Knowing your cholesterol numbers is an important part of achieving good long term health. After all, if you don't know what your cholesterol numbers are how could you possibly assess the potential dangers and make the appropriate changes to reduce the risks.
The heart
If your cholesterol is consistently high the likely result will be an accumulation of cholesterol along the inner lining of the arteries (the lumen) which supply blood to the heart. This causes the heart muscle to become starved for oxygen, while having to work all that much harder to supply the body with an adequate amount of blood, nutrients, and oxygen.
Can the heart wear out?
Our hearts work so efficiently we rarely consider the possibility that this muscle could simply wear out over time and fail. When the left side of the heart fails, fluid builds up in the lungs causing shortness of breath and a wheezing or frothy cough. When the right side of the heart starts to fail fluid buildup (edema) starts to occur in the feet, ankles, legs, liver, and belly.
It is also important to point out that the average healthy heart beating at approximately 100,000 beats per day loses about half its pumping power by the age of 80. If your cholesterol is consistently high resulting in arterial plaque deposits the hearts decline can be much more rapid, potentially taking years off of a person life expectancy.
Cholesterol levels that are considered to be dangerously high
Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dl). The question most people want to know is at what point do the number mg/dl of cholesterol become so high that it becomes a serious health concern.
Much will depend on a person's cholesterol risk profile which includes such factors as age, diet, family history, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and inactivity. If you have one or more of these risk factors your cholesterol level will need to be substantially lower than someone who has zero risk factors. With that in mind let's look at some numbers from the American Heart Association as to how high is actually too high/too low (HDL) for those with one or zero risk factors.
Your total cholesterol is dangerously high if your total cholesterol is over 239 mg/dl of blood; good cholesterol (HDL) under 40 for men, and under 50 for women is considered to be dangerously low; for bad cholesterol any number over 150 is considered to be high with around 100 considered to be very good; and finally triglycerides, with anything over 199 putting a person's cardiovascular health at risk.
What can be done to reduce cholesterol levels and keep my heart from wearing out long before its time?
Your doctor will be happy to work with you to create an action plan for your cholesterol and long term heart health. That said, there is a good chance that a few simple lifestyle changes will be suggested such as staying active, steering clear of cigarette smoke, effectively managing weight, and eating a low saturated fat/happinesslifetime.com low cholesterol diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Additionally, he/she may feel that medication is needed. If this is the case it is likely one of the popular statin medications such as Lipitor will be prescribed or perhaps an OTC purchaseremedies.com/Cholesterol.html natural cholesterol reduction supplement containing specific ingredients such as policosanol, red yeast rice, or lecithin oil.
Rob D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of safe and effective high quality alternative health products, and natural living, for well over 10 years and counting. To learn more about natural remedies and natural health visit purchaseremedies.com Purchase Remedies.com
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