Cholesterol - THE GOOD! * THE BAD! * THE UGLY!

Posted By Richard H Ealom
Categoirzed Under: Fitness
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by Richard H Ealom

INTRODUCTION: Cholesterol is a lipid (A greasy organic compound that cannot be dissolved in water.) found in the cell membranes of all tissues, and is transported in the blood plasma of all animals. It is also considered a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol) and is most abundant in tissues which either synthesize more of it or have more abundant densely-packed membranes, for example, the liver, spinal cord and brain and is insoluble in blood, but is carried in the circulatory system bound to one of the varieties of lipoproteins. Cholesterol is required in the membranes of mammalian cells for normal cell function, and is either synthesized or gotten from the diet, in which case it is transported by the bloodstream in low-density lipoproteins.

It is minimally soluble in water; it cannot dissolve and travel in the water-based bloodstream. It is primarily found in animal fats: all food containing animal fats contains cholesterol; food not containing animal fats either contains none or negligible amounts. It’s a waxy, fat-like substance that can build up on the walls of your arteries (blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to other parts of the body) and plays essential roles in the formation of cell membranes, some hormones, and vitamin D.

DISEASE: Large amounts of low density particles (LDL) are strongly associated with the presence of arterial disease within the arteries. By contrast, having small amounts of large particles (HDL) has been independently associated with arterial disease progression within the arteries. In other words too much LDL or too little HDL is associated with arterial disease. This disease process can develop into myocardial infarction (heart attack), stroke and peripheral vascular disease.

It is suggested that you have your cholesterol levels tested more frequently than five years if a person: has total levels of 200 mg/dL or greater, is a man over age 45 or a woman over age 50, has HDL (good) cholesterol less than 40 mg/dL, or other risk factors for heart disease and stroke. A campaign is under way to teach women that heart disease isn’t for men only.

It’s estimated that 70-million americans have at least one form of heart disease. New results from the Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial showed that eating a low-fat diet for 8 years DID NOT prevent heart disease, breast cancer, or colon cancer, and didn’t do much for weight loss, either.

What is becoming clearer and clearer is that bad fats, meaning saturated and trans fats, increase the risk for certain diseases while good fats, meaning mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats, lower the risk. In a study of over 80,000 female nurses, Harvard researchers actually found that increasing cholesterol intake by 200 mg for every 1000 calories in the diet (about an egg a day) DID NOT appreciably increase the risk for heart disease. Recent research by Harvard investigators has shown that moderate egg consumption–up to one a day–DOES NOT increase heart disease risk in healthy individuals. People with diabetes, though, should probably limit themselves to no more than two or three eggs a week, as the Nurse’s Health Study found that for such individuals, an egg a day might increase the risk for heart disease.

LEVELS: According to the lipid hypothesis, abnormally high cholesterol levels (AKA hypercholesterolemia) and unusual proportions of LDL and HDL are associated with cardiovascular disease by promoting atheroma development in arteries (atherosclerosis). Since high LDL contributes to this process, it is called “bad cholesterol”, while high levels of HDL (”good cholesterol”) offer a degree of protection against heart disease. Unusually low levels are termed hypocholesterolemia. As has been said, elevated levels of cholesterol in the blood can increase your chance of heart disease and your levels tend to rise as you get older. In the 1960s and 70s, scientists established a connection between high blood levels and heart disease.

Some forms of fat are clearly good for cholesterol levels and others are clearly bad for them. While it is well known that elevated blood levels are associated with an elevated risk for heart disease, scientific studies have shown that there is only a weak relationship between the amount of cholesterol a person “eats” and their blood cholesterol levels or chance for heart disease.

For some people with high levels, reducing the amount in the diet has a small but helpful impact on blood cholesterol levels. While it’s true that egg yolks have a lot of cholesterol–and, therefore may slightly affect blood levels–eggs also contain nutrients that may help lower the risk for heart disease, including protein, vitamins B12 and D, riboflavin, and folate. Saturated fats raise total blood levels more than dietary cholesterol because they tend to boost both good HDL and bad LDL. Trans fats are even worse than saturated fats because they raise bad LDL and lower good HDL.

