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Blood fat is an important component in the body. However, when blood fat is high, it will cause fatty blood disease with many dangerous complications if not treated promptly. Therefore, controlling blood fat is very important to always have the best health.
Cholesterol is an important component of blood lipids. High cholesterol is called high cholesterol, but high cholesterol does not necessarily mean high cholesterol. High cholesterol increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Medications can help improve cholesterol. However, before using the drug, you should try to change your lifestyle to control blood fat. Even if you're already on lipid-lowering medications, you should make lifestyle changes to increase the effectiveness of your lipid-lowering effects.
In this article we will learn about 5 lifestyle changes that improve cholesterol.
1. Eat good food
A few dietary changes that can help lower your blood fats and improve your heart health include:
Reduce saturated fat: saturated fat is found mainly in red meat and full-fat dairy products. When using these foods will increase the total cholesterol in the blood. Reducing saturated fat consumption can lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, a.k.a. bad cholesterol. Eliminate trans fats: trans fats, sometimes listed on food labels as "partially hydrogenated vegetable oils," are commonly used in margarine and cookies. Trans fats increase the overall cholesterol index. The US Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids: Omega-3 fatty acids do not affect LDL cholesterol. But they do offer heart-healthy benefits, including lowering blood pressure. Foods with omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, mackerel, herring, walnuts, and almonds. Increase soluble fiber: Soluble fiber may decrease the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. Soluble fiber is found in foods like oatmeal, kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, apples, and pears. Add whey protein to your diet: Whey protein is found in dairy products, and it provides many of the health benefits listed for milk. Studies have shown that whey protein given as a supplement lowers both LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol as well as blood pressure.
Trắc nghiệm: Huyết áp của bạn có đang thực sự tốt?
Huyết áp cao hay thấp đều ảnh hưởng đến tình trạng sức khỏe con người. Để biết tình trạng huyết áp của bạn có thực sự tốt không, hãy làm bài trắc nghiệm sau đây để đánh giá.2. Exercise regularly and increase physical activity
Exercise can improve cholesterol. Moderate physical activity can help increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, also known as good cholesterol.
Health experts recommend exercising at least 30 minutes at a time, five times a week. Or do aerobics for 20 minutes at a time, three times a week.
Increasing physical activity, even for short periods of time several times a day, can help you lose weight. There are several types of exercise you can choose from:
Daily brisk walk Ride a bike to work Play a sport you love. To stay motivated, consider finding a friend to exercise with or joining an exercise group, which will help keep you motivated to work out better.
3. Quit smoking
If you are a smoker, quitting will help improve your HDL cholesterol. When you do this many benefits happen quickly:
Within 20 minutes of quitting, your blood pressure and heart rate will recover from the spike caused by smoking. Within three months of quitting, your blood circulation and lung function begin to improve. Within a year of quitting, your risk of heart disease drops to half that of if you smoked.
4. Lose weight
Overweight by just a few pounds has also increased cholesterol. The small changes that add up can make a huge difference that you didn't expect.
If you like drinking sugary drinks, switch to plain water. Snack on popcorn or toast, but keep an eye on the calories you're taking in. If you have a craving for something sweet, try low-fat or fat-free candy.
Find ways to incorporate more activities into your daily routine. For example, use the stairs instead of the elevator, park further away, and walk to your office. Take a walk during your break right at work. Increase virtuous activities such as cooking, gardening after sitting all day.
5. Only drink alcohol in moderation
Moderate alcohol use is associated with higher HDL cholesterol, but the benefits are not large enough to encourage anyone to drink.
If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. For a healthy adult, up to one drink per day for women of all ages and men over 65. Men under 65 can drink up to two drinks per day.
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to many serious health problems, including high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke. That is why alcohol should be limited.
Sometimes making healthy lifestyle changes is not enough to lower blood fat. Therefore, if your doctor recommends you to use lipid-lowering medications, take them as directed and continue with the lifestyle changes above. Lifestyle changes can help you keep your medication doses low, increasing the effectiveness of your cholesterol control.
Cardiology at Vinmec International General Hospital has the role of professional diagnosis and treatment of diseases related to the circulatory system, including diseases of blood lipids. The specialty has a team of well-trained, experienced and qualified Cardiologists, modern equipment system, meeting international standards, for high efficiency in diagnosis and treatment.
Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.
Reference source: mayoclinic.org