Vigour – Health and Sports Nutrition

According to the NCEP (National Cholesterol Education Program), the level of total serum cholesterol should be equal to or less than 200mg/dl. The total blood cholesterol includes both HDL and LDL. A reading above 200 and below 239 is alarming, indicating one’s increased potential for developing a cardiovascular problem such as heart attack, heart stroke or coronary artery disease in near future. A reading above 240mg/dl means that one must start medication therapy to control his or her elevated blood cholesterol levels.

Make sure that you avoid consuming high-fat, high-cholesterol diets as they tend to lower HDL cholesterol and increase LDL cholesterol. Being overweight also makes you vulnerable to high blood cholesterol levels as obesity tends to increase LDL cholesterol. It is also important that you avoid smoking because it may lower HDL cholesterol by 20 percent. Lack of regular cardiovascular exercise such as brisk walking, jogging and running also lowers HDL and increases LDL cholesterol.

It is also important that you use a supplement that promotes healthy heart and good blood circulation. Vitabiotics Cardioace Healthy Heart & Circulation combines the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids with antioxidants, garlic and important trace minerals. It contains nutrients that help maintain healthy cholesterol levels in the blood, health of the heart, and the elasticity of blood vessels. Omega-3 fatty acids play a vital role in maintaining normal cholesterol levels, blood pressure and triglyceride levels. Garlic helps balance good cholesterol or HDL in the blood and maintains arterial health and normal blood pressure.

The high cholesterol levels can be brought down by making healthy changes to your lifestyle or incorporating the medication therapy into your daily routine. Lifestyle changes mean that you have to modify your dietary habits, perform aerobic exercises, manage your weight, and quit smoking. Medication therapy is recommended to people after testing their blood cholesterol levels and assessing the number of risk factors for the cardiovascular problems.

For people without any heart disease, medication is recommended when their LDL or Bad Cholesterol is 4.91mmol/L or higher. The medication therapy aims to lower LDL below 4.11mmol/L. However, people with known heart diseases especially coronary artery disease or diabetes are often advised to start medication when their LDL is 3.35 mmol/L or higher. In this case, the goal of the medication therapy is to lower the LDL below 2.58 mmol/L.

High blood cholesterol patients should follow a healthy dietary routine to avoid the cardiovascular problems. They should avoid eating foods cooked in animal fats. Moreover, they should consume high-fibre low-fat diets. It also makes a good idea for them to use a supplement on a regular basis that promotes cardiovascular health.

Vitabiotics Cardioace Healthy Heart & Circulation combines the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids with antioxidants, trace minerals and garlic. Not only does this supplement maintain the health of your heart and normal cholesterol levels in the blood, but it also provides the nutritional building blocks for key enzymes in heart health and maintains the elasticity of blood vessels. Omega-3 fatty acids help maintain normal triglyceride levels, whereas garlic promotes arterial health and normal blood pressure.

Plant based diets such as fruits, legumes, pulses and cereals offer numerous health benefits to their consumers. These food items contain beneficial chemical compounds as well as enzymes, vitamins and minerals that help maintain your health and youth for a long time. Moreover, a regular intake of fruits and vegetables also protect you against numerous diseases including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart strokes, paralysis and even cancer.

According to a recent research, a regular intake of green leafy vegetables, legumes and fruits is associated with lower levels of systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Similarly, consumption of fibre rich diets promotes normal blood cholesterol levels. On the other hand, red meat intake is associated with higher systolic blood pressure values. Moreover, consumption of red meat five or more times a week tends to elevate one’s blood cholesterol levels.

Along with consumption of plant based diets on a regular basis, make sure that you take a supplement that helps maintain normal systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as cholesterol levels in your blood. Equazen Cardiozen Fish Oil is a popular brand on the market that offers maximum cardiovascular support.

This supplement contains 80% omega-3 long chain fatty acids especially EPA in a natural triglyceride form. EPA is converted by your body into hormone like substances known as “Prostaglandins”. This substance plays an important role in maintaining the health of your heart. Another advantage of using this supplement is that it makes use of CoQ10 in its formulation, which plays a vital role in the production of energy within the cells of your muscle tissue.

Many bitter herbs can help reduce your cholesterol levels and improve the digestive and immune system. Bitter herbs such as Dandelion, Oregon Grape, Garlic and Burdock are very important in this regard and they can be used as part of a “Herbal Therapy” in order to reduce your cholesterol levels.

Artichoke is another herb that has been used in the preparation of medicines for centuries by the ancient civilizations. The leaves of Artichoke contain a large quantity of bitters that can promote a healthy liver function and reduce cholesterol levels. Garlic makes a wonderful bitter herb that helps improve the ratio of HDLs to LDLs. When a few cloves of garlic are consumed on a daily basis, they can significantly reduce the amount of lipids in your blood.

