About 17 million people have died around the world because of cardiovascular diseases. Cholesterol is now being equated as strips of fat or oily substances and it has earned a very nasty public image because of how television presents it to the masses. But cholesterol is very important in the body because without it, we may not even be alive.
In a nutshell, cholesterol are fraternal twins, different and unique, each with their own agenda inside the body. The first half is LDL or low density lipoprotein, best known as bad cholesterol. It is not really that bad because this protein helps in the distribution of cholesterol in the body which needs to help produce hormones and new cells. It gets nasty when this guy creates one big happy family of LDLs as this could mean increased carrying capacity of cholesterol in the body. In order to counter that, the better half of the twin set-up cleans up after his brother. High density lipoproteins basically sweep the body from excess cholesterol and bring it to the liver for excretion. With the help of a Cholesterol Levels Chart, you can assess how much of the two you have in your body by undergoing a simple blood test.
Normal cholesterol levels should be less than 200mg/dl. But as the number increases, the risk in developing heart disease and stroke also increases. In the LDL cholesterol levels chart, a normal reading should be less than 130mg/dl and any higher would put you at risk for heart disease and stroke. However, a reading of 60mg/dl and up means good news in the HDL cholesterol levels chart as this is a good indicator on how effectively your bodies get rid of excess cholesterol. These charts are a valuable tool in determining your health status and can be used as a guide for treatment if necessary and also preventive measures.
As mentioned before, LDL is bad cholesterol if you have high levels of the stuff. So obviously, lowering it would be a great first step. Basically, you don't want too much LDL in your body and in order to achieve that you have to practice moderation in your diet. Meats especially pork and beef should be taken in exceed with what is recommended by the food pyramid. Butter should also be taken in small amounts although margarine is not much of a good substitute because it's riddled with chemicals. Simply put, limiting fat intake is very important in having normal LDL levels.
On the flip side, having high levels of HDL in the body is beneficial to health. Diet also plays a role in increasing the levels of this so called "good cholesterol". Consuming foods rich in niacin can help increase the amount of HDL in the blood like eggs and dairy products. Also, consume plenty of fat, more specifically healthy ones like omega-3 usually found in peanuts and fish and monounsaturated fats commonly found in olive oil, canola oil and also avocadoes.
Together with exercise, avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol consumption, you can have the prefect balance of HDL and LDL in your bloodstream and you can have a healthy life without you worrying about your ticker suddenly losing its clicks and ticks.
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