When one thinks of terms related to heart health, cholesterol is usually one of the first that pops into the mind.
But many people do not know enough about cholesterol and how much it impacts your health during cardiac rehabilitation, a medically supervised program to help those with heart problems recover from them.
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that comes from both your body and your food. Too much cholesterol can form plaque that builds up in your arteries, making it harder for the heart to circulate blood.
There are two types of cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad, cholesterol that contributes to plaque; and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or good, cholesterol that helps remove the LDL cholesterol from the arteries. According to the American Heart Association, “Too much of one type – or not enough of another – can put you at risk for coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke.”
Because cardiac rehab is designed around making lifestyle changes to improve cardiovascular health, it makes sense that reducing total cholesterol is one of the main goals of any program.
One way to do this is change one’s diet. According to the Mayo Clinic, eliminating trans fats found in many snack foods and eating more foods such as fish and walnuts that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids can help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol.
The Mayo Clinic also recommends moderate physical activity to help raise HDL cholesterol while not overexerting the recovering body.
Zachary Konno is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
