Cholesterol, although good for the body and the processes that occur within it on a regular basis, can become a nuisance if left uncontrolled and allowed to fluctuate to dangerously high numbers, leading to the development of serious side effects of cholesterol.

The high concentration of bad cholesterol (LDL) can result in a number of side effects, which can lead to further health complications later in life.

High cholesterol counts in the blood can lead to a condition known as atherosclerosis, which is the narrowing of the arteries due to a build up of plaque along the arteries throughout the body.

This plaque build up can contain a number of different substances including cholesterol.

Aside from atherosclerosis, there are a number of other side effects that can occur, when cholesterol levels are left to spike out of control and go undetected.

Some of the side effects include:

- heart attack
- stroke
- coronary artery disease
- high blood pressure
- irregular heart beat
- angina (chest pain due to the lack of oxygen in the blood)

So what can be done to prevent these side effects of cholesterol from occurring?

There are a number of strategies that one can take in order to take control of the cholesterol counts, especially the LDL (low-density lipoproteins) cholesterol counts, within their blood stream.

One of the first things that one can do is to address their habits with regard to physical activity.

Being more active and getting regular exercise is essential to every person's life for a number of reasons.

A regular exercise routine can help burn off excess fat and cholesterol and prevent excess build up in arteries.

Regular physical activity or exercise can help reduce stress as well.

Stress often times can also lead to cholesterol build up in the arteries and the many side effects of cholesterol that are listed above.

Eating a healthy diet is perhaps one of the most important defences against the side effects of cholesterol, because a healthy diet will reduce or completely prevent the consumption of saturated fats and excess cholesterol.

When considering what your diet should consist of, consider eating foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grain foods, and soy based products.

Try to limit your intake of red meats because they often contain large concentrations of fats and cholesterol, which is exactly what you are trying to avoid.

Finally, if you want to reduce or eliminate the side effects of cholesterol, consider avoiding habits such as smoking and consuming excess amounts of alcohol.

Smoking is a terrible habit to have that can lead to many heart complications as well as upper respiratory complications.

With regard to alcohol, consider limiting your intake amount to one drink per day for women, and one to two drinks per day for men.

If you would like to avoid, prevent or reverse the side effects of cholesterol, then visit my website today for quality information to guide you to success.

Mary Ruddy is a former high cholesterol sufferer, from a family with a history of heart disease, and has successfully achieved perfect cholesterol levels, reversing and eliminating the risk of heart disease, and is a strong advocate of natural health care. Mary enjoys introducing people to the best natural products she can find and uses herself daily at: http://www.curing-cholesterol.com/.

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