Healthy Cholesterol Levels
What
is Cholesterol?
cholesterol is a fatty substance
manufactured mostly by the liver. It is extremely important and is
needed by every cell in the body.
Are
there different types of cholesterol?
There are two main types of cholesterol:-
-
LDL
cholesterol (This is the bad cholesterol that doctors hate)
-
HDL
cholesterol (This is the good cholesterol)
When
doctors and dietitians start talking about LDL cholesterol. They are
usually concerned about high levels of the type of cholesterol which is linked to heart
disease and other associated health problems.
When
they refer to HDL cholesterol, they are talking about the type of
cholesterol that helps to protect you from heart disease.
When
LDL cholesterol is carried to the cells of a body, the cells will
only take what they need. They will then leave the remainder of the
unwanted LDL cholesterol in the blood.
When
too much of the bad LDL cholesterol is left behind in the blood, it can create a
build-up in the arteries causing blockages. Some of the blockages
may then detach themselves and form clots. This is one of the main
reasons that
doctors will attempt to reduce this type of cholesterol.
HDL
cholesterol is quite different, it is extra cholesterol that comes from the
tissues and gets carried away to the liver where it is disposed of.
This
is very important for a healthy heart as it is the kind of cholesterol
that has been eliminated by the body so it is quite often referred to as
good cholesterol.
How
do they measure cholesterol?
Your
doctor, nurse, or dietitian will first take a sample of your blood.
This sample is then sent to a pathology laboratory for various tests.
When
your doctor gets the results back he or she will be looking for several things.
-
He
will look at your overall (Total) cholesterol level
-
Your
LDL cholesterol level
-
Your
HDL cholesterol level
Healthy
levels are:-
The
total cholesterol ratio to HDL is very important; the smaller the
number the better.
For
example, someone with a total cholesterol of 200 and an HDL of 60 would
have a ratio of 3.3 (200 ÷ 60 = 3.3). If that person’s HDL was low —
let’s say 35 —the total cholesterol-to-HDL ratio would be higher: say
5.7.
If
you make an effort to lower your cholesterol levels, it is very important
to lower the LDL cholesterol, as this kind increases the risk of
heart attacks. It is also important to try and maintain or increase the level of HDL
cholesterol to aid the prevention of heart attacks.
How
do we do this?
-
Change
your eating habits to a good sensible balanced diet.
-
Lose
some weight, until you are the right weight for your height
-
Do
some regular exercise, even if it is only walking.
The
author of Healthy cholesterol Levels is Anthony George
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Source:
Article Healthy cholesterol Levels was submitted by
Anthony George for publication.
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© Anthony George 2005 Healthy cholesterol Levels
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