This article explains five important things that you need to know about high cholesterol.
1. Your High Cholesterol Can Be The Death Of You
High cholesterol is the most significant risk factor for coronary heart disease. What this means to you is that if your cholesterol level is high, it's likely that you will eventually be diagnosed with coronary heart disease, and it may even result in your death. To prevent this, find out now whether you have high cholesterol. If your cholesterol level is high, you can take steps to lower it.
2. Your Body Does Need Some Cholesterol
The body uses cholesterol for many purposes, including the creation of cells, vitamins, and hormones. All animals, including humans, have cholesterol in their bodies. Without cholesterol, your body could not function properly. However, too much cholesterol can be hazardous to your health.
3. How Much Cholesterol Do You Have? How Much Is Too Much?
If you don't know your blood cholesterol level, you need to find it out. Your doctor can order a blood test that will measure the cholesterol in your blood. Blood cholesterol is reported in mg/dL, or milligrams per deciliter. So if your cholesterol level is 800, that means you have 800 milligrams of cholesterol in every tenth of a liter of blood. It also means you are at grave risk for coronary heart disease!
Most doctors now agree that a total cholesterol level below 200 is most desirable. A level over 240 is thought to place you at very high risk for coronary heart disease. A level between 200 and 240 is considered moderately risky and you should probably try to lower it.
4. There's Cholesterol. And Then, There's Cholesterol
The total cholesterol count is made up of three different kinds of cholesterol: LDL cholesterol, also known as bad cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, or good cholesterol, and VLDL cholesterol (which isn't considered that important). Doctors recommend that you keep your LDL cholesterol level below 100 mg/dL, and HDL cholesterol level above 40 mg/dL.
5. You Can Reduce Your High Cholesterol
If your total blood cholesterol level is too high, your first priority should be to reduce it to a level below 240, or better yet, below 200. If you have done that and your LDL level is still above 100, you should try to reduce that level to below 100. Finally, you should try to increase your HDL level to above 40.
To reduce total cholesterol, doctors and nutritionists recommend eating less fat, eating more of certain foods (like oatmeal, for example) and getting more aerobic cardiovascular exercise.
For more information about high cholesterol, try visiting http://www.my-cholesterol-info.com, a popular consumer information website that provides tips, advice, and resources about high cholesterol, coronary heart disease prevention, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and low cholesterol diet.
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Five Things You Need To Know About High Cholesterol
