Cholesterol Limits - How High is "Too High?"

Discovering your proper cholesterol limits seems to be getting harder. Every health professional you talk to seems to have a different opinion, and don't even talk about all of the various studies that have been done, each reaching it's own conclusion (or, should we say confusion).

But, knowing your proper cholesterol limits is important. For some of us, our life may depend on it. And, here's why...

First, understand that, while controlling your cholesterol level is vital, just as vital is the ratio of LDL (bad cholesterol) to HDL (good cholesterol). Both have a particular job to do in your body.

Every cell in your body uses cholesterol as a part of it's natural function. Each cell uses the cholesterol much as a bricklayer uses mortar, holding the cells together like bricks. The cholesterol is made in your liver and, in healthy people, no other source of the substance is needed.

Cholesterol is delivered from your liver to individual cells by low density lipoproteins (LDL). As it travels through your bloodstream, the LDL supplies the cholesterol to individual cells. If the LDL encounters a cell that already has enough cholesterol, the cell sends a "N0, Thanks!" signal and the LDL moves on.

Now, the bad part. If, at the end of it's trip, the LDL has cholesterol left over, it deposits the excess on the walls of your arteries before returning to your liver to load up again. Over time, these deposits can build up and "choke off" the blood flow through your artery and cause serious medical emergencies (heart attacks, for instance).

Fortunately, your body also contains high density lipoproteins (HDL). These proteins travel through your bloodstream and collect the cholesterol that the LDL has deposited, returning it to your liver where it is transformed into bile and sent to your intestines.

Cholesterol limits are important because, as you can see, if the quantity of LDL gets so high that the HDL cannot collect all of the cholesterol deposits left behind, well...

When it comes to exceeding proper cholesterol limits, we are usually our own worst enemy. Since your liver will produce all of the cholesterol your body needs, any extra will serve to widen the gap between LDL and HDL levels. Unfortunately, many of the foods we love (meat products, dairy, shell fish, etc.) contain varying amounts of LDL cholesterol that adds to the ratio problem (HDL cannot be absorbed from food).

But, this discussion is about cholesterol limits, not cholesterol diet, so, we'll leave that for another day. I do hope we have shed some light on cholesterol and shown you why it's important to pay attention.

If high cholesterol is a true concern for you, I have published 2 articles on the RemedyScribe.com website that take a detailed look at both remedyscribe.com/controlling-cholesterol controlling cholesterol and the dangers of remedyscribe.com/high-cholesterol-foods high cholesterol foods. Perhaps the information there will shed more light on the health problems that high cholesterol can cause. Click the links to check them out.