Monitor:
A complete lipid profile, will include blood level checks for total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and HDL. It should be performed every year. If it's over the normal blood fat levels, a lipid profile should be checked 3 to 6 times a year. High cholesterol is such a high risk factor for heart attacks, most health insurance plans pay for every blood test needed (no limit) during cholesterol lowering medical treatments.

Need to become educated:
If you're not familiar with it already, you'll need to learn how to read the nutrition labels found on all food products. There is an abundance of useful information found on nutrition labels.

Begin to know your fats, because not all fats are bad. Unsaturated oils found in fish, nuts and vegetables help protect your heart and lower LDL. Studies show getting 20% to 30% of your calories from monounsaturated fats (like olive oil, canola oil) keep HDL levels higher without risking a higher total cholesterol level (HDL + LDL).

Avoid transfatty acids and partially hydrogenated oils. You'll find this information on the nutrition labels. When fighting high bad cholesterol levels, be aware the following foods are twice as deadly. Deep fried foods, packaged snacks, hard margarine, packaged cakes, pies, cookies, crackers and candy bars. They all elevate bad LDL cholesterol levels, and what's worse they lower good HDL cholesterol levels. You get hurt twice from candy bars.

Arterial plaque:
Oxidized LDL is the major component of arterial plaque. Arterial plaque damages the artery walls. Arterial plaque forms blood clots. Some larger pieces of arterial plaque floating in the blood stream block smaller size artery blood vessels. Blocked arteries, from plaque / blood clots, cut off the flow of oxygen rich blood. When cells die from the lack of oxygen, it's called a heart attack or a stroke. The section called the events leading to a heart attack describes "how arterial plaque is believed to damage an artery blood vessels."

Lowering LDL Bad Cholesterol Levels

The best defense:
The best defense is very simple: exercise, improve the diet, take vitamins and ditch nasty habits, and ditch the fast foods full of saturated fats.

Reducing LDL cholesterol:
Some heart attack risks are impossible to change. You can't change your age or your family genes.

government doctors at Georgetown University Medical Center found that a daily dosage of 5mg Co-E1® / NADH lowered high LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin levels to within normal ranges in about 8 weeks.

Bad dietary habits cause the high LDL bad cholesterol conditions. Good dietary habits will correct this condition. There are a number of actions anyone can take to reduce high bad cholesterol levels. They are:

• Learn how to read the nutrition label that appears on all packages. Take action using this nutritional information. Dietary fats produced the high bad cholesterol conditions.
• Get to know the different types of fats and make the correct dietary decisions. Know that unsaturated, and monounsaturated fats are good. Cut back on saturated fats, transfatty acids and partially hydrogenated oils which are bad.
• Exercise (do aerobic exercises 3 times a week)
• Lose weight.
• Stop smoking.

A dietary action plan:
High bad cholesterol is caused by bad dietary habits. To correct the bad cholesterol condition, consider making the following dietary changes:

• Cut back on saturated fats, transfatty acids and partially hydrogenated oils.
• Avoid eating at "fast foods" places. Avoid "convenience foods" like frozen dinners, frozen pizzas, canned meals, canned soups, dried soups, package snacks, cookies, cakes, candy bars and much more.
• Have a drink to your health. European studies show adults who have one glass of wine a day can cut the risks of heart disease, and have (on average) lower LDL cholesterol levels. Don't drink alcohol if you suffer from high blood pressure.
• Another U.S. study showed it's not just wine, but one alcoholic drink a day can cut the risk of a second heart attack. At one time, a daily serving of scotch was recommended to reduce the risk of a second heart attack. Don't drink alcohol if you suffer from high blood pressure.
• Eat foods that are rich in garlic, or onions, or soy. Studies show they all fight heart disease, reduce the risks of heart attacks and works at lowering LDL bad cholesterol levels.
• Feast on fish. Omega 3 fatty acids found in most cold water fish (like salmon) seems to lower the risk of heart attacks and builds up HDL good cholesterol.
• Up the fiber intake. Fiber foods like apples, beans, oats, peas, and more have been shown to lower both bad LDL and total cholesterol levels.
• Take more vitamin E, found in green leafy vegetables. Vitamin E has been shown to stop or slow the LDL cholesterol's ability to accumulate on the arterial walls.

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lowering homocysteine levels starts on the next page