Do you have high cholesterol? Are you anxious that you are at risk of developing heart disease?

You are not alone. Many people worry about the same. Have you ever wondered how high levels of cholesterol can amp up the chances of heart disease?

Well, through this blog by Karetrip, you can get to know the chances of having heart disease due to increasing cholesterol. Read on to get informed and act accordingly for a healthy heart.

Risks for Heart Disease

• Anxiety and stress can create a negative effect on your cardiovascular health.The more you get anxious over certain situations , the more negative effect is happening in your cardiovascular health. It can also adversely affect your cholesterol levels.
• According to researchers , when you are stressed you tend to binge eat a lot , this will result in obesity and also high levels of cholesterol
• Food products that are marked low cholesterol actually do not guarantee low cholesterol.
• Smoking is very risky and puts you at higher risk for heart attack, it is always recommended not to smoke and also not to be around people who smoke.
• A sedentary lifestyle will put you at risk for heart disease. Exercising regularly can help reduce this risk.
• Make sure that you always eat healthy food, not from the streets.
• Going out to eat isn’t necessarily bad, but make sure you’re consuming a healthy diet. Always include fruits, vegetables and whole grains over sweet, sugary foods and red meats.
• Blood pressure will put you at high risk for heart attack. It causes your heart to work extra hard and leads to abnormal functioning. Consult with your healthcare professional about ways to lower your blood pressure.
• When you are constantly under stress, you can have a greater probability of developing a heart disease. If you’re constantly under stress, this can contribute to a higher risk for a heart attack. In order to deal with this problem, you may find that you will rely on eating more or smoking too which will aggravate this risk condition.You can manage this by practising yoga, meditation or going out for a walk outside.

How to Find You Have Heart Failure?

Simple Routine screening tests can help us to easily identify heart problems or to prevent them altogether. There are some screening tests which should be started at the age of 20.

This includes checking the circumference of waist and body mass index , blood pressure measurements, blood tests to screen for diabetes and high cholesterol levels.

The frequency and timing of tests depend upon a family’s health history or symptoms.

If you are confused about what you need or where to start, the following are some of the screening tests that you can go for.

The results will help your doctor to understand the overall heart health. Combining both these results can increase your knowledge about managing the risk factors.

Blood Pressure Test:

In order to check the pressure in your arteries, a blood pressure test is recommended. As you know, the heart pumps blood around your body. The tests are very rapid, easy and done using a cuff placed around your arm when you visit your doctor.

When Do You Need It?

You may need it once every two years. You need to check your blood pressure if it is high, if it is high or if it is over 40 or if you are obese.

What Is A Cholesterol Blood Test ?

This test helps to find the level of cholesterol by measuring LDL or Bad cholesterol , HDL ( good) cholesterol and triglycerides (a type of blood fat).

When Do You Need It ?

You may need it in a frequency of four to six years. Adults who are 40 plus and who are prone to heart disease may need to check their cholesterol level often. If a person’s level of cholesterol needs to be lowered, coronary calcium score from a CT scan may be beneficial to determine the treatment. Health professionals can discuss what treatment should be taken, accordingly.

What's the Healthy Level of Cholesterol?

Ideal levels for LDL (bad cholesterol), HDL (good cholesterol), and triglycerides will depend on a number of risk factors . Some of the risk factors are listed below :

• Age
• Sex
• Family Health history
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• High Calcium Score

How Can I Protect My Heart Health?

• Managing by changing your lifestyles and adding proper medications.
• Eat a balanced diet and limit the intake of salt and alcohol .
• Do exercise for at least 150 minutes per week.
• If this doesn't work, the doctor may suggest some medicines which will lower your blood pressure level.
• Eat more fruits , fish, poultry, nuts ,vegetables,and foods cooked in olive oil or vegetable oil.
• Losing as little as 5% of excess body fat can help in reducing the level of cholesterol.
• Intake of cholesterol lowering drugs like statin can also be helpful.
• Reduce or limit the intake of red meat , processed food etc in order to reduce the risk of developing heart disease by controlling cholesterol level.

FAQs

1. What are the foods that can be added to the diet in order to reduce cholesterol level ?

Oatmeal , nuts , tuna , salmon, low-fat dairy products, vegetables, whole grains, fruits and foods fortified with plant sterols. These will help you to lower the bad cholesterol or LDL and help in overall functioning.