What Is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like, waxy substance found in the bloodstream
and in all your body's cells. It's normal to have cholesterol. It's
an important part of a healthy body because it's used for producing
cell membranes and some hormones, and serves other needed bodily functions.
But too high a level of cholesterol in the blood is a major risk for
coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack. It's also a risk
factor for stroke. Hypercholesterolemia
is the term for high levels of blood cholesterol.
You get cholesterol in two ways. Your body makes some
of it, and the rest comes from cholesterol in animal products that
you eat, such as meats, poultry, fish, eggs, butter, cheese and
whole milk. Food from plants - like fruits, vegetables and cereals
- doesn't have cholesterol. Some foods that don't contain animal
products may contain trans-fats, which cause your body to make more
cholesterol. Foods with saturated fats also cause the body to make
more cholesterol.
Cholesterol and other fats can't dissolve in the blood.
They have to be transported to and from the cells by special carriers
called lipoproteins. There are two kinds that you need to know about.
Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is known as the "bad"
cholesterol. Too much LDL cholesterol can clog your arteries, increasing
your risk of heart attack and stroke. High-density lipoprotein,
or HDL, is known as the "good" cholesterol. Your body
makes HDL cholesterol for your protection. It carries cholesterol
away from your arteries. Studies suggest that high levels of HDL
cholesterol reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke.
Cholesterol Ratio
Total blood cholesterol is the most common measurement of blood
cholesterol. It's the number you normally receive as test results.
Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL).
Knowing your total blood cholesterol level is an important first
step in determining your risk for heart disease. However, a critical
second step is knowing your HDL or "good" cholesterol
level.
Some physicians and cholesterol technicians use the
ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol in place of the total
blood cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends that
the absolute numbers for total blood cholesterol and HDL cholesterol
levels be used. They're more useful to the physician than the cholesterol
ratio in determining the appropriate treatment for patients.
The ratio is obtained by dividing the HDL cholesterol
level into the total cholesterol. For example, if a person has a
total cholesterol of 200 mg/dL and an HDL cholesterol level of 50
mg/dL, the ratio would be stated as 4:1. The goal is to keep the
ratio below 5:1; the optimum (best) ratio is 3.5:1.
Do you know the LDL
and HDL cholesterol differences?
CONTENT SOURCE: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=512
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