Categories


What You Need To Know About Cholesterol

Published in January 1st, 2009
Posted in General Health

Advertisements

Everyone talks about high and low cholesterol, but do you know what that means? It is a fat like material that is inside of every cell in your body. Cholesterol is used by your body to make vitamin D and to make hormones.

It also is needed to help your body properly digest the food you eat, so your body needs cholesterol in order to keep it functioning properly. However, your body creates all the cholesterol that your body needs to use. Unfortunately, cholesterol is contained in many foods such as animal fats, and as a result some people have too much in their bodies.

Do you know what your cholesterol level is? Everyone from the age of twenty on should have her cholesterol checked one a year. Your doctor will do a simple blood test after you have fasted for 9-12 hours prior to doing the blood work. The blood is sent to a lab and is tested to see what your cholesterol levels are.

There are several categories of cholesterol. The blood analysis will tell you what your overall cholesterol count is. Ideally, you want this level to me less than 200 milligrams per deciliter of blood. Over 240 mg per dl is considered high cholesterol and will require some action on your part top decrease this amount.

You will also get a reading on your LDL or low-density lipoprotein, which is the bad cholesterol in your body. This is what causes blockages in arteries. You want your LDL to be under 100 mg per dl. AN LDL of 160 or greater is considered to be a high level.

In addition, you will get a reading on your HDL or high-density lipoprotein, which is the good cholesterol in your body. The HDL prevents the build up of blockages in your arteries, so it is important to have a good HDL level. 60mg per dl is optimal and is what everyone is striving to achieve. If your HDL is less than 40mg per dl, you are at risk for heart disease.

Your doctor may want you to change your diet because some foods raise your cholesterol levels. You should avoid saturated fats and Trans fatty acids since these are major contributors to LDL cholesterol levels. Lose weight if you are overweight because the excess pounds lower HDL levels and raise LDL levels. Exercise regularly to keep your weight down, Exercise has an added benefit in that it can raise your HDL levels.

You may be predisposed to high cholesterol due to heredity. If your parents have high cholesterol levels, you may likely have them to, even if you eat the right foods and exercise regularly. Your doctor will likely monitor your cholesterol levels and if diet and exercise do not help, he will prescribe medication that will control your cholesterol.

If you do have high cholesterol, don’t be surprised if your doctor sends you for blood tests every six months or so. That is the only way to check cholesterol levels and he will want to make sure that you are making progress in your goal to lower your LDL and raise your HDL.

lance thorington, a professional writer and online publisher, has written and published numerous articles in many different niches. click here to find out the right http://www.thecholesterolscoop.com/cholesterol ratio and why you need to pay attention to it. visit http://www.thecholesterolscoop.com/

Related posts:

  1. Answering Your Cholesterol Questions As we get older there are important numbers that begin to weigh heavily upon us. We have to worry about our blood pressure, weight and our cholesterol level. Things we may have ignored our entire lives now suddenly have great importance. But these are things that should not have been ignored. A lifetime of abuse [...]...
  2. Why Is Taking A Cholesterol Test Very Important High cholesterol levels can be a sign of potential heart disease. High levels of HDL cholesterol can be a warning sign of hardening of arteries that can result in heart disease or a heart attack. Even though high cholesterol is a very serious and fatal condition, there are no symptoms to warn you if you [...]...
  3. The Truth Behind The Cholesterol In Our Body Cholesterol is a lipid or a fat-like substance that the body needs for several processes. The absence or excess of it can cause an imbalance in the body. The Importance of Cholesterol in the Body Cholesterol is responsible for several functions in the body. Here are some of them: 1. It is used to make [...]...
  4. What Is A Healthy And Normal Cholesterol Level? Cholesterol is a medical problem that most of us encounter and have to battle with at one point in our lives. So what actually is cholesterol and what role does it play in our body? Cholesterol is a substance that exists in our cell which our body needs. It flows through our blood stream and [...]...
  5. How To Lower Cholesterol Through Your Diet Many people believe that young generation’s focus on diet as a fashion statement is the reason for the trend in reducing cholesterol in diet. However this is not the entire truth. Reducing the cholesterol levels in the body affects not just the looks but also the health of a person. Beyond a certain level, cholesterol [...]...
  6. Natural Cure for High Cholesterol and Triglycerides Cholesterol is found throughout your cells and in your bloodstream. Your body needs a certain amount of cholesterol to function properly, but it is when you have too much that your health can begin to suffer. There is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. HDL is the identifier for good cholesterol and LDL identifies your bad [...]...
  7. What You Need To Know About Cholesterol Drugs And ... It is extremely important to educate ourselves before using any kinds of drugs or medications for any kind of illness or medical problems, especially if it something as serious as high cholesterol. This is because it can turn out to be fatal if neglected. That is why we should learn more about drugs and medications [...]...
  8. Cholesterol Lowering Drugs The first line of treatment in lowering cholesterol levels are lifestyle changes such as proper diet, weight loss, and exercise. Along with lifestyle change, your doctor is also likely to prescribe medication to help in lowering and maintaining your cholesterol levels. A number of prescription drugs to lower cholesterol are available on the market, with [...]...
  9. Diet, Cholesterol, And Cardiovascular Disease High blood cholesterol has been shown to be a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke. However cholesterol itself is essential to several important processes within the body, including cell membrane structure and function, making of hormones and the digestion and movement of fats to all parts of the body. So why [...]...
  10. What Is High Cholesterol And How Does It Affect Me Cholesterol is a type of fat that is part of all animal cells. It is essential for many of the body metabolic processes, including hormone and bile production, and to help the body use vitamin D. Cholesterol is more abundant in tissues which either synthesize more or have more abundant densely-packed membranes, for example, the [...]...
Previous post:
«

Next post:
»