Experts Say Cholesterol Screenings Should Start in Childhood

May 22, 2011 · Posted in cholesterol foods · Comment 

FRIDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) — All children should be screened for high cholesterol when they’re 9 to 11 years old, according to new guidelines from the National Lipid Association.

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How High Should Your Cholesterol Levels Be?

July 1, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

A 2007 report from the Women’s Health Study showed that high levels of cholesterol, even in healthy women, was a risk factor that increased a woman’s chances of having a stroke. Other studies have shown a link between high levels of cholesterol and Alzheimer’s disease. And the media has been warning us for years to cut down our intake of cholesterol because high cholesterol leads to hardening of the arteries. But what is cholesterol and why is it even it our bodies?

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy, fat-like substance that is made by the body. It is in all of your cells and can be found in all parts of the body including your skin, blood vessels, muscles, and so on. Since your body actively creates cholesterol, we can assume that having cholesterol in your body is not necessarily bad. In fact, you couldn’t eliminate all the cholesterol in your body if you tried.

Cholesterol is important for the body. The cells use cholesterol as a building block in creating its protective membrane. Studies have indicated that “good” HDL cholesterol protects against heart disease and stroke even if “bad” LDL cholesterol levels are high. Good cholesterol helps to prevent dangerous breakaway blood clots – which can be caused by sitting in a cramped position for too long. Cholesterol also helps to manufacture vitamin D in the body from the sun. And there is much more good that cholesterol does for the body.

There is also a second source of cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol comes form the foods that we eat. It can be only be found in animal foods and eating it raises the bad cholesterol level in your own body. There have been many studies over the years that correlate a high intake of dietary cholesterol to coronary heart disease. In other words, the more high cholesterol foods we eat, the greater our chance of developing heart disease or a stroke.

High density lipoprotein (HDL), the good cholesterol, is a form of cholesterol that circulates in the bloodstream. One of its jobs is to remove excess cholesterol from the body’s tissues and transport it to the liver where it will be excreted from the body. This process of “taking out the garbage” or cleansing the bloodstream is why HDL is a called good cholesterol and also why it’s good for your body to have a relatively high HDL level. Some researchers say that an HDL of 60 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) or greater is good and will protect you against hardening of the arteries and lower your risk of getting heart disease.

Conversely, a low level of HDL, such as less then 40 mg/dl, has a negative effect. Many studies indicate that a low level of HDL combined with a high level of LDL seems to be a precursor of heart disease

You can control your cholesterol. The total amount of cholesterol in your body at any point in time is a function of how fast your HDL and liver can cleanse your system of it’s existing cholesterol combined with the amount of dietary cholesterol that you’ve eaten during recent hours.

Controlling the amount of cholesterol that you allow into your body is a huge part of your lifestyle that you can modify to decrease your chances of heart disease or stroke. According to the American Heart Association, if you eat less then 300 milligrams of cholesterol a day, you can significantly reduce your cholesterol levels. By paying greater attention to the foods you eat, you can help to assure yourself of a long and healthy life.

Melissa Chow is a freelance writer who writes articles relating to diet for living with diabetes and high blood pressure and other health issues Visit her site at www.highbloodpressurearticles.com .

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What You Should Know About Cholesterol Testing

May 13, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

When should I undergo a cholesterol test? What would the results say about my health? How many tests are there and which will give me the best results?

Unlike any other health tests, cholesterol testing does not diagnose disease. Instead, it reveals the risks of developing heart disease. Cholesterol testing is considered necessary in preventive health care for individuals over 20 years of age. The test should be repeated once every five years for healthy individuals.

Cholesterol testing, along with HDL, LDL and triglyceride testing is called the lipoprotein profile.

Cholesterol testing is done several times a year for individuals who are on a prescribed diet and for those who are taking cholesterol lowering medications.

Usually blood samples are drawn from the arm. Sometimes blood samples are taken from the fingertip. The samples are analyzed by a cholesterol testing device. Cholesterol tests are used to monitor the progress in lowering the cholesterol level.

Test results are grouped in three types:

* Desirable – the cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL below is regarded to be desirable because it has a low risk of heart disease.

* Borderline high – a total cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL to 240 mg/dL is at fair risk of having heart disease. Your doctor may decide to give you have a lipid profile in order to determine which cholesterol level is high.
* High Risk – a 240 mg/dL cholesterol level is considered to be at high risk of heart disease. Expect a lipid profiling if your cholesterol level is this high. It is more likely that you will be given a cholesterol lowering medication along with a low cholesterol diet.

Cholesterol tests are usually given when the individual is healthy because the blood cholesterol level of an individual who has an acute illness, (after a heart attack or after surgery or accident) is likely to be low. Individuals are advised to wait at least six weeks after any illness before taking cholesterol tests. Pregnant women are also advised to wait six weeks before having their cholesterol level measured.

