quickly reduce them.

Which doctor should I contact?

Increased cholesterol in the blood has a negative effect on the functioning of the heart and vascular system. A cardiologist treats these diseases, but to confirm, he will definitely send you for a general blood test. Based on its data, it will be easy to determine whether a person suffers from high cholesterol, so it would be correct to have it done immediately at the clinic. To get rid of the root cause of high cholesterol, it is necessary to determine what was the impetus for this. Doctors can prescribe therapy and methods of reduction: endocrinologist, therapist, cardiologist.

Most adults in the modern world are well aware of the dangers of increased cholesterol, which doctors call the cause of the development of atherosclerosis. However, normal content of the substance is necessary for the functioning of cellular structures, maintaining hormonal levels, and bile synthesis. What to do if women have high cholesterol, because during menopause the cholesterol level increases, signaling problems with the heart and blood vessels.

The tasks of cholesterol in the body

Most of the vital substance is synthesized by the liver ( 80% ), the remaining share is provided by the diet. Cholesterol refers to organic compounds necessary for the structure of the cell membrane and the transport of useful compounds. The fatty substance is involved in the production of hormones (female), ensures the production vitamin D, absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.

The unique thing about cholesterol molecules, called lipoproteins, is that they contain fat supplemented with protein. Due to this, the natural compound is divided into the following groups:

• lipoproteins characterized by high density ( HDL), are considered good cholesterol;
• The group of bad substances in the blood includes low-density lipoproteins ( LDL);
• triglycerides are called very low density lipoproteins VLDL.

For women, the problem of high cholesterol becomes urgent after 50 when the activity of the reproductive system fades. After all, excess LDL is dangerous for the development of cardiovascular diseases, especially taking into account the hereditary factor.

With high total cholesterol ( above 5.2 mmol/l) it is important to pay special attention to the results of a detailed blood test for the content of lipoproteins of different densities. Based on them, the doctor can judge the threat of a heart attack or stroke.

Causes of high cholesterol

It is known that bad cholesterol causes blood vessels to become overgrown with atherosclerotic plaques, and the task of good cholesterol is to dissolve plaques and remove the substance from the body. It is worth understanding why cholesterol in the blood of women increases, because the fair sex suffers from this type of pathology more often than men. What are the causes of a dangerous condition - hypercholesterolemia?

1. In women who abuse alcoholic beverages and smoking, not only the blood vessels and heart are affected. The liver cells responsible for the synthesis of cholesterol are destroyed, which leads to excess LDL levels.
2. Low physical activity against the background of frequent stressful situations threatens a lack of good cholesterol, replacing it with a bad analogue. Therefore, age is not a barrier to an active lifestyle.
3. Usually, after 50, the production of hormones in women decreases and then stops, which results in an increase in bad cholesterol in the blood. By the end of menopause, the female indicator is compared with the male one, but for a woman it is much more dangerous.
4. During pregnancy, lipid levels can double due to the formation of the placenta. In young expectant mothers (under 20 years of age), the maximum is 10.36 mmol/l. For pregnant women over forty, the norm is 13.88 mmol/l.
5. Risk factors for the development of hypercholesterolemia include dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, inflammatory and chronic processes in the body, and oncology. Diabetes is also thought to cause LDL levels to rise.

If you exceed the norm for bad cholesterol, you will have to turn to the principles of proper nutrition.

Abuse fatty or meat foods, sweets and flour, as well as fast foods, threatens to clog blood vessels and disrupt the mechanism of natural cholesterol lowering.

How to recognize high cholesterol

It cannot be said that the pathology has any specific symptoms indicating a high level of lipoproteins. However, some signs may indicate that you have high cholesterol. What to pay attention to:

• symptoms of soreness lower extremities with lameness, loss of sensitivity in them due to plaque overgrowth of the long arteries of the legs;
• excess weight, obesity with a sedentary lifestyle is often accompanied by hypercholesterolemia;
• the appearance of dizziness and signs of blurred vision indicate clogging of the walls of blood vessels with settling fat.

