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Healthy Food Items that Help Lower Cholesterol Levels
Wondering how to naturally lower LDL levels? Well, you should first know that cholesterol is an essential substance which helps the human body to build cells. It travels through the blood on proteins which are called lipoproteins. These proteins are classified into LDL or Low-density lipoprotein and HDL or High-density lipoprotein. HDL or good cholesterol absorbs cholesterol and carries it back to the liver, excess of which is flushed out of the body. On the other hand, LDL or bad cholesterol make up most of the body’s cholesterol. When our body has LDL in excess, it can build up on walls of blood vessels, making it narrow. These narrow blood vessels blocks flow of blood to and from the heart, thus causing a heart attack. A lesser known fact is that HDL can lower risk for heart disease and stroke. The LDL particle concentrations are typically categorized by percentiles and the optimal range is 0 – 20% in adults. What causes LDL? Cholesterol is vital to the human body, and hence it is produced naturally. But there are some foods that can only increase the LDL level, more than the body actually requires. Unhealthy food habits or a diet rich in saturated and trans fats, lack of physical activities, exposure to smoking and excess weight are the main reasons for high cholesterol levels. Some people inherit genes from their previous generations too. How to naturally lower LDL? Cholesterol enters our body through two sources. The liver makes all the cholesterol which is required by the body. The remainder of it comes from food from animals and dairy products. There are lifestyle changes that can improve cholesterol levels. So, if you are wondering how to naturally lower LDL in your body, include these in your diet. A variety of fruits and vegetables Fruits and vegetables are the main source of soluble fibers which absorbs cholesterol in intestines by binding it with bile.
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