Today, more and more people suffer from high cholesterol and obesity due to improper food intake, unbalanced diet, and unhealthy lifestyle. Whatever the reasons behind the certain condition such as having high blood cholesterol level, the first treatment any physician will recommend is a low cholesterol diet.

A Guide to Low Cholesterol and Cholesterol Diets

As defined, cholesterol is a complex alcohol constituent of all animals fats and oils. It is a sterol that is related to other sterols and is contained in many foods such as dairy products and meat fats. Other sources of cholesterol include eggs, poultry, fish, and shellfish.

Studies show that that people with high levels of cholesterol are more likely to develop heart attacks more specifically, atherosclerosis which is a disease involving blockage of certain arteries compared to those with lower levels.

Diet is indeed very significant in treating high blood cholesterol level. If you would want to lower your cholesterol levels, try eating foods that are less high-fat foodespecially those high in saturated fat while replacing part of the saturated fat in your diet with unsaturated fat. You should also eat less high-cholesterol foods.

Aside from veering away in eating high-fat foods, you should also learn how to choose foods that are high in complex carbohydrates like starches and fibers. By lowering your carbohydrate intake, you can also reduce your weight especially if you are overweight.

Although the basics of low cholesterol diet may seem easy to follow, more people who have high cholesterol are having a hard time sticking to a specific low cholesterol diet.

But, if the person is really determined to lower his/her cholesterol levels, a low cholesterol diet can be easy to follow given the wide variety of foods available. In fact, more and more food manufacturers come up with foods that have low cholesterol content so if you are out shopping grocery items, take the time off to look at the labels. Here are additional tips to make a low cholesterol diet successful:

1. Load on lots of fruits and vegetables because these are low in calories, cholesterol, and fat.

2. Lower your intake of saturated fatsor the foods that contain theseto lower the possibility of developing heart diseases.

3. Take note of trans-fatty elements that are usually found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils like margarines and shortenings because they increases blood cholesterol levels the way saturated fat does.

4. Consume foods that use whole grain foods instead of those that contain white flour.

5. Compared regular, full-fat dairy products, opt for low fat or skimmed ones. These are not only good for your cholesterol level but also for your weight as well.

6. Choose lean meats like turkey and chicken meats instead of red meat because it is closely-associated with decreasing cholesterol levels.

7. Use olive and canola oils when cooking instead of using cooking oils because these are lower in monounsaturated fats that help lower cholesterol levels.

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Gastric bypass and other bariatric medical procedures are primarily performed to resolve issues of morbid obesity. Not only does gastric bypass help in weight-loss, but studies show that it has dramatic effects on diseases associated with obesity like heart diseases, hypertension, cancer and diabetes. There are significant studies showing that gastric bypass surgery was able to reduce or force the remission of Type 2 diabetes.

With gastric bypass surgery, the stomach is reduced in size. A small pouch is created on the top of the stomach and the middle section of the small intestine is connected to the remaining part of the stomach. Because of the stomach is smaller in size, it could accommodate smaller amount of food and would limit the calories that it would absorb.

After the surgery, the weight loss could be dramatic. Surveys say that patients would lose 5% of their weight immediately after their weight-loss operation. In a year after the surgery, patients could lose 50 to 60 percent of their original weight. Patients would be able to lose their lowest body weight two years from the time of surgery. That is, if the patients would stick with the dietary restrictions and follow the exercise program.

There are studies showing that diabetes was forced to remission after the surgery. This is not just about hormonal factors, the amount of weight lost by the patient has significant effects on diabetes. In a study conducted at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, they were able to identify that weight is a factor in decreasing diabetes. Hormones also have a factor, since the studies also showed an effect on the gut hormones. They have a stronger insulin resistance.

In the study conducted, obese patients who have Type 2 diabetes, showed that their diabetes control improved after undergoing the surgery. They had lower blood-sugar levels and take lower amounts of medication. About 48 percent of the respondents were able to achieve complete remission.

It is not just the weight loss and the hormones that keep diabetes at bay. Type 2 diabetes is often caused by diet. A person who have undergone gastric bypass surgery, is required to follow strict diet. Too much sugar at fat is best avoided after the surgery, since it could result into the Dumping syndrome which has vomiting, nausea, dizziness, sweating and diarrhea as symptoms. Because of the change in diet, the individual gets to eat less food and less carbohydrates.

The results are not only significant among adult patients. There are also studies showing that it would take a year before teen patients would be able to be off from the medication and for diabetes to go into remission. Teen who are suffering from diseases used to be only associated with adults, like high blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, would get lower counts or get significant improvements after surgery.

Experts agree that diabetes can surely be reduced by undergoing gastric bypass surgery. However, it is not the best option nor the only option. The gastric bypass surgery effects could fail especially if the same lifestyle before the surgery is still followed. It is still about eating healthy and getting regular activity into your schedule.

