High Cholesterol Symptoms

The worrying thing is that there are no real symptoms of high cholesterol that you can look for, because high cholesterol is not a ailment. What is worrying about there being no symptoms of high cholesterol is that cholesterol causes atherosclerosis which is usually a narrowing on the arteries which can lead to heart ailment.

Fortunately, if we are vigilant we can spot the warning signs that occur when there is atherosclerosis and take action ASAP. Those warning signs are:-

* Angina
* Pain within the legs during exercise
* Blood clots
* Yellowish deposits on the eyelids caused by cholesterol

Obviously if you feel in any way shape or form that you have any of these symptoms then you need to see a physician straight away. And even though there are no early symptoms of high cholesterol there are certain steps we can take to prevent it from getting to the stage where atherosclerosis is occurring.

The first thing you should do if you have concerns is get your cholesterol levels measured by a doctor. When you get them measured do not just settle for the total cholesterol reading though, make sure you get the breakdown of your LDL, HDL and triglycerides; this will give you a much better idea of where your health is at.

In addition to that, there are some lifestyle changes you may want to take on board which are known to help keep cholesterol levels in check. The first of these is if you are a smoker then you really need to kick the habit, and also if you drink a lot of alcohol you should cut back on that as it can raise triglyceride levels. Foodwise you want to cut back on foods such as pastries, cookies and ready made meals as these can often contain trans fats (also known as hydrogenated fats) and these are known to increase our LDL cholesterol levels (Denmark and Switzerland have already banned these fats and some states inside the USA are now doing the same).

And cutting out the items listed, there are also some things we want to include. The first of which is exercise. Exercise does not have to be some form of strenuous torture though, all you are looking to do is something as simple as walking briskly or even cycling for 30 minutes a day, as long as you are raising your pulse a bit then it will help; and of course as you get fitter you can increase it if you wish. Also you want to increase the amount of foods containing omega 3 in your diet. The kind of foods you could consider are nuts such as walnuts, flaxseeds and oily fish like salmon. The oily fish will be particularly helpful in preventing heart disease and is even recommended by the American Heart Association.

So even though there are no symptoms of high cholesterol for you to spot, if you have concerns make sure you get your levels tested and then take actions to prevent it leading to atherosclerosis. If, when you are given the results by the physician you are told you need to go on statins think long and hard about agreeing to it as the steps mentioned could be just as effective, as could using a naturally blended supplement, neither of which have the dangerous side effects that statins have.