Lower Cholesterol Will Help Reduce Heart Disease Risk
Verlyn Ross
This article discusses the risks involved with having a high
cholesterol level. It discusses how lower cholesterol will
improve significantly your risk of heart disease.
Do you personally need a lower cholesterol reading to help reduce
heart disease risk? If you do not know the answer, then it is
highly important that you consult your doctor to have tests
taken. There are multiple risks involved, if untreated.
Many people do not realize that high cholesterol plays a role in
increasing the chance of developing heart disease. Paying
attention to having a lower cholesterol reading is important.
Cholesterol is not all bad as it is an essential building block
for new cells; it produces hormones in the body and it serves as
insulation for nerves. Cholesterol comes from two sources - it is
produced by the liver and also comes from food sources that are
animal based, examples being eggs, meat and milk. A certain
amount of cholesterol is necessary but when it gets to be too
much, it constitutes a high risk factor for heart disease. At
that point, achieving a lower cholesterol reading is extremely
important.
High cholesterol is a widespread problem. When there is too much
cholesterol circulating in the blood it ends up building up in
the artery walls and if this problem is left unchecked then
atherosclerosis (or hardening of the arteries) takes place. The
arteries do not really harden but they instead narrow and cause
blood flow to and from the muscle of the heart to become blocked
or slowed down tremendously. Blood carries oxygen back and forth
to the heart and a narrowing of the walls of the arteries makes
it difficult for the sufficient passage of blood and oxygen to
take place. Chest discomfort and pain is often noted when
atherosclerosis is taking place. When the supply of blood is
totally cut off to any areas of the heart, the consequence of
this is a heart attack.
There are basically two different kinds of cholesterol. There is
the low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is often commonly called
in laymans terms, "bad" cholesterol and the high-density
lipoprotein (HDL), which is the "good" cholesterol. The letters
correspond with how the cholesterol circulates in the bloodstream
and delineate the amount of proteins and cholesterol. For
example, LDL has a great deal of cholesterol but a minimum of
protein whereas HDL has lower cholesterol (minimal) and a
tremendous amount of protein. It is LDL cholesterol that is
responsible for causing plaque to clog the arteries whereas the
HDL or good cholesterol helps get rid of the bad cholesterol from
the bloodstream. Another type of fat that is found in the
bloodstream is triglyceride. More and more research is being done
into triglycerides all of the time and they have been found in
high amounts to be connected with the development of heart
disease.
High cholesterol in and of itself does not produce any symptoms
therefore it is essential to have your cholesterol levels checked
through a simple blood test in order to determine what your HDL
and LDL levels are. It is recommended by the medical community
that every individual over the age of 20 years should have their
cholesterol levels checks at least once in a five-year period.
The blood analysis that is used to determine cholesterol levels
is known as a lipoprotein profile. Four measurements will be
taken on a cholesterol test and these include the total
cholesterol level, the LDL "bad" cholesterol, the HDL "good"
cholesterol and the triglycerides.
A person whose total cholesterol is less than 200 (lower
cholesterol) is at a desirable rate; total cholesterol that is
200 to 239 is borderline high and 240 and over is high. LDL
cholesterol that is less than 100 is optimal, while 100 to 129 is
near optimal or above optimal and with HDL, the higher the
number, the better it is. HDL cholesterol that measures 60 or
more is at a desirable rate while less than 400 considered a
major risk factor. Triglycerides that are less than 150 are at a
normal or desirable rate while 150 to 199 is borderline high and
200 or more is high and may necessitate the need for medication
in some individuals.
Verlyn Ross owns and operates a website dedicated specifically to providing
health and fitness information. It includes a wealth of free articles in
which you may have an interest. For a great place to get Answers, go here!
http://www.achieve-health-fitness.com
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