In order to bring your elevated cholesterol levels back to normal, make sure that you use a supplement that makes use of plant sterols, along with using bitter herbs. Vitabiotics Cardioace Plus Multivitamins And Omega-3 is a popular brand on the market that contains plant sterols. According to a recent research, plant sterols help contribute to “Good Cholesterol Levels”.

This supplement also contains resveratrol and Co Q10 in its formulation. Resveratrol makes a powerful antioxidant that helps support your cardiovascular health, whereas Co Q10 plays a vital role in your heart health and produces energy within the tissues. The Cardioace formulation includes omega-3 fatty acids, which play an integral role in maintaining triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Moreover, they are important for maintaining normal blood pressure.

If your blood cholesterol levels are high, then you are more susceptible to the risks of coronary artery disease and heart attacks than those with normal cholesterol levels. Therefore, high cholesterol patients should change their lifestyle in order to bring their cholesterol levels down. They should change their dietary habits and avoid eating fat-rich foods. Moreover, they need to consume high-fibre diets on a regular basis. Another positive lifestyle change would be to include an aerobic exercise routine in their busy schedule.

Sometimes, a lifestyle change would not work out and one has to make a decision on taking medications for the rest of his or her life. This makes an important decision and one needs to consider many factors before starting the medication.

One of the most important factors is the reading of your total cholesterol. If it exceeds 240mg/dL, then you have to start taking medicines especially those belonging to statin group. Another important factor is your LDL cholesterol. If it is over 190mg/dL, then you should start using medications immediately in order to avoid the future complications. When taking medicines, it is important that you get periodic blood tests to check your liver function.

For high cholesterol patients who are on a diet/exercise regimen or medications to lower their cholesterol levels, a supplement should also be included in their dietary routine that helps them accomplish their objective. Seven Seas Cod Liver Oil Plus Garlic is a hot brand on the market that makes a wise choice to use. It is a unique combination of cod liver oil omega-3 with vitamins A, D and E plus garlic.

Not only healthy omega-3 fatty acids help maintain normal cholesterol levels, healthy heart and blood circulation, but vitamin E provides you with the antioxidant properties. Vitamins A helps improve your eyesight, whereas vitamin D makes your bones strong. Moreover, garlic helps maintain the health of your cardiovascular system. Another wonderful attribute of this supplement is that it makes an ecologically friendly choice because it sources cod liver oil from sustainable fish stocks of Arctic Fisheries.

Your dietary habits have visible effects on your health and well being. Moreover, use of certain foods on a regular basis help you avoid numerous diseases such as type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, coronary artery disease, osteoporosis, and even cancer. Similarly, some foods also help reduce the symptoms of many diseases.

A recent study, which was conducted on women, has revealed that those women who consume green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, legumes and fibre-rich foods on a regular basis, have only one-half the risk of breast and ovarian cancer compared with those women who consume these food items in the smallest amounts. Vegetables, fruits and legumes are rich in antioxidants, which help nullify the harmful effects of free radicals within your body. Not only free radicals damage the tissues, but they are also responsible for the onset of different types of cancer. Vitamins C and E are natural antioxidants that help destroy the free radicals.

Along with antioxidant-rich diets, make sure that you take a supplement that contains antioxidants in its formulation. Seven Seas Multibionta Probiotic Multivitamin makes a complete supplement with multivitamins, minerals and probiotics. Not only vitamins C and E help you avoid different types of cancer including breast cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer and prostrate cancer, but the probiotic nutrients help maintain healthy digestive and immune systems. The minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium help your bones stay strong and healthy. Other minerals such as zinc, selenium, molybdenum, chloride, iodine, manganese, and iron help you stay healthy, fit and full of energy.

You can easily maintain the cholesterol levels as well as the health of your cardiovascular system by consuming diets that are low in fat contents. Make sure that you consume poultry without skin and lean meats as these meats tend to have at least 30% less fat than the red meats.

It is also important that you bring healthy changes in your method of cooking foods. Instead of using ordinary oils, make sure that you fry foods in the plant oils such as sunflower oil and canola oil. Another wonderful idea is to avoid consuming processed as well as fast foods because they are rich in trans fats. Trans fats or hydrogenated fats are considered as “Bad Fats” because they tend to raise the levels of cholesterol in your blood. For a healthy heart, you should maintain a normal and healthy weight as obese people are more susceptible to the risks of cardiovascular problems.

