Understanding Your
Cholesterol Level
You're told by your physician
you need to lower your cholesterol in order to live a healthier life. The blood tests you
had done show the total cholesterol levels to be over 200. But what does that really mean
and how do you get started towards reducing your cholesterol? To begin, cholesterol is a
naturally occurring substance that is made by your body and cholesterol is derived
from the food you eat.
| Most
laboratory results tell you where your blood compares within a predetermined
desirable range. These lab tests look at five separate components: |
| Cholesterol |
This is the total
cholesterol. Levels over 200 are considered elevated. A good level for cholesterol
is 175 mg/dL or less. |
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| Triglycerides |
This represents the blood
fats. They will be elevated after a fatty meal and require a fasting test to be
accurate. The desired range is 30-175 mg/dl |
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| HDL |
This is good cholesterol.
The higher the number, the better. Adult female mean is 55 mg/dl |
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| LDL |
This is the low density
lipoprotein cholesterol. The higher the number, the more risk of hardening of the
arteries. Below 130 mg/dL's desirable for adults. |
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| Chol/HDL Ratio |
Levels less than 4.5
indicates less risk of coronary heart disease. |
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The HDL and LDL levels together with the triglyceride level make up your
"lipid profile.
Bottom line: Elevated
cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease. Lipoproteins are the vehicles for
moving cholesterol and fat throughout the body. The LDL travels "outbound" from the liver
and can deposit on the inside of vessel walls. The HDL takes cholesterol "inbound" back to
the liver for excretion and can help remove plaque from arterial walls. A good way to
remember which numbers are desirable for HDL and LDL, is to think High HDL's and Low LDL's.
Most people don't like sudden, radical changes in diet, and do better if they develop good
dietary habits over a time span. You can simplify this whole complicated business by
cutting down on the largest sources of the saturated fats in your diet.
Fortunately, there are easy approaches to
changing intake of these major foods.
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With eggs, you just have to cut down the
number per week; two eggs a week is a good ration. |
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For butter, use soft or liquid margarine
instead. Some evidence suggests that solid margarine's are not much different from
butter. |
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For milk, just use low-fat or nonfat
milk. The calcium and other nutrients in milk are very good for you. |
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For animal fats, don't eat these foods
often. A good rule for many people is to avoid having red meat two days in a row. This
is easy, and it gets variety into your diet. Remember, it is really the white fat in
the red meat that is the problem. Pork, bacon, hot dogs, and sausage are not "red" but
usually have a great deal of animal fat. When you do have meat, choose a less tender
cut, trim the fat extensively before cooking, broil so that the fat burns or runs off
during cooking, and cook the meat a little more well done. |
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If at all possible, don't fry food; this
usually adds saturated fat. If you do fry, avoid saturated fats, palm oil, and coconut
oil. Monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, peanut oil, and canola oil may actually
be good for you. |
Elevated cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease. Now you can monitor your
cholesterol levels in the privacy and convenience of your home. Medical technology now
offers several easy-to-use devices that allow you to store test results and
calculate average readings. Blood tests require only one drop of blood from an easy finger
stick.
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