Introduction to High Cholesterol
When you talk about cholesterol you often talk about the "bad" kind, or the kind you want to get rid of. However, there are both good and bad kinds of cholesterol, and knowing what each type is and the facts about each will help you to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke that so often come about with the addition of too much bad cholesterol.
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance that can be found in your bloodstream among the fats in your body, and in your body's cells. Actually cholesterol is a very important part of your body because it is used to form cell membranes, hormones, and can be used to help other functions in your body. However, having too much cholesterol in your blood can put you at risk for coronary heart disease which can lead to a heart attack later on in life. This happens because cholesterol cannot dissolve in your blood naturally. They have to be transported to and from the cells by carriers called lipoproteins. There are actually many types of lipoproteins but the most important two that you often hear about are called LDL or low-density lipoprotein, and HDL or high-density lipoprotein.
LDL is the major carrier of cholesterol. This is what is considered to be the "bad" cholesterol because if there is too much LDL in your body circulating around, it will build up in the walls of the arteries, forming a plaque like substance. This thick, hard substance is what clogs your arteries which can lead to heart disease or stroke because it slows the blood flow to your heart or brain. It is extremely important to have low levels of your LDL cholesterol. Anything over 160/mg is considered to be dangerous and can lead to heart disease. Most doctors recommend having LDL levels of less than 100, or if you have heart disease already, they recommend that it be lower than 70 in some cases.
HDL cholesterol makes up about one-third to one-fourth of your total cholesterol. This is the "good" cholesterol that actually carries the bad cholesterol away from the arteries and back to your liver which is important because it is your liver that helps to pass the cholesterol from your body. It also helps to remove the build up of bad cholesterol from the arteries and actually slows the growth of the plaque made up from LDL cholesterol. Having high levels of HDL has been show to help prevent you from heart disease and heart attacks. That is why if you have extremely low levels of HDL such as below 50 in women, or below 40 in men it means that you are not getting enough of the good cholesterol which indicates that you are at a greater risk for heart disease and stroke.
You get both good and bad cholesterol from not only your body, but your food. Food from animals are the major contributor of cholesterol, so if you eat a lot of eggs, meat, poultry, milk, and dairy you are taking in a high amount of cholesterol. The body naturally makes all the cholesterol it needs, so it is better to avoid foods that have cholesterol and stick with foods that do not contain cholesterol such as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds.