Heart Disease and Cholesterol

Most people have heard about cholesterol and heart disease, but there is a debate as to whether cholesterol is the primary cause of heart disease. Some doctors claim that cholesterol is the main cause of heart disease whereas others disagree. Some physicians that conducted heart studies declared that high blood cholesterol is the primary factor for coronary heart disease or CHD. Other studies showed that lecithin helped control cholesterol, as did fish oils and garlic.

Some studies have shown that higher cholesterol levels increase the risk of getting CHD. People with lower levels of cholesterol are not as likely to get CHD.

Studies show that lowering the bad cholesterol can greatly reduce the chance of getting coronary heart disease.

Recent experiments were conducted using drugs called statins that lowered total cholesterol. The use of these drugs called statins greatly lowered chances of a heart attack, of the need for bypass surgery, or of dying from heart disease-related causes.

Risk factors measure the risk of your developing heart disease. Some risk factors can be improved, some can't. Generally, the more risk factors you have the higher the chances you will get heart disease. It's wise to review the risk factors as some can be changed if you are aware.

* Age. The older you get, the greater the risk. Males 45 years or older, females 55 years or older have a greater risk of getting coronary heart disease.
*Genetics. If your family had a history of heart disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure.

Some key risk factors you should be aware of, some of which you can change, are:
* High levels of bad cholesterol.
* Low levels of good cholesterol.
* History of smoking
* High Blood Pressure or if your family had a history of High Blood Pressure
* Diabetes or if your family had a history of High Blood Pressure
* Lack of exercise.
* Overweight condition

You should consult a physician to find out if you have high blood cholesterol.

Most experts claim high cholesterol and heart disease are connected, but there is a debate where animal fat and heart disease go together more.

Most doctors believe that stress, physical activity, diet and weight influence blood cholesterol levels.

If you change for a healthier lifestyle, with more exercise and better diet, you should lessen your chances of health problems, including heart attack, stroke, gall stones, and other diseases related to cholesterol.

This article was written by Jim Krage of Healing Energy News .com.