Health and Fitness Magazine
5/8/07
  It is Best to Keep the Level of Cholesterol in Blood Under Control
Author: Groshan Fabiola

People who have passed the age of 40 are recommended by doctors to perform regularly blood tests in order to see if they are healthy or if they need to do any adjustments in their lifestyle.

The cholesterol is an important factor which needs to be measured from time to time because it exposes people to risks of stroke and heart attacks.

When checking the blood tests results the doctor knows that the ideal level of cholesterol in under 200mg/dL. If it is until 239 it is considered to be a little bit high and at the borderline of risk and if it is over 240 the patient is at high risk of having a heart attack.

Those who have the level of cholesterol under 200mg/dL are at a safe place but still should take care what food they eat and should live an active life. If they have a family history of high level of cholesterol and other risk factors they should request a check-up every five years.

Studies have showed that at least one third of American adults have the level of cholesterol somewhere at the borderline of risk. Most of these cases are due to the improper diet they follow and due to the fact that they life an inactive life. They should have their cholesterol checked every two years and this only if they do not have other family history of heart diseases and are not exposed to one too. A diet is necessary and this means not eating fatty foods, and eating a lot of vegetables and fruits which contain a lot of fiber. Also, they should check the level of their LDL and ask their doctor information about this. The LDL is considered to be the bad cholesterol for your heart and the HDL is the good cholesterol. The active persons and women before menopause seem to have a lot more HDL in the body than LDL and you should check this out with your doctor too.

In those who have the total level of cholesterol over 240mg/dL the risk of a heart attack or stroke is quite high and immediate measures of precaution are needed. This category of people also requires more tests to see what is going wrong with their organism.

The low density lipoproteins contain a lot of fat and less proteins. By this form is transported most of the cholesterol in the body and deposited in the arteries. This means that the low density lipoproteins are bad for the organism as they increase they risk of cardiovascular diseases. The LDL level should be less than 100mg/dL. From 130 to 159mg/dL it is at borderline risk and beyond 160mg/dL the patient is exposed to a high risk of cardiovascular accidents.

The doctor will analyze the blood tests results and will decide whether you need a drug treatment or not in order to lower the level of cholesterol.

Those who have the LDL level at 190 mg/dl or even higher but do not have associated any heart diseases and less than two risk factors will follow drug therapy; those who have 160 mg/dl and have more than two risk factors present are to follow a treatment too and those who have 130 mg/dl and have a heart disease will do that too.

In those who have the level of LDL higher than 190mg/dl especially men under 35 and premenopausal, treatment is best to be delayed but only if they do not have diabetes or other serious diseases that increase the risk of heart affections.

The HDL is considered to be the good cholesterol and in men the levels are between 40 and 50 mg/dl and in women between 50 and 60 mg/dl. It is best to keep the HDL at a high level in order to be protected against heart affections. Smoking and obesity will only lower this level and cause you problems.

Some doctors consider only the HDL level when checking out the results of blood tests. Other doctors report this level to the total cholesterol level.

They are considered to be energy reservoirs as they are stocked into fat cells as soon as they get into the body. The ideal level of triglycerides is les than 150 mg/dl. If the level of triglycerides in the blood is increased along with the level of LDL then problems might appear concerning the heart especially in the patients who also have diabetes.

For greater resources on cholesterol please review http://www.cholesterol-info-guide.com/cholesterol-levels.htm or http://www.cholesterol-info-guide.com/low-cholesterol-recipe.htm

 
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