In studies in which poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats were eaten instead of carbohydrates, these good fats decreased LDL levels and increased HDL levels. Logically, most of the influence that fat intake has on heart disease is due to its effect on blood cholesterol levels. In other words, low-fat diets seem to offer no apparent advantages over diets with fat levels near to the national average.

CONCLUSION: Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like material that is found in all cells of the body and is also found in some of the foods you consume. It is recommended by the American Heart Association to test cholesterol levels every 5 years for persons aged 20 years or older. There are usually no signs or symptoms that you have elevated blood cholesterol, but it can be detected with a blood test. You are likely to have high levels if members of your family have it, if you are overweight or if you consume a lot of fatty foods. You can lower your cholesterol by exercising more and eating more fruits and vegetables. You also may need to take medicine to lower it.

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Clothing Tips to Flatter Any Body Shape

Posted By Tessa W. Adachi
Categoirzed Under: Clothings
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by Tessa W. Adachi

No matter what body type you have, it’s likely that you’ve been frustrated at times by clothes shopping. It may seem as though some days, everything on the rack is there for someone who is taller than you, bigger than you, smaller than you, better endowed than you, and so on. Even if you can find something that technically fits, perhaps it just doesn′t feel all that comfortable on you.

In truth, many fashion designers simply make clothes that look great on those size zero or a tall thin model. Then, they increase or decrease that size without changing to account for different body shapes. This may mean that it’s near impossible for most of us to find something that fits. But there are many different ways you can dress for your body shape. You just need to know a few simple things that will help you look good too.

When you think about getting dressed up, think about your favorite body part for a moment. Do you have great legs, a marvelous bust line, or small waist?

If you focus on finding clothes that flatter the part of your body you favor most, you’ll look great and increase your confidence as well.

Don′t be afraid of colour. Never shy away from colours that you feel will call attention to you. Instead focus on whether or not they go with your skin and whether or not you really like them. If you have the confidence, you can definitely pull off most colours.

When you’re dressing to suit your particular body type, think for a moment about where both top and bottom hems are going to fall. Where a hem falls is automatically going to draw focus and attention to that area. If your legs are lovely, think about wearing shorter skirts and shorts.

If your legs are long and thin, use pants that stop at about mid-shin. Take a look at what you’re going to want to emphasise before you go shopping for clothes. If you do this before you go, you’re much more likely to find the perfect style for you that will look great and feel great, too.

When you’re shopping, remember that you’re not focusing on concealing, but on accentuating instead. Don′t focus on hiding parts of your body that you are less than comfortable with, in other words. Instead, find clothes that will accentuate body parts you like. In addition, focus on getting clothes that are neither too baggy nor too tight, but fit you well.

You can also take heart in the fact that slowly but surely, the fashion industry is learning that people who are not shaped like models do, in fact, have money to spend.

Be patient when you shop and remember never to settle for “good enough.” Instead, spend your hard-earned money on something that’s going to make you both look and feel terrific.

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Choosing the Right Acne Care Treatment to Clear Your Skin

Posted By Nathan James
Categoirzed Under: Skin
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by Nathan James

It can definitely be difficult to decide on an acne treatment product, because after all there are literally thousands of different acne care treatment products out there today. Especially if you have never shopped for an acne treatment product before, you will no doubt find it quite confusing and possibly even overwhelming.

You will have to take some important preliminary steps if you truly wish to accomplish your goal of finding just which acne care treatment will be able to best clear your skin and rid you of undesirable blemishes.

Figure Out What Skin Type You Have

Before you do anything towards finding an acne care treatment product, you want to determine what type of skin you have. You can do this quite easily, by washing your face and patting it dry. Then you want to take a small piece of toilet paper and place it somewhere on your t-zone.

Dry skin is indicated if the piece of toilet paper immediately falls off your face. If the paper sticks, though, you have oily skin. When the paper stays in place for a short time before falling off, that tells you that you have normal skin. This important first step will help you determine just which acne care products will be best for you.

Severity of Acne

To find the best acne care treatment product for you, the next step is going to be for you to determine how serious your acne is. If you only get a few pimples a month your acne is quite mild, whereas if you are breaking out every day your acne is more severe and will need more serious treatment.

Selecting a Product

Now you get to actually go out and find an acne care treatment product. Take some time to check out the different products that are on the shelves and see what is going to work for your skin type and the severity of your acne.

