The Importance Of A Normal Cholesterol Level

The Importance Of A Normal Cholesterol Level

By Candice Sabrina

In our quest for good health, no stone goes unturned. From the monitoring of our blood pressure, to the continued attention paid to a healthy diet and overall lifestyle, we now have access to information that has told us unequivocally, that our health is in our own hands. Part of the monitoring required to ensure good health includes the periodic blood test that measures cholesterol. What we wish to achieve is a normal cholesterol level that maintains a healthy balance between good and bad cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol is naturally produced by the liver after which it is transported through the bloodstream to the body's cells. The cells all contain cholesterol; the responsibility of cholesterol is to metabolize fat, produce hormones, and help create cell membranes. In a never-ending cycle, cholesterol moves between the liver and the cells, eliminating excess cholesterol from the body by delivering it back to the liver.

But because cholesterol cannot be absorbed directly into the bloodstream, it must rely on two lipoproteins to act as conductors. High-density lipoproteins, or HDLs, are the body's good cholesterol, delivering cholesterol to the cells and cleaning the arteries of excess cholesterol.

HDLs are the body's natural cleaner working in harmony with the body. Low-density lipoproteins, or LDLs, are the body's bad cholesterol, and can cause a plaque-like cholesterol build up along the walls of the arteries. This build up, over time, causes the arteries to narrow, thus decreasing blood flow and contributing to the possibility of stroke and heart disease. When we have a normal cholesterol level, our dangerous LDLs are low and our beneficial HDLs are high.

In order to maintain a normal cholesterol level it is necessary to achieve this healthy balance. A simple blood test can determine your cholesterol levels - your HDLs, LDLs, and total numbers. Medical experts concur that in order to be in good health, our HDLs should be at least 40 mg/dL or milligrams per deciliter and our LDLs should be no more than 100 mg/dL.

Achieving a normal cholesterol level can be done in a number of ways. Elevated cholesterol may be a result of genetics; a predetermined genetic code may allow for an excessive production of cholesterol by our liver. If diet fails to bring cholesterol levels into balance - and there is a family history of high cholesterol - it may be determined that medication is the best course of treatment.

But in many cases where genetics plays no role, a change in diet may be enough to help control cholesterol. Liver production is only one of the ways in which we get cholesterol; food is the other. Eating foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats can add drastically to our body's natural production and put us at risk for high cholesterol.

Those foods that are high in cholesterol, including animal products such as red meat, poultry, shellfish, egg yolks, and dairy, should be eaten only in moderation. Instead, a diet focused on natural whole foods and healthy fats such as those that are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated best serves a lifestyle committed to a normal cholesterol level.

http://www.cafebabyboomers.com/health-fitness/The-Importance-Of-A-Normal-Cholesterol-Level.php. retreived 20/04/2012