Heart disease: 5 foods that can help control your blood cholesterol levels

Cholesterol is essential for our body to build healthy cells. It is a waxy substance found in your blood. There are two major forms of cholesterol: High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol also called "good" cholesterol and Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also known as "bad" cholesterol. Cholesterol helps in keeping cell membranes intact, aids in metabolism of vitamins A, D, E and K. It also needed to produce hormones such as cortisol, estrogen and testosterone. However, high levels of cholesterol can lead to development of fatty deposits in your blood vessels and increase your heart disease risk. Blood cholesterol levels above 200 milligrams per 100 ml of blood are linked to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases. Fortunately, there are a few herbs that can help control your blood cholesterol levels. They are –

Flaxseed--Flaxseed is a rich source of fibre that can help reduce cholesterol levels in your blood. Fibre can bind with cholesterol and get it excreted from the body. When there is too much cholesterol in your blood, it will get deposited on the walls of your arteries and lead to heart disease.

Garlic--Garlic contains sulfurous compounds that can help reduce the levels of LDL cholesterol while simultaneously increasing HDL cholesterol levels. These compounds can also help to prevent deposition of cholesterol on the arterial walls.

Fenugreek--Fenugreek seeds are also loaded with fibre. Also, the steroidal saponins present in fenugreek aid in controlling cholesterol levels. They help reduce cholesterol production in the body and absorption of cholesterol from the food we eat.

Green Tea--Green tea is rich in antioxidants – especially epigallocatechin gallate – that can fight LDL cholesterol. Two to three cups of green tea every day may do the wonders to your body.

Turmeric--This herb plays can lower the concentrations of LDL cholesterol in your body. Turmeric also helps to reduce the plaque build-up on the arterial walls and protect against atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
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A common indicator of cardiovascular disease may also detect cancer

One of the most common signs of cardiovascular diseasee can also detect cancer, found a new study. Microvascular endothelial dysfunction, a common early sign of cardiovascular disease, maybe a useful marker for predicting risk of solid-tumour cancer, the finding was published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

Researchers in the study involved 488 cardiac patients whose cases were followed for up to 12 years.

"The study demonstrated that noninvasive vascular function assessment may predict the future development of cancer," said senior author, a cardiologist and director of cardiovascular research at Mayo Clinic.

Microvascular endothelial dysfunction involves damage to the walls of small arteries in the heart, which affects their ability to expand and limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood.

Hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes are among the causes, and symptoms of dysfunction include chest pain. The condition is treatable but difficult to detect.

The study reviewed the cases of 488 patients who underwent microvascular endothelial function assessment at Mayo Clinic between 2006 and 2014.

The noninvasive procedure, called reactive hyperemia peripheral arterial tonometry, measures blood flow to the fingers during blood pressure inflation and release.

Dysfunction was defined as a tonometry index at or below 2, and the median follow-up period was six years. Of 221 patients identified as having dysfunction, 9.5 per cent were diagnosed with solid-tumour cancer during the follow-up period.

The findings were consistent after adjusting for age, gender, coronary artery disease and other factors.

Moreover, the association between the sign and cancer was independent but more prominent among men and in patients with factors such as hypertension, significant coronary artery disease, smoking and obesity.

"This risk prediction appears to precede the development of the disease by more than five years," the Dr. said.

Patients with microvascular endothelial dysfunction tend to have other health issues, as well, and that may have drawn more medical attention to these patients, resulting in higher levels of incidental detection of cancer, according to the study.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     
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Health Benefits Of Vitamin B 12

Getting the proper amount of B vitamins is essential to your overall health, and vitamin B12 is one that benefits your whole body. Below you’ll find 8 ways in which this essential vitamin benefits your body.

1. Improved Heart Health

Vitamin B12’s role in promoting heart health often gets overlooked, but it’s essential. Vitamin B12, B6, and folic acid work together to help reduce homocysteine, which is a protein that can build up in the blood and damage arterial walls. Thus playing a role in heart disease.
2. Healthy Nervous System
Vitamin B12 benefits your nervous system directly and helps to keep it in tip-top shape. When this vitamin is in short supply, you might develop annoying pins and needles in your extremities and/or numbness in your hands, legs, or feet.
Vitamin B12 helps to produce the fatty sheath that surrounds and protects your nerves. When you are deficient in it, your nerve cells cannot function properly.