You probably will not be able to find the product that works best for you the very first time you choose an acne care product. Even if you try a variety of acne care products unsuccessfully, there are other viable options that you can investigate. One possibility is acne surgery. Even when countless products fail, this surgery can eliminate acne problems.

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Caralluma Extract: Its Role in Weight Loss

Posted By Therese Zachary
Categoirzed Under: Weight loss
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by Therese Zachary

Today, it’s common to find weight loss products that contain Caralluma extract. What is it and how does it help in weight loss? Read more to discover one of the best natural options that can help you lose weight.

Weight Problems

It is a reality that obesity is a problem in the U.S. It is estimated that more then 60% of adults in America have weight problems. This is a dangerous figure because being obese or overweight is one indication of being in a bad state of health. With obesity naturally come higher risks of diabetes and heart disease, two diseases that are top causes of health complications and death in the U.S.

The desire, therefore to lose weight, is not a mere indication of increased vanity that more and more people want to lose weight. As a lot of people already know though, losing weight is not very easy. Maintaining the ideal weight once you reach it is even more difficult. Everyday, people struggle to muster the discipline to follow a weight loss program. There is also of course the problem of appetite control. When there is so much delicious food to eat, it is hard to resist.

Weight Loss Options

Health Problems - Although there are many obstacles to weight loss, remaining obese is not an option. Individuals who have weight issues should continuously strive to shed off the extra pounds. There are many basic ways to lose weight which most people are already familiar with. Regular exercise for example is a must in every weight loss program. If you are in a dangerous weight category or if you already have some form of heart disease, a fitness expert should help you find the safest exercise routines to perform.

Diet Plan - Another basic component of any weight loss program is a diet plan. This naturally involves such methods as counting calories, exchanging food options and eliminating a number of food types. A diet plan may also involve cutting down on food quantity intake or controlling your appetite.

It is in this part that Caralluma extract can help you - in controlling your appetite. Aside from changing your lifestyle and improving your diet habits, you can take Caralluma to limit your appetite.

How Caralluma Can Help

Caralluma is a plant from India that has been in use for centuries. The plant is eaten like other regular vegetables. Its main function however lies more on the area of appetite suppression. Indian hunters in the past discovered that eating the plant could control the appetite, thereby allowing prolonged hunting periods.

People in the U.S. however may be hesitant about eating real Caralluma. This is mainly because the plant isn?t located anywhere near the U.S. The only option would therefore be to take Caralluma supplements.

Keep in mind though that Caralluma should be treated like any other weight loss program component. Taking your Caralluma extract daily will not be effective if you continue to live a terrible lifestyle. The plant extract may be able to control your appetite but it cannot convince you to choose the right food options when you do eat or to exercise regularly.

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Why Do I Have Gout?

Posted By Mark John
Categoirzed Under: Fitness
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by Mark John

Gout is probably the most painful arthritis condition, which is recognised as a chronic disease, gout is a metabolic disorder.

Gout is a form of arthritis that produces intense bursts of joint pain and affects millions of people, with men being the most susceptible.

Many people have the impression that the curse of gout is an entirely self-inflicted condition suffered by glutton and over indulgence, just like royals and the aristocracy of old, this however is is not the whole story as we now know.

Gout symptomatic tend to come on very quickly and usually include, severe burning pain and swelling. The most common area effected is the big toe.

Gout is generally more severe in those whose initial symptoms appear before age 30. The coexistence of hypertension , diabetes, or kidney disease can make for a much more serious condition.

Gout is an on going condition, with attacks occurring at frequent or infrequent intervals, many report years between attacks while others are not so lucky with perhaps only days. The metabolic disorder is due to excessive amounts of uric-acid which accumulate, and eventually coat the joint.

Research indicates that as many as 1 in every 100 adults may develop gout. If the condition is left untreated it may lead to joint deformity and can even effect the kidneys.

Can Gout be Cured

The secret to curing any form of arthritis is to tackle the underlying contributing factors and not the symptoms. If one can treat the underlying issues successfully, gout will disappear.

Drug treatments which might include NSAID’S may seem like the answer, however this may actually make the condition worse. Personal experience has shown me that the quickest and safest way of relieving gout is by using a natural approach.

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