What Are Normal Cholesterol Levels and How Do You Achieve Them Naturally?

Normal cholesterol levels are amounts of LDL and HDL in the bloodstream, and more importantly, the ratio of one to the other. Although your diet does play a role, about 75-80% of the cholesterol in your body is manufactured by your liver. Fortunately, there are natural ways to keep a healthy balance.

It's important to mention that not all cholesterol is bad. In fact, your body needs this waxy substance to produce hormones, nerve sheathes and cell walls. That said, there is the bad kind, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and the good kind, called high-density lipoprotein (HDL). When it comes to the ideal cholesterol reading, medical professionals are usually referring to the ratio of HDL to LDL, the good to the bad. As long as there is enough good to offset the bad, you're in good shape.

Good vs. Bad Cholesterol (HDL and LDL)

HDL can actually travel around the bloodstream and pick up excess LDL, bringing it back to the liver to be reprocessed. So in a sense, HDL acts as a housekeeper, cleaning out the bad cholesterol before it can attach to the artery walls and cause future cardiovascular problems.

As far as normal cholesterol levels, anything up to 199mg/dL is considered normal for your total cholesterol. If it falls within the range of 180-220 it is ideal. For LDL, anything up to 129 mg/dL is normal, and under 100 is ideal. For HDL, above 35 mg/dL is normal, and over 50 is ideal.

You should get a blood check regularly to ensure that your cholesterol numbers are where they should be, especially as you get older. High cholesterol, along with inflammation, triglycerides and other factors, can contribute to heart disease and could possibly lead to strokes and heart attacks. As such, all of these risk factors should be assessed.

Fortunately, there are ways to to achieve the wellness.xtend-life.com/healthconditions/Cholesterol_Imbalance.aspx ideal cholesterol reading, and decrease your risk of a cardiovascular event. In addition to watching what you eat, limiting trans fats, hydrogenated oils, unsaturated fat, sweets and fried foods, you can also incorporate omega 3 fatty acids, extra virgin olive oil and garlic. All of these can decrease your LDL cholesterol numbers as well as increase your HDL.

You Can Achieve Ideal Cholesterol Levels

There are also natural supplements which have been proven to help you achieve normal cholesterol levels, such as policosanol, beta sitosterol, green tea extract, rice bran oil and others. Many of these nutrients can be found in natural cholesterol supplements that can lower LDL and raise HDL without the potential side effects of statin medications.

You have options when it comes to making sure your cholesterol numbers are where they should be. If you haven't done so recently, have a blood test and talk to your doctor about how you can reduce your risk of heart disease.

Stan Rogers is an alternative health researcher and an expert in natural healing. He is a contributor to many health sites, including the Cholesterol Imbalance section of wellness.xtend-life.com Xtend Life Wellness.