Reducing Cholesterol Through Natural Vitamins

Recently, we have gained a lot of knowledge on the subject of cholesterol and its effects on our health thanks to the great efforts of the American Heart Association (AHA) and other similar organizations. We know that our risk for heart attacks and strokes is increased with higher cholesterol levels. We also know that we can keep our hearts and blood vessels healthy if we lower our cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol levels can also be lowered in addition by exercise, diet and weight loss. Pharmaceutical companies have recently become advertised prescription drugs that lower cholesterol, and they are now available on all pharmacy shelves. However, it is important that you note that these medications have some serious side effects such as myopathy, reductions in the CoQ10 levels which generally lead to heart disease, and in some rare cases - a fatal condition called rhabdomyaolysis.

Cholesterol is found in every cell of the body and is known to be a soft, waxy and fat-like substance. But unlike general thinking, cholesterol is not all bad – it is actually needed by the body to strengthen cell membranes, digest fats, make hormones and insulate nerves.

Generally, our body makes all the cholesterol we need, since it is made primarily by the liver. But still, we get lots of additional cholesterol from the foods that we eat. Organ meats such as liver and kidney, egg yolks – these are all heavy sources of cholesterol. Plant-derived foods contain no cholesterol. So

oods such as avocado or peanut butter are safe to eat. However, great sources of cholesterol are considered to be all animal-origin foods.

Too much cholesterol in your bloodstream can be very dangerous, even though cholesterol is responsible for many important functions in the body. The risk of heart attacks is highly increased if you have high cholesterol levels. Once blood cholesterol reaches high levels, it builds up on artery walls and may create a plaque. A complete narrowing of the artery will lead to heart attack and stroke.

The arteries become narrowed or clogged by cholesterol and fat deposits through the help of the bloodstream which transports nutrients to the heart through coronary arteries. If the arteries are narrowed or clogged, the bloodstream cannot transport oxygen. So depending on the severity, this can result in angina, coronary heart disease, or heart attack.

Remember that cholesterol and fats cannot travel on their own since they cannot dissolve in the blood. Special carriers are needed to transport cholesterol and fats. These special carriers are called lipoproteins and can health ones can be promoted by quality natural supplements.

Jean Helmet is a content editor who focuses on a wide array of niche health topics. Her latest website - Natural Cholesterol Supplement focuses on cholesterol as a whole, and in partcular, a natural product our editors personally use with excellent health results known as - Cholest-Natural

Be sure to check out our cholesterol product of choice, it is the natural supplement we use and recommend to friends and family, and have done for over 3 years.