Monitoring your cholesterol is important to know if you are at risk for coronary heart disease. Part of understanding "high cholesterol" is understanding the difference between good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Cholesterol is an important blood lipid but when bad cholesterol gets too high you are at risk of plaque narrowing the arterial walls.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a lipid found in blood plasma. It is an essential component for proper cellular development as part of cellular walls. Cholesterol is found in your blood plasma flowing through your body. It is a fat that does not dissolve in the blood which is why if there is too much bad cholesterol you are increasing your health risks. Cholesterol is transported throughout the body by lipoproteins through the blood. There are two lipoproteins that carry cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoproteins.
Good Cholesterol
Good cholesterol comes in the form of cholesterol carried through the high-density lipoproteins. If your HDL cholesterol count is less than 40 (for men), this is considered low and you are increasing your risk for coronary heart disease. Women should have an HDL higher than 50 mg/dL. If your HDL cholesterol is too low, the American Heart Association suggests losing weight and starting an aerobic exercise routine regularly to stimulate HDL levels. Lowering fat consumption and increasing omega-3 fatty acids will also help increase HDL levels. HDL cholesterol levels at 60 mg/dL and above help to protect you against heart disease.
Bad Cholesterol
Bad cholesterol gets the bulk of publicity. People who have high cholesterol greatly increase the chance of plaque build up in the arteries thus increasing chances of stroke or heart attack. Normal cholesterol counts are considered below 200 mg/dL. If your cholesterol ranges between 200 to 239 mg/dL you are considered to be borderline high in bad cholesterol. Anything over 240 mg/dL is considered high and increases your chances of coronary heart disease two-fold.
The same dietary considerations and lifestyle changes recommended to increase HDL will also help reduce LDL. This includes losing weight, discontinuing smoking, eating a diet high in fiber and low in fat while increasing consumption of omega-3 fatty acids found in cold water fish.
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