An increased level of the substance after 50 years is indicated by the appearance of a light gray border along the edge of the cornea. High hemoglobin should also alert a woman. When plaques overgrow the walls of blood vessels against the background of blood thickening, disturbances associated with cerebral circulation and speech are possible.

Even thin women experience an imbalance between the types of cholesterol - bad and good, but only with reduced physical activity.

How to respond to a problem

If a woman, based on indirect evidence, suspects that she has high lipid levels, she should consult a doctor. Based on the results of a detailed blood test, the therapist will prescribe medications to lower cholesterol levels. A high percentage of lipoproteins is not always a consequence of atherosclerosis.

Sometimes it is enough to make lifestyle changes and adjust your diet to normalize your cholesterol levels. Diet with a minimum of carbohydrates and fats, will become reliable protection against signs of hypercholesterolemia. We must not forget about eliminating dangerous trans fats from the diet; this is the basis of good health.

What foods are needed for proper nutrition?

• Fatty fish will help lower cholesterol levels and also reduce blood viscosity. This is reliable protection against the formation of blood clots.
• Fiber from bran and legumes ensures the natural evacuation of fat-like substances from the body.
• The monounsaturated fatty acids in nuts can lower cholesterol. But you will have to eat 10 g of nuts per day (cashews, almonds, hazelnuts).
• Meat products should be lean, without skin. You should choose beef, chicken, veal, turkey.
• Among the porridges, buckwheat, rice, and oatmeal seasoned with vegetable oil are especially useful. Preference for olive, corn, sunflower.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables should become an essential part of the diet. Their volume is at least two servings per day.
• Among the drinks, the first place is herbal tea, mixes of fruit or vegetable juices, and mineral waters.

We should not forget about harmful foods that will have to be excluded from the diet.

Prohibited foods include foods rich in trans fatty acids. You should avoid fried foods, fatty meats, confectionery and sausages, and choose low-fat dairy products. Drinking alcohol and eating chocolate is prohibited.

Drug therapy

What should a woman do if she has high cholesterol, when nutritional correction and increased physical activity have not brought the expected results? The answer is clear - contact a specialist. The doctor will prescribe tablets from one of the groups of medications that lower high lipoprotein levels.

1. A group of drugs that thin the blood. The basis of medication is aspirin, but the medicine is contraindicated in young women.
2. Preparations based on fibric acid. By affecting the liver, fibrates reduce the production of bad lipoproteins by combating triglycerides.
3. Niacin (vitamin B). The medicine will help to significantly reduce the level of any type of cholesterol. However, it should be noted that the vitamin product has side effects.
4. Absorption inhibitors. Treatment with drugs responsible for the absorption of fatty substances in the intestines is justified if the cause of the disease is associated with the consumption of foods rich in cholesterol.
5. Group of statins. Tablets whose action is directly related to the liver are considered the most effective for treatment. Medicines can destroy bad lipids and prevent the synthesis of new ones.

Statins are considered the most modern drugs that affect cholesterol synthesis. It is unacceptable to prescribe them on your own; the doctor selects the pills based on a detailed blood test.

It is important to consider that treatment with drugs from a broad group of statins will be long-term. Therefore, you should carefully read the instructions, because long-term use of medications can have dangerous consequences.

Traditional medicine against cholesterol

To normalize lipid metabolism, traditional healers offer many interesting recipes. However, when choosing folk remedies, one should not forget about the tendency to allergies, intolerance to certain substances, and other characteristics of the body. Some popular tips from folk remedies:

• adding flaxseed to food will improve stomach function, increase hemoglobin, and reduce the level of harmful lipids;
• It is recommended to regularly drink ginger tea, supplemented with lemon, as well as a decoction of celery stalks with the addition of sesame seeds and olive oil;
• infusions of medicinal herbs with the addition of honey - valerian and dill; hawthorn flowers; rhizome of the herb Caucasian dioscorea; steamed nut leaves.