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Getting a gastric bypass seems to have become somewhat of a choice these days. Nowadays, there’s an increasing desire for that perfect body. Images of slim, toned bodies bombard us daily on every media outlet. The thing is, having that perfect body won’t just help you catch the eyes of everyone but also help out your health big-time. Obesity is more than just being overweight it has incredible detrimental effects on your life and weight problems can cause your body trouble down the line. Some of the diseases associated with obesity are: diabetes, hypertension, migraines, and a dozen other liver and heart diseases.

There are a lot of ways to shed all of those unwanted pounds: dieting and exercise are probably two of the simplest and easisest ways to do so. Those two choices only require an investment of some time and discipline to get you to a fighting trim. Unfortunately, sometimes people don’t have the time to do so, or are suffering from conditions that make exercise or dieting a bit of a no-no or, at worst, make these approaches totally ineffectual. So, if you’ve been failed by these options, what are the choices that you have left? Well, there’s surgery.

When we think of weight-loss surgery, we usually think of liposuctions. That would be a complete misrepresentation of the process. Weight-loss surgery is a lot different from weight-reduction surgery, which is what liposuction is liposuction is actually not even actual surgery. Operations or procedures that reduce weight do only a temporary reduction of your body weight while weight-loss surgery aims to make changes in your body that would make weight loss a possibility and something that can be maintained. A gastric bypass can do this, as long as it is combined with behavioral changes.

What exactly happens during a gastric bypass? Well, in simple terms, a doctor finds a way for your stomach to be made smaller. The complicated explanation is that a doctor creates a small pouch for you near the opening of your stomach and connects that pouch directly to your small intestine essentially making your food skip over a large part of your stomach and small intestine. This makes it so that you don’t absorb that much calories from your food, and it also makes your stomach hold a lot less food. Less calories and smaller intakes are what essentially drives you to lose weight after a gastric bypass. After the procedure, you’ll be in the hospital for three to five days, though there are some variations of the procedure that make that already short stay, even shorter.

Sounds all right doesn’t it? However, like all surgeries, it is still a major surgical operation that can affect the way you live. It should not be understaken unless it has been fully considered. You won’t be eating anything for three days after the surgery and you’ll be on a strict diet afterwards eating too much will literally hurt you. Your body adjusting to the lower energy intake also takes its toll.

A gastric bypass is not a miracle cure-all but it can help a lot. So think long and hard before you do it.

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Gastric bypass surgeries and other weight loss medical procedures being performed in the United States are increasing for the last few years. This may be in response for the increase in the number of people suffering from obesity. According to the American Society of Bariatric Surgery, there are about 140,000 gastric bypass being performed every year.

Those who have undergone weight loss surgeries, lose about 50 to 60% of their body weight, a year after the surgery. Along with the weight loss, they would also be losing ailments associated with obesity like high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, heart diseases and even cancer.

The Procedure

The most common gastric bypass performed is called the Roux-en Y gastric bypass. In this procedure, a small pouch is created on the top of the stomach. It is stapled, to seal it off from the rest of the stomach. This small pouch will no longer digest any food. The upper part of the small intestine, the duodenum, is attached to this small pouch.

When eating, the food would bypass the small pouch in the stomach and the upper portion of the small intestine. The food would go directly to the middle section of the intestine called the jejunum. Since it is the small intestine that does the absorption of minerals, vitamins and calories, the body will absorb limited calories only. A Y formation is formed just below the stomach.

Incisions are made in the abdomen to perform the procedure. Surgeons will be using the laparoscope or a small, tubular instrument with a camera. This will enable the surgeon to see the abdomen and perform the surgery. The laparoscopic gastric bypass actually makes the stay in the hospital and the recovery period shorter and quicker.

There are still open gastric bypass performed, however, there could be wound-related problems with this kind of procedure. The laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery is performed under general anaesthesia. The procedure lasts for about four hours. Patients who have undergone the procedure stay in the hospital for about two to six days to be monitored for any complications.

After the Surgery

Having a smaller stomach has effects on how much food the patient can eat. There are special diets that a patient recovering from gastric bypass surgery follows. Every food that the patient would eat will be important for his nutrition. There are times that they are also recommended nutritional supplements to avoid deficiencies like anemia or vitamin deficiency.

There are patients reporting weight loss of as much as 50 to 60 percent a year after the surgery. There are even some who would report an astounding 80% weight loss. However, it is still possible for patients to stretch their stomachs and have that large size again. There is still a possibility of getting back those lost pounds. That is why doctors would recommend dietary restrictions and exercise plant that would keep the pounds away.

There are also tendencies that gastric bypass patients would develop gallstones, stomach ulcers, hernia or nutritional deficiencies. The part of the stomach which was bypassed can get enlarged, it could cause bloating and hiccups. There is also the Dumping syndrome which happens when the food moves quickly to the small intestine. This can happen after eating foods high in sugar or fat.

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