what Should My Cholesterol Be " The Good, Bad And The Ugly
Author: AdrianFletcher Total views: 8 Word Count: 492
This short article will cover what is cholesterol. Everybody seems to know that you must get your cholesterol low but is that all you need to know. This article will discuss what is good cholesterol, bad cholesterol and the ugly results should you not keep your cholesterol reading within a safe limit.
Cholesterol serves a purpose in the body. It makes the cell walls more robust, it helps to convert sunlight to vitamin D on the skin. It also helps to produce certain hormones that are vital for regulating the body's metabolism.
In terms of structure, it is a white color with a waxy consistency. Many people think of it as similar to ear wax. Most of the cholesterol that the body needs is created in the liver. The rest, around 20% is taken from the foods that we eat.
So we need cholesterol in our body's but too much is not good. The ideal amount of cholesterol is less than 200 mg per deciliter of blood. From 200 " 239 it is borderline high. Over 240 is high and something needs to be done about it.
What is Bad Cholesterol
Cholesterol is transported throughout the body via the bloodstream. However it is not soluble in water (or blood) so it needs something in the bloodstream that can carry it.
This transport goes by the name of lipoprotein. Cholesterol that is created in the liver is transported round the body by the low density lipoproteins (LDL or bad cholesterol). It is bad because it transports cholesterol to the rest of the body where it can cause problems. One way of lowering cholesterol levels is to reduce the amount of Low density loporoteins that are in the body.
What is Good Cholesterol.
Good cholesterol is the opposite. In this respect, it is also a lipoprotein but it is known as a high density lipoprotein (aka HDL cholesterol or good cholesterol). It acts as a transport for cholesterol taking it from the rest of the body back to the liver where it is excreted. More good cholesterol can increase the amount of cholesterol excreted from the body which is a good thing if you have too much of it.
The Ugly Fate Should Warnings Go Unheeded
Too much cholesterol means that it can't be used as intended. With too much bad cholesterol in the bloodstream acting as a transport, cholesterol is transported to the artery walls where it may stick. This is called plaque.
Plaque coats the inner walls of the arteries making the inner diameter smaller. This means the heart has to work harder to push blood round the system and can lead to high blood pressure. This is often known as thickening or hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis.
The continuing increase in plaque will lead to more risk to life threatening conditions. For instance, if plaque breaks free of the inner lining of the walls it can block the artery. This will lead to a blood clot which could cause a stroke.
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Find out how to reduce your cholesterol with foods that lower cholesterol at lowcholesteroldieting.com.
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