When turning to traditional methods of treatment, it should be noted that they considered adjuvant therapy, complementing the therapeutic measures of traditional medicine. In addition, folk recipes also have a number of contraindications, without which treatment can be harmful. Therefore, consultation with a doctor is necessary.

If a woman’s cholesterol level has increased significantly, she should look for problems in the body. The beginning should be a visit to the doctor and blood tests for cholesterol. You will have to turn to the right lifestyle, eliminate overeating, give up unhealthy foods, and normalize your weight. Then the autumn of life will be filled only with pleasant impressions.

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Cholesterol is a lipid (fat) produced primarily in the liver and plays a key role in the normal functioning of the body. Cholesterol is found in the outer layers of the body's cells and has many functions.

The form is a waxy steroid that moves within the blood plasma. This substance can be contained inside the membranes of animal cells and is responsible for their strength characteristics.

Cholesterol is essential for the body:

• Cholesterol plays an active role in digestive processes, since if it is not there, the liver’s production of digestive salts and juices will be impossible.
• Another important function The substance is involved in the production of male and female sex hormones. Changes in the readings of fatty alcohol content in the bloodstream (increasing and decreasing) lead to interruptions in the recovery function.
• Because of cholesterol, the adrenal glands regularly produce cortisol, and vitamin D is synthesized in the skin. According to diagnostics, disruptions in the cholesterol content in the bloodstream lead to a weakening of the immune system and other other disruptions in body function.
• More substance can be produced by the body on its own (approximately 75%) and only the remainder comes from food. Therefore, according to the study, the cholesterol content deviates in either direction depending on the menu.

Bad and good cholesterol

Cholesterol is important for the stable functioning of the body completely and separately. Fatty alcohol is traditionally divided into “bad” and “good”. This division is conditional, since in fact this substance can be neither “good” nor “bad”.

It is characterized by a homogeneous composition and uniform structure. This depends on the transport protein to which it is attached.

Cholesterol is dangerous only in a specific bound state:

1. Cholesterol is "bad"(or low-density cholesterol) is able to settle on the vascular walls and form plaque accumulations that close the gap of the blood vessels.
   In the process of combining with apoprotein proteins, the substance can form low-density lipoprotein complexes. When there is an increase in this cholesterol in the bloodstream, the risk is really great.
2. Cholesterol is "good"(or high-density cholesterol) is different from bad both in structure and in functioning. It is able to cleanse vascular walls of high-density lipoproteins and direct harmful substances to the liver for processing.
   The main role of “such” cholesterol will be to constantly redirect excess cholesterol from the bloodstream to the liver for processing and subsequent elimination.

   Drug therapy for high cholesterol. When cholesterol levels are high enough after preventative measures have been taken, a specialist will prescribe medications to lower cholesterol levels.

   These include:

   • Statins are enzyme blockers in the liver produced by cholesterol. In such a situation, the task is to lower cholesterol levels to 4 mmol per L or lower and to 2 mmol per L for low-density lipoproteins.
     These drugs are useful in the treatment and preventive measures of atherosclerosis. Side effects include constipation, headache, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
   • Aspirin- not given to patients under 16 years of age.
   • Remedies to lower triglyceride levels- derivatives of fibric acid and contain gemfibrozil, fenofibrate and clofibrate.
   • Niacin is B vitamins, existing in a variety of foods. They can only be obtained in very large doses and with a prescription from a specialist.
     Niacin lowers content of both low-density lipoproteins and high-density lipoproteins. Side effects include continuous itching, headaches, flushing and ringing in the ears.
   • Antihypertensive drugs- when high blood pressure, a specialist prescribes inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, diuretics, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers.
   • In certain situations, inhibitors are prescribed absorption of cholesterol and substances that enhance the excretion of bile acid. They have a large number of side effects and require certain skills from the patient so that the specialist can be confident that the medications are taken according to the instructions.