Body Shape

When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you see an apple or a pear? No, not red or green, but how the shape of your body is like. The shape you see tells you if you are prone to cholesterol and heart problems.

If you see a pear, that means small waist but you have bigger hips and thighs, that is a protective shape. Apple-shaped individuals will appear has a bigger abdominal region and bigger waist.

Apple-shaped individuals are with higher risk for cholesterol and heart diseases. The big belly adipose tissues have high inflammatory markers indicative of problems with the heart and levels of cholesterol in the body.

High levels of cholesterol may clog up the arteries of the heart and lead to a heart attack. Total cholesterol levels lower than 200 is considered to be normal.

In women, as they age the cholesterol levels is altered because of decreasing levels of estrogen in the body. The lower level of estrogen also triggers the lowering of HDL or good cholesterol in the body. LDL or bad cholesterol shoots up.

In men, lower levels of testosterone during the 5th or 6th decade of life poses increased vulnerability to heart disease, insulin resistance, and diabetes. During this time, men also tend to have bigger tummy fats.

Decreasing the belly fat is one way of controlling the risk for higher cholesterol levels and heart problems.

Experts suggest regular exercise especially for the midsection of the body, decreased carbohydrate intake, good diet, and lots of healthy drinks.