A Brief Explanation of Cholesterol Ratios:

Cholesterol ratios consist of total cholesterol. Total cholesterol includes low level lipoprotein cholesterol levels (LDL cholesterol), triglycerides and high density lipoprotein cholesterol level (HDL cholesterol).

Cholesterol is measured by milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). Usually, only the total cholesterol amount is given when a person is tested for cholesterol. Sometimes you are given the HDL cholesterol and the total cholesterol results.

The desirable total cholesterol level is 200mg/dL and the beneficial amount of HDL is more than 40mg/dL.

There are two important cholesterol ratios. These they are LDL/HDL cholesterol ratios and total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratios.

In the latter cholesterol ratios, your cholesterol result is given by the total cholesterol divided by the HDL cholesterol. According to the American Heart Association, the desirable amount should be below 5:1 with the optimal amount of 3.5:1 or 3.5 to 1.

The LDL/HDL is done by dividing LDL cholesterol by the HDL cholesterol. The desirable amount in this ratio should be 3.5 below. The American Heart Association recommended that physicians must use complete numbers for total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol in determining the appropriate treatment.

A normal cholesterol level as suggested by the National Institute of Health:
* total cholesterol – 200mg/dL
* LDL – 100mg/dL
* HDL (man) – 40mg/dL above
* HDL (woman) – 50mg/dL above
* Triglycerides – 150mg/dL

It is important to remember to fast the night before, prior to taking a lipid profile test (a test that profiles the HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and total cholesterol) the next day.

If this information was useful, visit our website The Low Cholesterol Recipe to find out more.

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Why You Should Be Lowering Blood Cholesterol Naturally

May 3, 2010 · Posted in cholesterol · Comment 

Lots of people want to know about ways to lower cholesterol naturally. Fortunately, there are answers available. It is important to first know there is no magic pill for reducing cholesterol levels. What is essential is that you are keeping to a diet that is particularly designed to lower cholesterol levels. To lower the level of cholesterol in your body you should also get some exercise on a regular basis.

What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a substance that is soft and waxy and can be seen in the cells of your body.

Our bodies make use of cholesterol to function efficiently. The body also makes use of cholesterol in making other valuable substances such as Vitamin D and hormones that help to properly digest food.

Understanding Normal Cholesterol Levels

Doctors use a specially graded chart to determine whether or not yours can be considered normal cholesterol level or whether your cholesterol level is too high.

If you have lower than 200 mg/dL, it means your cholesterol level is under control. If the chart shows that your level is higher than 200 mg/dL but lower than 239 mg/dL, then it is not bad but you still need to be careful. If your cholesterol level is in excess of 240 mg/dL, then you have high cholesterol.

You can find many natural means that you can use to reduce cholesterol if you find that your level of cholesterol is on the higher side. However, not all cholesterol is bad. HDL cholesterol is beneficial to you. LDL cholesterol is the one that is considered harmful.

Ways of Lowering LDL Cholesterol

Low density lipoprotein, also called LDL, is the cholesterol that is considered bad for health. It carries cholesterol to the body tissues that use it to function. When you regularly consume excessive amounts of cholesterol your body often struggles to utilize it all. At this time LDL releases the surplus into the blood stream. This can be problematic as the extra cholesterol that is released keeps building up in the arteries. This constant build up leads to formation of plaque.

It is important to know how to lower ldl cholesterol by making dietary changes. It is best to avoid eating high cholesterol foods. You can easily find foods that help to lower cholesterol levels. Whole grains and oatmeal are some of the best.

How to lower Cholesterol Naturally

If you have been told that you have high cholesterol, but do not wish to take any kind of cholesterol medication, there are many alternative ways that you could use to reduce your levels of cholesterol naturally. One of the most valuable thing you can do is to eat plenty of foods that will reduce cholesterol levels and avoid those foods that are confirmed to be loaded with cholesterol. Some amount of exercise is a good option but it is best if used in conjunction with a diet that excludes high cholesterol foods.

Reducing your cholesterol by natural means will not happen overnight. But if you are determined, it is just a matter of time that you will see those cholesterol readings falling.

Lowering cholesterol naturally is not as effective for all. Many individuals would be advised to take medication. It is good to know though that you can reduce your cholesterol with medication and combine it with natural lowering methods as well. It is best to get your doctor’s advice before you embark upon any program for lowering your cholesterol using natural methods or with the prescribed medication

Lowering cholesterol naturally does take time but it can be achieved. You can find many different foods that can help you to keep normal cholesterol numbers. However, several individuals will have need of medication as well as natural cholesterol reducing measures.

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