cholesterol levels



What Your Cholesterol Levels Mean

Your cholesterol is not something to be ignored. In fact, keeping your cholesterol levels low is very important to your health.  In order to take charge of your own health, you will need to understand what a healthy cholesterol level is and how to lower cholesterol levels.

First of all, you will need to have your cholesterol checked with a simple blood test. You will be given several numbers.  Your physician can go into detail about what these numbers mean.  Basically, what you will be looking at are your cholesterol levels.

You will be given a total cholesterol level, which is sort of an overlook of everything to do with your cholesterol.  This level needs to be less than 200 mg.  Anything in the range of 200-239 mg is considered borderline.  If you have other signs of heart disease, like family history, smoking habits, or a sedentary lifestyle, then a borderline level would be thought of as high. Anything over 240 mg overall cholesterol is very high.

Your cholesterol levels are also broken up into two different types. HDL is often referred to as “good cholesterol.”  With HDL, high levels are actually preferred. Anything lower than 50 or 60 mg is considered too low for an HDL number.  Lower good cholesterol numbers can lead to heart disease.

The other type of cholesterol is LDL or “bad cholesterol.”  These are the numbers that are vital to keep low. When it comes to LDL, a healthy cholesterol level is anything below 100 mg.  Anything in the range of 130 mg to 159 mg is considered borderline and 160 mg or above is high. 

If you find out that your cholesterol levels are high, then you will need to take steps to lower cholesterol levels drastically.  The best way to lower those numbers is to alter your diet and exercise regime.  Supplements and medications can also be helpful.

When you are trying to achieve normal cholesterol levels, you will want to avoid red meats and dairy products.  You will also want to raise the amount of fruits, vegetables and grains you consume.  Some food items, like olive oil and oats have been proven to help lower cholesterol.

In order to achieve optimum cholesterol levels, you will want to add an exercise plan to your life, alter your diet and consider adding a daily supplement that will help work on the high levels.  Finally, you will need to consult your physician.  If your levels are too high, they may prescribe a medication to help.

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