Surviving John

We hear a lot of publicity about a number of different kinds of cholesterol: good, bad, HDL, LDL, VLDL, triglycerides, lipids and more. If you’re not a doctor, it’s tough to keep it all straight.

The goal of this article is to enlighten you as to what low density lipopropteins or LDL cholesterol is – the type that’s often called “bad” cholesterol – and why it’s considered dangerous to heart health.

First, it will probably help to take a quick refresher on precisely what cholesterol is and the role it plays in your body.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that travels through your body in your bloodstream. The body manufactures a certain amount of it, mostly in the liver. We get more from the our diets. Because cholesterol cannot travel through the bloodstream alone, it must attach itself to a protein. This combination is called a “lipoprotein.”

LDL is an abbreviation for “low density lipoprotein.” This is the so-called “bad” cholesterol many people talk about. One of our cardiologist acquaintances says it’s easy to remember if you think of LDL as “low down and lousy.” LDL tends to stick to the walls of your arteries, accumulating in the form of a substance known as plaque. This is the stuff that causes hardening of the arteries and leads to heart attacks or a stroke.

HDL stands for “high density lipoprotein.” HDL is good for several reasons: it does not create arterial plaque, but also because it attaches to LDL and transports it to the liver, which flushes it out of the body. The higher the level of HDL you have, the less LDL you are likely to have, and the lower your risk of heart disease will be.

LDL can be found in what are often called “bad fats,” particularly saturated fats and trans fats. These are abundant in meat from animals (especially red meat), oils like the kind used to cook french fries in fast food restaurants, prepackaged and processed foods, and baked goods like donuts and cake.

By avoiding trans fats and saturated fats, and eating healthy foods such as grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthier meats like poultry and fish, you can decrease your LDL and increase your HDL..

The simple abbreviations LDL and HDL can be confusing if you’re not used to medical terminology, and it may be difficult to remember which is good. Just try to remember that that LDL stands for low density, while HDL is high density, and in this case, low is bad and high is good. Or as our cardiologist acquaintance says, “Low has got to go…”

By keeping a healthy ratio between your HDL and your LDL, you lower your risk of cardiovascular “events” like heart attacks and stroke. Exercise is also important. Research has proven that getting your heart rate up with vigorous physical activity helps your HDL cholesterol clean the LDL out of your system.

When your physician tests your cholesterol levels, he or she may tell you your overall levels as well as HDL and LDL. Your overall level is less important than the individual levels. Ideally, your LDL level should be 100 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter) or lower, and your HDL level should be 60 mg/dL or higher. The lower your ratio of LDL over HDL, the happier your doctor (and your heart) will be.

It’s important to check your cholesterol levels often. Recent studies have shown that high cholesterol is becoming a serious health problem in younger and younger individuals. Doctors now say even teenagers and 20-somethings should have cholesterol and blood pressure checked. This is because most kids these days eat a fatty, cholesterol-rich diet and don’t get much exercise. Therefore, hypertension (high blood pressure) and high cholesterol are becoming health threats for younger people much more so than they were in the past.

Related topics: high ldl levels and good cholesterol. Neal Kennedy is a retired radio and TV reporter who often writes on subjects related to maintaining cholesterol health.

Cholesterol became a popular word in the medical field some years ago when reports proved that cholesterol level readings can reveal a lot regarding our overall physical condition and the chance for potential problems. How to stay at a safe cholesterol numbers is still something that is unfamiliar to most of us, as we try to filter our way through the mysteries of HDL, LDL, the cholesterol level amount and all the rest of the intricate information about lowering cholesterol numbers. By being taught the fundamentals of low cholesterol dieting and working out, you can take back command over your health and lessen the risk for heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular disease. Are you ready to take back command over of your cholesterol count? Then read on to find out how you can get to a healthy cholesterol count and sustain it for the rest of your life.

How Cholesterol Relates to Your Diet

If you realize your cholesterol count is above normal, the first thing you’re going to need to alter is your present diet. It’s essential to find out which sorts of foods that raise cholesterol numbers and which kinds are going to assist in reducing it. If you really want to learn ways to lower cholesterol counts, the main idea that you need to consider in respect to fat intake is in fact fairly straightforward. You will need to consume the “good” fats, cut back on the saturated fats and try to steer clear of the trans fats altogether. The “good” fats are found in foods that have monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat and consist of organic foods such as cereal, whole wheat foods, oatmeal, unbuttered popcorn, peanuts, macadamia nuts, fish, sunflower seeds, avocados, and bananas. By consuming these sorts of foods, you should lessen the possibility of disease whilst maintaining a healthy cholesterol level. The foods to cut down on or pass up altogether consist of the one’s that contain elevated concentrations of saturated fats and trans fats. Trans fats are not required in the diet and could safely be removed. A few foods that have trans fats consist of many kinds of fast foods, snack foods, baked goods and fried foods. Saturated fats are not as bad as the trans fats, however, you ought to try to lessen the intake of foods consisting of elevated concentrations of saturated fats such as cream, fatty meats, eggs, butter, palm oil, chocolate, coconut oil and lard. These sorts of foods will raise the chances of coronary disease as they elevate the “bad” LDL cholesterol and lessen the “good” HDL cholesterol count. So how do identify what kind of fat is in the food you eat? Simply scan the labels on the packaging before buying it. The ingredient list printed on the container is a requirement by the FDA to independently list the amounts of the different sorts of fats that it contains.

How Doing Exercises Can Promote Safe Cholesterol Numbers

Of course, everybody realizes that consistent work outs will assist in keeping the heart healthy and the muscles strong. Nonetheless, by exercising regularly you’ll additionally be helping to maintain a safe cholesterol count. Findings have disclosed that consistent physical activity can in fact increase the “good” cholesterol levels, and by attaining a normal weight, it can additionally lessen the “bad” cholesterol. The best manner of workout requires a mixture of different workouts which include aerobic workouts, stretching exercises and bodybuilding. Nonetheless, any increase in physical training would be advantageous, but a minimum of thirty minutes daily of moderate intensity exercise is advocated to better blood circulation, strengthen the heart and dissipate blood clots.

Sustaining a safe cholesterol count really isn’t as hard as it sounds. By keeping an eye on the foods that you eat and examining their labels, you’ll rapidly learn which foods to cut back on or remove to both lower cholesterol and put together a healthy weight loss diet plan. Also, by intensifying your physical exercise by implementing a daily thirty minute training plan, you’ll succeed in staying at a safe cholesterol count and realizing improved overall physical condition.