LDL Cholesterol

You keep hearing terms like "HDL Cholesterol Levels" and "LDL Cholesterol Levels" tossed about, on television, by your parents or grandparents, at the doctor's office. Everyone else seems to know what they mean, but you're still confused. You remember that HDL is good, but what is LDL? Is LDL cholesterol good or bad? Should you worry about it? How do you control it? How do you test for it?

Basically, cholesterol in the blood works a lot like plaque on the teeth. Just like plaque, cholesterol is a wax-like substance that won't dissolve on it's own - your blood stream has to move it out of the way during circulation. Also like plaque, cholesterol can build up and get hard inside your arteries if you have too much of the bad kind, causing all kinds of cardiovascular problems for you. Cholesterol build up in the arteries is even called plaque, just like the stuff on your teeth!

If you have enough of the HDL cholesterol in your system, your arteries should be fine. The arterial plaque behind cardiovascular problems like artheroschlerosis is caused by the LDL cholesterol, or bad cholesterol. LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein. Just like it sounds, low density mean it is heavy and hard for your body to move around, so it tends to stick in one place when there is too much of it. This is dangerous, as it can lead to arterial clots, called thrombus, and block blood flow to the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke.

All cholesterol is eventually removed from your body through the liver. Good liver function is a key factor in lowering your risk of heart disease from high cholesterol. It's one reason why doctors warn your about drinking to excess or taking too much medicine like Tylenol - the main ingredient in Tylenol can lower our liver function and make it harder for your body to fight heart disease if you take too much of it or take it for too long continuously.

Controlling your cholesterol is important for anyone, regardless of risk factor. Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetable and grains will help you drastically reduce high cholesterol and promote continued good cholesterol if you are not at risk. Making sure your meat is lean, and concentrating on poultry and fish, is also a way to keep the cholesterol intake low every day. Toss in some regular exercise, even something as simple as parking farther away at the mall or wearing a pedometer to make sure you get 10,000 steps throughout your day can help. If you can make time for a few 30 minute cardio sessions a week, like walking or aerobics, that will do wonders for lowering those bad number and increasing the good numbers so you can live a long and healthy life.

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