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How to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol is an important question and one that can be answered in a number of different ways. But before we get down to the brass tacks of how to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol first we must gain a better understanding of exactly what we are dealing with here. Cholesterol is a wax like substance that floats around your bloodstream guided only by the lipoproteins known as LDL and HDL. LDL stands for low density lipoproteins and HDL is short for high density lipoproteins. Low density lipoproteins play an important role in transportation vital blood cholesterol to your cells. Nevertheless, despite its noble pursuit it is considered to be bad cholesterol, mainly because it drops some of its payload along the way, producing coronary artery deposits know as arterial plaque. On the other hand HDL is the knight in shining armor that comes along to save the day by cleaning up the mess LDL has left. Most experts agree that regardless of how high overall cholesterol readings are, if enough HDL is present to clean up the mess, the overall risk of atherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke generally considered to be very low. So as you can see the second part of the question as how to lower bad cholesterol and RAISE GOOD CHOLESTEROL is indeed the key. *The most often mentioned way as how to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol is through the use of prescription statin drugs. Lipitor, Crestor, Lescol, Pravachol, and Zocor have become household names with millions of prescriptions written annually. These drugs work by inhibiting the livers ability to turn carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into cholesterol thus reducing both LDL and overall cholesterol reading. While most agree they do increase HDL levels the clinical evidence to support this is somewhat ambiguous. Nevertheless, we do know that statin medication have a profound impact on high cholesterol. *Exercise is another example of how to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol. According to the AMA (American Heart Association) exercise can alter your cholesterol levels, pushing up your HDLs (good cholesterol) and pushing down LDLs (bad cholesterol). This is a tricky one especially for those who have serious physical concerns and should be discussed with your doctor before you go into training for the next iron man/woman competition. *Foods are another example. Certain foods are amazing in their ability to improve cholesterol. While the list is really long as to food that can lower bad and overall cholesterol it is relatively short when it come to raising good cholesterol. Examples would be apples, pears, pomegranates, dark grapes, olive oil, foods containing plant sterols, and possibly cranberries and cranberry juice. *Herbs are our fourth and final stop on the road headed towards how to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol. Once again we have no shortage of possible candidates. Examples would include red yeast rice, garlic, guggul, and rooibos. Note: It should not go without mention that niacin is a very important cholesterol buster and may merit some additional research. Also, there is anecdotal evidence to support the notion that garlic enhances the benefits of any remedy for high cholesterol. In the end how to lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol can be answered in many different ways. For some natural health minded individuals the combination of natural cholesterol reducing supplements combined with diet and exercise has proven to be a powerful formula for success. If you have been searching for a side effect free way to give cholesterol the boot this powerful three step approach is certainly one worth considering.
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