Understand Cholesterol’s Role During National Triglycerides Day
What do you know about blood cholesterol levels? National Triglycerides Day falls on March 28th, and it’s a good day to learn more about what cholesterol is and how it affects your parents’ well-being. You and your home care services provider can learn more through these tips.
Home Care in Roseville CA: Triglycerides
What Are Triglycerides?
When your parents eat a meal, the foods they choose impact their HDL and LDL cholesterol levels. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL for short) is known as bad cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is sticky and binds to blood vessel walls. This is known as plaque.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is good cholesterol. Good cholesterol is essential as it binds cholesterol to it where it’s filtered in the liver and removed from the body.
There’s another component to your mom’s and dad’s cholesterol levels that are important. Excess calories in their foods are converted to triglycerides and stored in their fat cells. The fat helps provide energy between meals. It’s why your parents should avoid overeating and consume enough calories to cover the calories they expend during the day.
When your body has more triglycerides than is needed, it can increase the risk of hardened arteries. That increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and pancreatitis. People with high triglycerides may also have other health issues like hypothyroidism and diabetes.
How Do You or your Home Care Provider Lower Them?
To lower triglyceride levels, your parents need to be active. A minimum of 30 minutes of moderate exercise is important. It lowers triglycerides while improving good cholesterol levels. Mix up exercise routines to embrace weight training, aerobic activities, and exercises like Yoga and Tai Chi to help your parents balance.
They need to lower their caloric intake. If their triglyceride levels are high, they’re taking in too many calories. They should stick to portion sizes and avoid overeating. It’s also vital that your mom and dad avoid processed, sugary, or high-fat meals and snacks.
Get your parents to eat foods that increase HDL levels. Whole grains, fish, vegetables, avocados, and olive oil are good choices.
If they do these things and still have high triglycerides, they may need to talk to their parents about medications that help lower cholesterol levels. Sometimes, supplements like fish oil and niacin are recommended, providing they’re not on prescription medications that may interact with them.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Don’t let your parents rely on processed meals and snacks. If they struggle with meal preparation, hire senior home care. With a healthy diet, plenty of exercises, and companionship, your parents can start taking the necessary steps to lower their cholesterol levels.
Arrange senior home care to help them with meals, snacks, and daily routines. With home care aides, your parents can also have someone help with appointment scheduling to ensure they never miss a follow-up visit with their doctor.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Home Care in Roseville, CA, talk to the caring staff at Partners in Care today. Serving El Dorado, Nevada, Yuba, Sutter, Sacramento, Placer, Butte, Glenn, Yolo, & Colusa Counties! Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! (530) 268-7423
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