What Cholesterol Really Is
Thursday, August 27th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
Even though there are many health experts voicing their concerns on high cholesterol, many of them do not mention that the human body needs cholesterol for the production of hormones and bile in the cell walls. The amount of cholesterol needed for this function however is not much and it is indeed the excess amounts of cholesterol, the body does not use that cause dangerous problems for the cardiovascular system.
Too Much of a Good Thing
High cholesterol becomes a problem when our bodies are unable to get rid of the excess cholesterol from our body. These excesses of cholesterol stays in our bloodstream and begin to form plaque in our arteries, clogging it and hindering blood flow.
Hindering the blood flow cause our heart to work harder to keep blood flowing through the body. The additional strain on the heart is what causes the risk of a heart attack.
This is the reason why keeping an eye on cholesterol levels is so important. If you find you are diagnosed with high cholesterol, you and your doctor can work together to lower it to a healthy level, by using a combination of diet, exercise and medication. The heart will then return to normal function. It is important to check your cholesterol levels on a regular basis in order to act on a high cholesterol diagnosis as soon as possible.
What Types Are There
The two types of cholesterol in our bodies are LDL and HDL cholesterol. HDL or high density lipoproteins helps to remove cholesterol from our bodies and LDL or low density lipoproteins delivers cholesterol to the body.
Needless to say that a higher HDL will therefore mean lower cholesterol and a healthier cardiovascular system. Experts figure the two numbers together to work out what an overall healthy cholesterol reading is.
Understanding what cholesterol is and how it can both benefit and negatively influence the cardiovascular system is an important step towards heart health. Regular monitoring of your cholesterol levels is an important step towards making the necessary changes for a healthier heart.
Discuss good cholesterol levels or ways to maintain or achieve them with your doctor.
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