Advice on managing your cholesterol levels

• Home
• Product Review #1
• Product Review # 2
• Review Product # 3
• Product Review # 4

Understanding Your Cholesterol Numbers

March 6th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Today, one of the most useful tests an adult can take is the cholesterol test. The results of this test can indicate a possible problem when taken in conjunction with other risk factors. The usual cholesterol test is the lipoprotein profile. Cholesterol is made in your body by your liver.

It is a fatty substance that combines with protein and travels in bile into the intestine where it is absorbed and enters the bloodstream to help build and maintain cells, make hormones and strengthens nerves. At least that’s what good cholesterol does. Bad cholesterol builds plaque in the arteries constricting blood flow and causes heart disease and heart attacks.

The Numbers

The results of the test show cholesterol numbers for low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density protein (HDL) and triglycerides as well as the total of all cholesterol. LDL is bad cholesterol. The density is the ratio of fatty cholesterol to protein.

Low density means that the ratio of protein is low and the cholesterol is high in fat. HDL, of course is the good cholesterol with high protein ratios. Triglycerides are fats traveling in the blood. Extra calories, alcohol and sugar convert to triglycerides and are stored in fat cells. Only the HDL is good for you.

The best LDL numbers are below 100 but 100 to 129 is good. Borderline high is 130 to 159. High LDL is 160-189 and over 190 are very high. If you have risk factors like existing heart or blood vessel disease, doctors believe that your LDL cholesterol numbers should be below 70. Less dangerous risk factors like diabetes allow LDL cholesterol numbers up to almost 100.

HDL cholesterol actually helps keep bad cholesterol down and cleans out artery clogs, so the higher, the better. If HDL cholesterol numbers are below 40 for men or 50 for women, it is considered too low and constitutes a risk factor. Your best HDL cholesterol numbers are above 60.

High triglyceride levels are a predictor for possible coronary artery disease. Normal levels are less than 150; borderline high is 150 to 199. They are high at 200 to 4999 and very high if 500 or over. Total cholesterol numbers should be below 200. If you have total cholesterol numbers from 200 to 239 you are border line high and at 240 or above you are at an extremely high risk. Together with your doctor, you can discuss how your cholesterol numbers fit with your personal risk factors and the results of other tests from a physical examination.

Taking The Right Cholesterol Medication

January 3rd, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

If you have determined that you have high cholesterol through a doctor and a series of tests, you may want cholesterol medication to help lower your cholesterol levels back to a normal and healthier level. Your physician, along with suggesting a cholesterol medication, should also suggest that you make some lifestyle choices that will alter the way you live your life and the food you eat to help tailor it to a better and healthier environment for your cholesterol levels. With the right medication and the right lifestyle changes, you should be able to get back to a reasonable level of health.

The thing to know about cholesterol medication is that it can be quite expensive. It can also feature a host of side effects that may be problematic, so always consult a doctor before you take any sort of medication. Do not continue taking medication if a side effect occurs that you are concerned about and always consult with your doctor should this occur and should you have to discontinue your medication for any reason. It is important to also follow all of the instructions on the medication itself so that you can prevent any problems that may arise from improperly taking your medication.

Finding The Right Type

One of the first types of drugs your doctor may look at in terms of a cholesterol medication for your situation could be the statin drugs. These drugs are known to effectively reduce the cholesterol levels in the people that take them, but they are also known to have an extensive list of side effects. Many doctors also prescribe an enzyme supplement if you are taking statin drugs because the body will need more of a certain type of enzyme with the results of the statin drug. The enzyme Co-Q should be replaced with an enzyme to protect yourself from any heart problems associated with the depletion of Co-Q from taking statin drugs.

Another type of drug the doctor may discuss with you as a cholesterol medication is a bile acid sequestrate. This helps to control the bile acids that are secreted in the liver and in the gall bladder. The sequestrate heads into the intestine and softens any fatty material in food, thus helping it become absorbed in a better way through the system. The majority of the bile acids are then absorbed through the liver again through the intestines where it is processed as normal bile.

The Cholesterol Information That You Need to Know

January 1st, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

You are probably bombarded with facts about cholesterol, medications, lifestyles, and foods on a daily basis. Usually, these facts are associated with things you can buy – in other words, commercials. What cholesterol information do you need to know in order to avoid heart disease and live a healthy life? Where can you find this kind of cholesterol information?

What About You?

The necessary cholesterol information can be divided into two areas: information about you and information about everything else. Your doctor will ask you about your important cholesterol information. Know your numbers. Get a cholesterol test and find out how much good and bad cholesterol you have. Your doctor will tell you whether your numbers are too high. Do you smoke? Like so many other medical problems, high cholesterol is made worse by smoking. Maybe the most important question is “Why are you still smoking?”

Your medical history is very important cholesterol information. If your blood pressure is high, you may already be feeling the effects of high cholesterol. Some medical conditions, like diabetes, can increase cholesterol. Your family medical history is just as important.

While you may not know the cholesterol numbers of your ancestors, their medical conditions can give your doctor a good idea of potential problems and whether they can be avoided by lifestyle changes or will require medication. Information about your lifestyle is also important. If your diet is good, your weight is under control and you exercise regularly, you may be doing everything you can.

Everything Else

To control cholesterol, you need to know how it gets inside of you. You may be surprised to know that you make it yourself. Your body needs some cholesterol to function, so your liver manufactures it. You don’t need to add any to your diet. Good cholesterol information includes where to find cholesterol in your food. Since cholesterol comes from your liver, a good rule of thumb is if your food had a liver at some point in time, it contains cholesterol.

That goes for dairy products, too. Cholesterol is found in the fat part of the food. Whole milk contains more cholesterol than non-fat milk. In eggs, the cholesterol is in the yolks. If your food has a nutrition label, look at the listing for saturated fat. The best amount is zero grams. You can take that cholesterol information to the bank. Besides meat and dairy products, palm and cocoanut oils contain saturated fats. Here’s some good cholesterol information: polyunsaturated fats are not bad for you unless they are hydrogenated. This is done to keep them stable in manufactured foods.

Now you know what you should know. Get the cholesterol information you need to stay healthy.

Copyright © 2008 Advice on managing your cholesterol levels