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Time to reduce your cholesterol?
October 31, 2009
High cholesterol level is one of the risk factors for atherosclerosis along with smoking, overweight and having high blood pressure. High cholesterol isn’t the same for everyone.
High cholesterol is defined as a total cholesterol level higher than 5.2 mmol/L which is 200 mg/dL in American units. As you can see, even the doctors can’t agree on how to express the numbers.
There are two types of cholesterol in your blood - so-called good and bad. High cholesterol is sometimes known as a silent disease because there are often no visible symptoms - until something serious happens.
If left untreated high colestrol can lead to serious complications, sometimes even death. That makes it very important to have your cholesterol checked - properly - by your doctor. It won’t go away on its own. Before you think about taking medication you may want to consider lifestyle changes - they can be easy to make and can have dramatic results and you can also avoid the so-called statin side effects
LDL is called the bad cholesterol and it has a higher fat-to-protein ratio than HDL - which is usually called the good cholesterol. Cholesterol from LDL is the main source of buildup and blockage in your arteries. So the more LDL cholesterol your blood contains the greater your risk of heart disease.
Lowering your cholesterol levels can slow, stop, or even reverse the buildup of plaque. It can also reduce your risk of a heart attack. For starters, learn all you can about high cholesterol foods.
As with anything medical, you should consult your physician for his advice before you consider making any changes, or taking any medications. General texts like this are not intended as a substitute for competent, professional medical advice.