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What You Should Know About Your Cholesterol

Did you know that actual cholesterol is good for your body? According to the American Heart Association, cholesterol is just one of the many substances created and used by our bodies to keep us healthy.
Cholesterol is produced by the foods we eat, our family history, as well as what we produce naturally. There are two types of cholesterol; the good “HDL” and the bad “LDL”. Learning the difference is very important because having too much of one type- or not enough of another- can put you at risk for coronary heart disease, heart attack, or stroke (heart.org).

Cholesterol
A soft waxy substance found among the fats in your bloodstream and in all of your body’s cells. Cholesterol is important for a healthy body because it is used to form cell membranes, some hormones, vitamin D, and other body functions (AHA, 2007).

Back to the Sources

Your body
Food

Your liver and other cells found in your body make up 75 percent of blood cholesterol. The other 25 percent comes from the foods that you consume.

Did you know?
Cholesterol is only found in animal products.

Two Types of Cholesterol

HDL- the good cholesterol

This type of cholesterol helps keep the bad cholesterol from getting stuck in your artery walls.
A healthy level of HDL may protect against heart disease or stroke.
Low levels of HDL (less than 40 mg/dL for men and less than 50 mg/dl for women) have been found to increase the risk of heart disease.
Reducing trans-fat, proper diet, and exercise is a good way to raise your HDL levels.
If this is not enough, consult your physician on other ways to increase your HDL levels.

LDL- the bad cholesterol

When too much of this type of cholesterol gets in your blood stream and circulates it can cause clogging of the arteries, and increase your risk for heart attack or stroke.
LDL cholesterol is produced naturally but can also be inherited by genes.
Eating trans-fat, saturated fat and even dietary cholesterol can increase your LDL levels.
Sometimes proper diet and exercise is not enough to lower your LDL levels, in this case, consult your physician for other ways to decrease your LDL levels.

Check out this great chart that distinguishes HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol:
http://medmovie.com/mmdatabase/mediaplayer.aspx?Message=VG9waWNpZD02MDg7Q2xpZW50SUQ9Njc7VmVybmFjdWxhcklEPTE%3D%2Dy8ZmKfg631U%3D
FYI: A cholesterol screening can measure both types of Cholesterols.

Getting a Cholesterol Screening
If you have high or low cholesterol you will most likely not notice any symptoms. Most is diagnosed with routine testing. According to the American Heart Association, all adults 20 years of age and older should have a fasting lipoprotein profile, this measures your HDL levels, LDL levels, and triglycerides.

This should be done once every five years.
This test should be done after a 9 to 12 hour fast, which means no food, liquids, or pills.

The end result of the testing will show:
Your total body cholesterol levels
Your HDL cholesterol levels
Your LDL cholesterol levels
Your triglycerides levels

What Numbers Should You Aim For?
If you are concerned as to what levels are considered decent, check out these descriptive websites for more information.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol-levels/CL00001
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/high_cholesterol/page3_em.htm

Sources:
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/AboutCholesterol/About-Cholesterol_UCM_001220_Article.jsp
http://medmovie.com/mmdatabase/mediaplayer.aspx?Message=VG9waWNpZD02MDg7Q2xpZW50SUQ9Njc7VmVybmFjdWxhcklEPTE%3D%2Dy8ZmKfg631U%3D http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/AboutCholesterol/What-Your-Cholesterol-Levels-Mean_UCM_305562_Article.jsp
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/high_cholesterol/article_em.htm

Missouri