High Cholesterol
High cholesterol is the best
known of all the many threats to a healthy heart. When excess
amounts of this waxy, fat-like substance build up along the
walls of the arteries, you face a dramatically higher risk of
a complete blockage, leading to a heart attack or
stroke.
At normal levels, cholesterol
is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it's an essential raw
material used by the body to build cell walls and produce
hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. The body produces
its own supply of cholesterol in the liver, and it's found
naturally in all animal products (such as meats, eggs, milk,
and cheese). It poses a problem only when the body is unable
to use or eliminate excessive supplies.
As one of a variety of fatty
substances in the body, cholesterol is classified as a
lipid. It is carried through the bloodstream attached
to proteins, forming complexes called
lipoproteins. There are two major types of
lipoproteins: the low-density lipoproteins (LDL)
commonly known as "bad" cholesterol, and the high-density
lipoproteins (HDL) usually dubbed "good" cholesterol. It's
the "bad" LDL cholesterol that tends to form deposits on the
artery walls. HDLs, on the other hand, help to clear excess
cholesterol from the bloodstream. The ideal situation to aim
for, then, is a low level of LDL cholesterol, a high level of
HDL cholesterol, and a moderate total of both.
Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter of
blood. According to the National Cholesterol Education
Program, a desirable target profile consists of:
- A total blood cholesterol level of less than 200
- An LDL level of:
-
- less than 100 if you have heart disease
- less than 130 if you're at risk of heart
disease
- less than 160 if your risk of heart disease is
low
- An HDL level greater than 40
You are generally considered at risk of heart disease if
two or more of the following factors apply to you:
- Cigarette smoking
- High blood pressure
- Low HDL cholesterol (below 40)
- A family history of early heart disease (before 55 in a
man, or 65 in a woman)
- Your own age (over 45 if you're man, over 55 if you're
a woman)
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