Heart disease has claimed more than 17 million lives every year worldwide. Every time this kind of statistics shows up, many people would contribute its cause to cholesterol. But cholesterol is very important in the body because without it, we may not even be alive. Typically, cholesterol is classified into two. Good cholesterol is known as high-density lipoprotein while low-density lipoprotein is known as the bad type. Low density lipoprotein is important in the body. It is responsible for transporting precious cholesterol to the cells since cholesterol is needed in certain biological processes like hormone and cell production. In contrast, high density lipoproteins sweep the body’s arterial system from extra cholesterol. You can determine blood levels of both cholesterol types by a simple blood exam where you can check a Cholesterol Levels Chart to find out if you have the right balance in your body.
Normal cholesterol levels should be less than 200mg/dl. The higher you go from normal, the greater the risk for heart disease and stroke. As for LDL cholesterol levels chart, having an LDL reading of less than 130mg/dl is considered normal. In contrast, if you registered an HDL level of more than 60mg/dl in your standard HDL cholesterol levels chart then you have a lot of those micro machines working to get rid of excess cholesterol in your body. All these charts are a helpful guide in determining overall health and appropriate treatment and preventive measures.
As mentioned before, LDL is bad cholesterol if you have high levels of the stuff. Although it is important in the body, too much can be dangerous because this can lead to clogged arteries. Diet primarily plays a role in this. Meats especially pork and beef should be taken in exceed with what is recommended by the food pyramid. Also control consuming food products that are processed, not only are they rich in trans fat but also are jammed pack with preservatives. Finally, limit the intake of butter in your diet. Butter makes everything taste good but bad for your arteries. Simply put, limiting fat intake is very important in having normal LDL levels.
In contrast, HDL should be plentiful in your body and eating the right foods will greatly help. Diet also plays a role in increasing the levels of this so called “good cholesterol”. Consuming foods rich in niacin can help increase the amount of HDL in the blood like eggs and dairy products. Also, consume plenty of fat, more specifically healthy ones like omega-3 usually found in peanuts and fish and monounsaturated fats commonly found in olive oil, canola oil and also avocadoes.
Combined with exercise, lifestyle changes like avoidance of smoking and a healthy diet, you can achieve a sense of yin and yang of your cholesterol in your body and achieve bodily and arterial zen.
