Cholesterol is an integral part of each cell in the body. It is a waxy substance made naturally in the body. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly and it can make all it needs from some fats in the diet.
What happens when there is too much of it?
Cholesterol may cause problems if your body makes too much or if you consume too much in your food. The extra cholesterol can deposit in the arteries and lead to blocked arteries. If an artery that supplies blood to your heart gets blocked, a heart attack occurs. If an artery that supplies blood to your brain gets blocked, a paralytic stroke occurs. Higher the cholesterol, greater is the risk of heart disease and stroke.
"GOOD" CHOLESTEROL AND "BAD" CHOLESTEROL
Not all cholesterol is harmful. There is a "bad" kind and a "good" kind. The "bad" kind is called LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol, and the "good" kind is called HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol. The bad cholesterol tends to block the arteries, but the good kind helps to clean up this bad cholesterol inside the arteries.
Understanding Your Cholesterol Levels
When you have your blood cholesterol checked, the laboratory will report on LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and also triglycerides. Triglycerides are the most common fats in the diet and in the blood. If you have a high reading of LDL or triglycerides, or a low reading of HDL, you may have a higher risk of having heart disease. But whenever, doctors normally refer to "Cholesterol as being high", they mean that the "total" cholesterol is high, which is most often due to a high level of "bad" cholesterol.
Optimal cholesterol levels are as follows
LDL cholesterol should be <> 45/dl (ideally should be > 50 for women and > 40 for men)
Triglyceride levels should be <>
What happens when there is too much of it?
Cholesterol may cause problems if your body makes too much or if you consume too much in your food. The extra cholesterol can deposit in the arteries and lead to blocked arteries. If an artery that supplies blood to your heart gets blocked, a heart attack occurs. If an artery that supplies blood to your brain gets blocked, a paralytic stroke occurs. Higher the cholesterol, greater is the risk of heart disease and stroke.
"GOOD" CHOLESTEROL AND "BAD" CHOLESTEROL
Not all cholesterol is harmful. There is a "bad" kind and a "good" kind. The "bad" kind is called LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol, and the "good" kind is called HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) cholesterol. The bad cholesterol tends to block the arteries, but the good kind helps to clean up this bad cholesterol inside the arteries.
Understanding Your Cholesterol Levels
When you have your blood cholesterol checked, the laboratory will report on LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and also triglycerides. Triglycerides are the most common fats in the diet and in the blood. If you have a high reading of LDL or triglycerides, or a low reading of HDL, you may have a higher risk of having heart disease. But whenever, doctors normally refer to "Cholesterol as being high", they mean that the "total" cholesterol is high, which is most often due to a high level of "bad" cholesterol.
Optimal cholesterol levels are as follows
LDL cholesterol should be <> 45/dl (ideally should be > 50 for women and > 40 for men)
Triglyceride levels should be <>
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