3. Your Ability to Walk and Move

Tingling and numbness might be one of the first signs of B12-related nerve damage, but if it continues unaddressed, it can alter the way that you move. This can sometimes affect your balance, making you more likely to fall over.
4. Your Oral Health
There are many signs that your tongue can reveal about your health, and a B12 deficiency is one of them. A mild deficiency can trigger tongue inflammation. This painful condition can affect how you speak and eat. Your tongue may be red and swollen or look smooth since the tiny bumps that contain your taste buds stretch out and disappear.

5. Your Eyesight

Another vital function vitamin B12 benefits is our vision, and a deficiency is typically related to nervous system damage that affects the optic nerve. The best defense is a good offense. Vitamin B12 can be found in animal foods such as meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. If you don’t eat animal foods, you can get vitamin B12 from fortified foods or a supplement.
6. Your Memory
Some research has suggested that a vitamin B12 deficiency is linked to dementia and memory issues, but it’s not clear whether supplements might help. The potential link might be a result of high levels of homocysteine in the blood, but it’s too early to draw any firm conclusions.

7. Your Gut Health

Everyone knows that eating enough fiber and drinking enough water are vital to healthy bowel movements, but a vitamin B12 deficiency can also cause constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and weight loss. The exact mechanism through which a B12 deficiency causes GI issues is still unknown.
8. Your Glow
People with a vitamin B12 deficiency often look pale or have slightly yellow skin. Glitches in your body’s red blood cell production affect the size and strength of these cells. They might be too big to travel through your body, resulting in pale skin. If they’re too fragile, they might break down and cause an excess of bilirubin, which results in an orange-yellow skin tone.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                         FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/           

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Can menopause increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases?

People have heard of cardiovascular diseases even if they haven't undergone a procedure personally.

While cardiovascular diseases are generally considered a man's issue, globally, they claim more lives of women than men.

In regards to women, symptoms become more evident after the onset of menopause.

Highlighting the risk factors causing the increase in risk of cardiovascular health in women, a Consultant Gynecologist, Obstetrician, Laparoscopic surgeon, said, "Menopause does not cause cardiovascular disease per say; however certain risk factors at the time of menopause like a high-fat diet, early age smoking etc. certainly take a toll on one's cardiovascular health. The reason why menopause is the center of the discussion here is because during the time of menopause, the body goes through hormonal havoc."

• Estrogen levels play a role
A decline in the natural hormone-estrogen is a factor when it comes to decline in cardiovascular health in post-menopausal women. Estrogen has always been believed to play a pivotal role in the positive effect on the inner layer of the arterial walls. These hormones considerably reduce the risk of stroke in women. However, several studies about the various other factors causing the decline in cardiovascular health are still under different stages of research.

• Cardiovascular health history
Being an ardent follower of a healthy lifestyle and continuing the same during menopause, considerably reduces the risk of a heart disease or a stroke. A person with a history of cardiovascular diseases running in the family is at a heightened risk. Given the increased risk, a person should be vary of their cardiovascular health and take adequate precautions.
• After menopause, there is a risk of increase in cardiac disease as the protection offered by estrogen declines. At the age of 50, more than 50% of the deaths occur in women due to problems related to cardiac health. Further complications are basically worsening of cardiac function and dip in the quality of life.
• Generally, women who frequently smoke are diabetic and hypertensive or have a family history of these along with bad cholesterol. Thus, they are at a higher risk of having cardiac disease post-menopause.
• The falling levels of estrogen impact the bones too, apart from the heart. The bones might become thin and prone to fractures.
• The risk factors of cardiac disease are stroke, thrombosis in veins and thinning of bones, among post-menopausal women.
• As per recommendations, women in their late 40s and early 50s should be following a dietary pattern that is rich in:
 Carbohydrates and proteins.
- A meal comprising of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish, nuts are necessary for a healthy heart.
- Physical activity for at least an hour is must to keep the risk of cardiovascular diseases at bay. Walking, cycling, dancing, swimming are brilliant in preserving of cardiovascular health. 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                             PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/   

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