It is important to understand what cholesterol is and what it can do to affect your health. It is also important to know how to maintain a healthy level. First of all, you should know that cholesterol can be both good and bad. Also, cholesterol is essential for the development and maintenance of strong cell membranes, the manufacture of vitamin D and hormones. Daily, your body produces about 1000 mgs of cholesterol.
Thick, fatty build-ups are created when there is too much cholesterol in the bloodstreams which could lead to a narrowing of the arteries. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. This accumulation of fat in the arteries obstructs and it can even completely blood the blood flow to the heart or brain producing a heart attack or stroke.
Cholesterol - the good and the bad
Two kinds of cholesterol are known to exist in the human body (but not only). There is the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (also known as LDL cholesterol or "bad") which can increase the risk of heart attacks, and there is the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (also known as HDL cholesterol or "good") this being the one that actually reduces the risk of heart disease
High cholesterol - how high is it actually?
Few adults realize that elevated cholesterol levels are a direct cause of coronary heart disease. About 7 out of 10 adults in the UK have unhealthy levels of cholesterol while in America about 20 percent have high cholesterol levels. Usually shortened to "mmol/litre" or "mmol/l" - cholesterol is generally measured in units called millimoles per litre of blood. A simple blood test is all it takes to measure your cholesterol levels. Either taken by using a finger pick or a needle and a syringe, a blood sample is all it is needed. This may be done at a hospital appointment, at a GP's surgery or as a part of a health assessment examination.
Who should test themselves?
People with a family history of familial hypercholesterolemia should take the test
Anyone over the age of 35 with a family history of early heart disease or that suffer from other risk factors such as diabetes, smoking or high blood pressure
Anyone that has a risk of cardiovascular disease such as peripheral vascular disease, coronary heart disease or stroke.
Knowing your fats
Knowing which fats raise your LDL cholesterol levels and which do not is the first step when it comes to preventing heart attacks. Blood cholesterol is generally raised by saturated fats and dietary cholesterol. When included as part of a low saturated fat diet, unsaturated fats (both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) do not raise those levels, in fact they even help to lower the LDL levels.
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