Learning the basic cholesterol guidelines is the first step in reducing your risk for heart attack or stroke. And if you don't know anything about cholesterol guidelines or blood lipid readings you are not alone. In fact once you get past the term cholesterol, most haven't had cause to delve deeper into the world of cholesterol and cholesterol health.
Cholesterol itself is a Jeckel and Hide type of character. On one hand it is essential for hormone production and cell health and on the other hand it can cause life threatening conditions such as heart attack and stroke. In fact, the higher your blood cholesterol level, the greater your chance of developing heart disease or having a heart attack. It is also important to point out that as we age our cholesterol reading tend to become less predictable, often times seeing overall cholesterol rise while good cholesterol (HDL) decreases. This could partly explain why the majority of the one million heart attacks last year, and the half million fatalities, were people over the age of 50.
The unpredictability of cholesterol makes testing a necessary part of management. Knowing the basic cholesterol guidelines is also an important part of understanding whether you are at risk or not. According to American Heart Association everyone over the age of 20 should have a detailed blood test called a lipoprotein profile performed at least once every five years. If your test results showed cholesterol levels on the rise your doctor will likely suggest a number of diet and lifestyle adjustments with another lipid profile being scheduled in four to six months. It lifestyle an diet modification fail to show the expected results your doctor may suggest a cholesterol lowering medication to bring cholesterol readings into a healthy range. While effective, keep in mind that prescription medications come with a long list of side effects with the most common being nagging muscle aches, pains, and cramping.
Basic cholesterol guidelines
*Overall total cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/dl is optimal, 200 - 239 if borderline high, and anything over 240 is considered high and requires some type of immediate action.
*Good cholesterol (HDL): Good cholesterol consists of high density lipoprotein particles which are high in protein and low in fat. They take cholesterol out of the body and help clear existing arterial plaque. Many consider this to be the most important of all the cholesterol scores. A reading over 60 is considered optimal, 50 - 60 good, 40 - 50 borderline, and anything under 40 will require some type of immediate action.
*Bad cholesterol (LDL): Bad cholesterol is primary a fatty molecule that carries cholesterol into your arteries and roughs up the artery walls. This combination provides the backdrop for dangerous arterial plaque deposits. It only makes good health sense to reduce and maintain this part of your cholesterol scores into a heart healthy range. Less than 100 is considered very good, 100 - 129 is above average, 130 - 159 is borderline high, 160 - 189 is high, and anything over 190 is considered dangerous and will require immediate action.
*Triglycerides: Triglycerides are early stage fat molecules and are considered to be a serious threat. A reading of under 150 is considered good, 150 - 199 borderline high, and anything over 200 is considered dangerous and my require immediate action.
In summary, your cholesterol guidelines are your roadmap to heart and artery health. Additionally, many have found they need a little extra boost to achieve their goals but are leery of the latest batch of prescription medications. For these individuals lowered-cholesterol.com natural cholesterol reducing supplements are a safe and effective natural option worth considering.
Rob D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of safe and effective high quality alternative health products and natural living, with over 10 years experience in the field. Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at purchaseremedies.com Purchase Remedies.com.
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