Ayurvedic Methods of Controlling Cholesterol and Protecting Heart

March 29th, 2007 | admin

Cholesterol used to be a word of terror for people. Cholesterol is present in cell membranes and transported through blood plasma.

Cholesterol is produced inside body at the liver. The food we take also contains varying amounts of cholesterol. The body has a system to speed up or reduce cholesterol production in accordance with dietary intake.

There are two types of cholesterol. Low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein. LDL is considered bad cholesterol and HDL is good cholesterol.

When the levels of LDL become high in blood, the LDL cholesterol gets deposited in blood vessel walls. Arteries become thickened or hardened (arteriosclerosis) and block the free passage of blood. This increases blood pressure and leads to cardio vascular diseases including heart attack.

Another version of LDL is Lp(a). Lp(a) is a variation of LDL, which increase the risk of arteriosclerosis (thickening of blood vessels walls by deposition of fat).

Excess cholesterol levels in blood must be checked with a healthy lifestyle and diet. Daily exercise and keeping your body fit can help reduce LDL levels and increase HDL levels in blood.

Include more vegetarian food in your daily menu. Our body produces enough amounts of cholesterol. If the body is supplemented with excess food in the form of fatty good, you can expect an accumulation of unwanted cholesterol in your body. The extra intake and alter the natural balance in cholesterol production by liver.

Moderate use of alcohol does have a positive effect on blood cholesterol levels. If alcohol consumption gets out of control, it will bring many serious health issues.

Some Ayurvedic home remedies for excess cholesterol include garlic (Allium sativum), Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna), Guggul (Commiphora mukul) etc.