Make sure that you combine a low cholesterol diet plan, regular cardio exercise routine and daily intake of a weight loss supplement in order to maintain your cardiovascular health. Boditronics Lypodryl 500mg Max Strength Fat Burner makes a hot brand on the market. It contains phyto-nutrients that help your body to utilize the fats more efficiently. Another ingredient is Coleus Forskohlii that helps consumers reduce body fat whilst retaining muscle mass. Theobromine and Bioperine in the supplement help boost your mood as well as energy and suppress appetite. Lypodryl is a highly effective product, which can be used by people belonging to all age groups.

You can successfully manage type-2 diabetes by consuming high-fibre diets on a regular basis. In a high-fibre diet, approximately 25% of calories should come from fat and 55% of calories should come from carbohydrates with at least 60 grams of fibre. High-fibre diets are usually composed of legumes, green leafy vegetables and whole-grain cereals.

When diabetic patients consume high-carbohydrate, high-fibre diets on a regular basis, their bodies experience much better blood glucose control with greatly reduced medication. Another advantage of consuming high-fibre diets is that they reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases because these diets are low in fat contents and hence, produce lower blood lipid levels. Coronary artery disease and heart strokes are the leading causes of death in diabetic patients and one can avoid these diseases by preferring high-fibre diets over processed and fast foods.

Along with high-fibre diets, make sure that you use a multivitamin supplement to supply your body with multi-nutrients. High-fibre diets may induce nutrients’ deficiencies and you need to consume a high potency formula in order to achieve the peak health. It is important to realize that some vitamins cannot be synthesized within your body and you should supply your body with those vitamins by taking a multivitamin daily. Maximuscle Protrient Sports Multivitamin is a complete supplement that is designed for men and women of all ages. One capsule of this supplement daily helps support the health of your immune system. Moreover, it makes a great gift for those people who are working, training or dieting hard.

High cholesterol is one of the many risk factors that can contribute to numerous cardiovascular problems including coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, heart strokes and heart attacks. Other factors include genetics and family history, age, presence of other diseases especially diabetes and high blood pressure, lifestyle and obesity.

Make sure that your daily intake of dietary cholesterol doesn’t exceed 200 milligrams. It is also important that you consume those diets which are rich in soluble fibre. Moreover, you should add sterols and plant stanols to your daily dietary routine. Plant food sources such as green leafy vegetables, fruits and grains contain no cholesterol and are low in fats as well.

It is also important that you incorporate an aerobic activity into your daily routine. You can choose two or three exercises that you enjoy most and perform them on an alternate basis. Brisk walking, stair climbing, skipping, jogging and running make a few of the effective cardio exercises that lower your cholesterol levels and help burn excessive fat.

It also makes a good idea that you use a weight loss supplement on a regular basis. EAS Myoplex Diet Protein Bars make a complete meal replacement supplement that contains carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. It is available in the flavours of strawberry crunch, chocolate orange and chocolate nut, thus offering you complete nutrition in a convenient and delicious form. It contains 24% of high value milk and soy protein as well. Moreover, it can be used as a supplement or meal at any time of the day.

In order to maintain an optimal weight and good overall health, one needs to use low fat diets on a regular basis. Diets with low fat contents help avoid cardiovascular problems and high cholesterol levels. Moreover, they also reduce the risks of different types of cancer.

Processed as well as fast foods are rich in trans fats, which are worst type of fats and have negative effects on the health of your cardiovascular system especially blood arteries. Therefore, you need to follow a low fat diet plan and should consume those foods that are cooked in the vegetable oils.

It is important to realize, however, that a low fat diet plan does not completely eliminate fats from the diet because at least 25% of the daily calorie intake must come from fats especially saturated fats. This is because healthy fats tend to maintain your overall health by supplying energy and fat soluble vitamins such as A, D and E. Another important role of fats is that they supply your body with essential fatty acids as well.

You should also use fish oils to maintain your cardio health. Fish oils contain Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids that maintain the cholesterol levels in your blood and promote a healthy cardiovascular system.

Vitabiotics Aquamarine 2 in 1 Omega-3 & Cod Liver Oil is a popular brand on the market that contains all the ingredients that are necessary for maintaining your heart health. Not only does it contain cod liver oil and omega-3 fish oil in a 50:50 ratio, but is especially beneficial for your eyes, joints, brain and heart.

Moreover, it contains vitamins A, D and E in its formulation. Vitamin A helps promote skin health, supports the immune system and maintains your eye health. Vitamin D is an important nutrient that promotes healthy bones and teeth. It is important for a healthy immune system and helps in the absorption of calcium from foods or supplements. Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant, which works at a cellular level. It destroys potentially harmful free radicals, which are unstable molecules that cause damage to tissues. It also promotes a healthy immune system, healthy cardiovascular system and youthful skin.