Controllable and Uncontrollable Risk Factors of Cholesterol

Cholesterol levels, avoiding smoking, disease Management

 

The risk factors for cholesterol are numerous but you need not panic, since most of them are controllable factors. There are some which cannot be controlled but you can lower the cholesterol levels through some modifications of these risk factors. It is most probably related to the changes in your lifestyle and diet. Through small modifications, you can easily lower your risk for heart diseases.

Some of those factors which are completely under your control are

• Smoking: avoiding smoking does not alone reduce your cholesterol levels, but also helps enhancing the HDL levels in your body.
• Exercise: exercise is a must in the daily routine. It helps in lowering the LDL levels and raising the HDL levels. Exercises are of many types and most of these types are good in reducing the cholesterol levels. Exercises suit for all kinds of people and it keeps the person healthy. It can also help in losing weight.
• Diet: changes in diet can decrease the cholesterol levels significantly and the patient can see a better progress in his health. By decreasing the intake of saturated fat content and increasing the intake of fiber content in the diet, cholesterol levels can be normalized and maintained. Include more fresh vegetables and fruits in the diet and avoid fast foods and junk foods as much as possible.
• Disease Management: If you possess diabetes or other chronic condition, this may also lead to an increase in cholesterol levels. So it is essential to manage these conditions initially to manage cholesterol.

By following all these steps correctly, most of the people can see a significant improvement in their health conditions. But in spite of being in a low-fat diet, exercising regularly and quitting smoking, some people still face difficulty with their cholesterol. This is due to other risk factors which are uncontrollable. Such factors, however hard you attempt to control, they are in vain. Though you cannot control them, it is essential to be aware of them. This helps you to be careful.

Those risk factors which are not under your control or cannot be modified are

• Age: as you grow older, the risk to obtain high cholesterol increases along with your age. National Cholesterol Education Program has set some guidelines. They had given that men who are 45 or older and women who are 55 or older have higher chances of getting high cholesterol easily.
• Gender: as already told, men in forties are more likely to get coronary heart diseases. The reason has been assumed to be raising LDL levels at this age. Women are considered safe compared to men till they get menopause. Only after menopause, cholesterol problems arise in women.
• Family history: if you have a parent or a sibling or uncle or grandparent (in women, 65 0r younger and in men, 55 years or younger) suffering/suffered from high cholesterol or heart diseases or stroke, you are also likely to or at risk for the same diseases. Genes play a significant role in such things.