Cholesterol is a necessity to your body, in more than one way and your body produces, uses and regulates it in a perfect way. First, The liver produces cholesterol with the help of a certain type of proteins called lipoproteins. There are High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) also known as the “good cholesterol” and Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) also known as the “bad cholesterol”. Your body uses that cholesterol to help build cell membranes, produce hormones and vitamin D. Second; your body needs cholesterol to make bile – the acid that is used in the digestion process. The Bile acid sequestrates are attached to the bile to prevent it from being used in the process of digestion. The result: your liver produces even more bile making it in need of more LDL-cholesterol, thus preventing excess of LDL-cholesterol in the blood.

Having said that, excess of blood cholesterol can build up inside artery walls, creating plaque that narrows and hardens the arteries, which can trigger a heart attack or stroke.

With some individuals, though, the process of producing and regulating cholesterol is far from being optimal. These individuals usually suffer from high level of blood cholesterol, regardless of their diet. Nevertheless, if you have been diagnosed with high blood cholesterol, maintaining a diet limited or completely free of saturated fat and cholesterol is your first imperative step in the battle for lowering your cholesterol.

Keep in mind that diet alone will not save you from the risk of high blood cholesterol. Obesity, even just being overweight, combined with regular inactivity can make it harder for your body to regulate and balance out the excess levels of LDL in your blood resulting in the dangerous implications of Athrosclerosis.

Simply put, diet, regular exercise and annual testing for blood cholesterol is the natural and most effective way to lower cholesterol and eliminate the unnecessary risk involved with having excess amounts of blood LDL.