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What You Need To Know About Cholesterol

Published in January 1st, 2009
Posted in General Health

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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 cholesterol ratio and why you need to pay attention to it. visit http://www.thecholesterolscoop.com/

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