High cholesterol and heart disease: how to lower cholesterol?

An unfavorable indicator of cholesterol in the blood is one of the most dangerous risk factors for the development of heart diseases. However, now we are not so defenseless before this trouble. The main thing is to choose the right medications and avoid critical marks of raising cholesterol levels.

As you know, high cholesterol leads to dense deposits on the walls of blood vessels, as well as to their damage. This is especially dangerous if the level of so-called "bad" cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) is elevated and at the same time there are reduced indicators of "good" cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol).

In many cases, high cholesterol can be reduced by adhering to a well-thought-out food system, which in no way implies a complete rejection of delicacies. This system includes primarily Mediterranean cuisine, which has long been recommended to heart patients by the German Institute of cardiology.

In Mediterranean cuisine, instead of animal fat, preference is given to olive oil or rapeseed oil, which through unsaturated fatty acids and polyphenols have a favorable effect on cholesterol indicators.

However, we know that seafood does not always reduce cholesterol enough, and then the food components are under close attention.

How much cholesterol can you afford per day?

When making a menu, it is very important not to lose sight of the amount of cholesterol consumed.

"By today's standards, a person's daily intake of cholesterol should not exceed 250-300 mg," says Professor Helmut Golke, a member of the Council of the German Institute of cardiology.

In addition, the daily intake of fat in total should not exceed 60 g. And here the type of fat plays an important role: nut and fish oils are considered rather useful, but animals are fat – on the contrary, harmful.

Note: a standard German fried sausage, for example, contains 40 g of fat, a croissant 12 g of fat, and a handful of chips-8 g of fat.

And here are approximate indicators of cholesterol contained in the most popular products in 100 g.: butter contains 280 mg of cholesterol, eggs-560 mg (in one egg 50 g – - 280 mg), cheese 45% fat content-100 mg, sausage-100 mg, meat-about 70 mg, milk-12 mg.

For healthy people who do not have additional risk factors or symptoms of cardiovascular disease, the total cholesterol level should be approximately 200 mg/DL (5.2 mmol/l), while the LDL cholesterol level should be approximately 115 mg /DL (3.0 mmol/l).

For healthy people with risk factors for circulatory disorders and heart disease, for example, for people suffering from overweight, high blood pressure; as well as for those who lead a sedentary lifestyle or Smoking, total cholesterol should be less than 200 mg /DL (5.2 mmol/l) and LDL-cholesterol below 115 mg /DL (3.0 mmol/l).

People with diabetes or with diseases of the cardiovascular system (myocardial infarction, coronary disease) they must have a total cholesterol reading of less than 150 mg /DL (3.9 mmol / l), and LDL cholesterol of up to 70 mg /DL (1.8 mmol/l).

Depending on the existing other diseases, along with the nutrition system, medications are selected to reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol. Statins are very common: atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin or simvastatin. It is proved that they reduce the probability of repeated myocardial infarction by 30%, reduce the possibility of death from heart disease by 40%, and generally prevent apoplexy.

Translated from German and processed by and. Yegorova (aka_silikus)