Millions of Americans are trying to lower cholesterol using a variety of methods. The reason it is so important is that if they fail to lower cholesterol enough they are at an increased risk for stroke.
A stoke occurs when the blood vessels to the brain become clogged or blocked in some way, usually by high cholesterol. The vessels may also have an added strain from untreated high blood pressure. Either way, the flow of blood puts pressure on the blood vessels eventually causing them to weaken and break. The American Heart Association estimates that 700,000 Americans suffer from new or recurring strokes every year.
When the blood supply to the brain is cut off and stroke occurs symptoms may not be immediate. Unlike a heart attack where there is usually severe enough pain in the chest or arm to be immediately noticed, a stroke can take more time to appear. In fact, the conditions such as not lowering cholesterol or blood pressure can take years and years of building up until they manifest themselves as a stroke. (more…)
You eat a low-fat, low cholesterol diet. You get plenty of exercise and keep your weight within a healthy range, yet still can’t seem to lower cholesterol. It may just be that your body is pre-programmed to a certain cholesterol level, and even the best efforts can make it difficult to go any lower. There is significant evidence indicating that cholesterol levels are an inherited factor. For this group of people predisposed to high cholesterol, it is going to take some extra work, but lower cholesterol readings are possible.
Studies conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California compared the cholesterol levels in identical twin males who have the same genetic make up. Twenty eight sets of twins were studied by giving one twin from each pairing a low-fat, low cholesterol diet and the other ate as he pleased. One was a disciplined runner while the other got little or no exercise. While the twins who ate better and moved more did have lower cholesterol, it was not as low as it would have been, had they not been genetically inclined toward higher cholesterol levels. (more…)
