Lower LDL Cholesterol To Lower Risk of Heart Disease
Low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is bad. Very bad. It clogs your heart’s arteries and is a major factor in coronary heart disease.
Some people, like the Chinese, naturally have low levels of LDL and correspondingly low levels of heart disease. Genetics play a large part in determining LDL Levels but the environment is important too. High-fat, high-cholesterol diet, sedentary lifestyle, and smoking all increase LDL cholesterol levels.
In a recent study, researchers found that even a small increase decrease in LDL cholesterol can reduce a person’s risk of coronary heart disease. It’s possible to reduce the levels of LDL cholesterol through lifestyle changes like exercise and diet or cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. The key, however, is to maintain low LDL cholesterol over a lifetime rather than letting it get out of control then trying to stamp it down.
Rats. I shouldn’t have eaten that bacon this morning.
HHMI News, March 23, 2006
Tags: atherosclerosis, cholesterol, coronary-artery-disease, coronary-heart-disease, disease, health, heart, heart-disease, ldl, low-density-lipoproteinRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Hearty Research
2 opinions for Lower LDL Cholesterol To Lower Risk of Heart Disease
Ed Bremson
Oct 20, 2006 at 3:08 pm
I think you meant to say decrease, not increase, when you said “even a small increase in LDL cholesterol can reduce a person’s risk of coronary heart disease.” I like your website. I am pretty much a vegan. Once a week, usually on Sunday I eat a bunch of stuff filled with soluble fiber: cheerios for breakfast, oatmeal and bananas for lunch. I love pistachio nuts and peanuts. Recently I have added some walnuts to my diet.
Hsien-Hsien Lei, PhD
Oct 20, 2006 at 5:23 pm
How embarrassing! Thanks for catching that, Ed. Sounds like you have a diet chock full of fiber! Thanks for stopping by. Hope to hear from you again. :)
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