When it comes to your cholesterol, you can never play it too safe. This means knowing and recognizing your risk factors, eating the right foods and above else, knowing what a healthy cholesterol level is. Understanding your cholesterol and what levels pose a risk is half the battle; living a healthy lifestyle is the other.
Types
Cholesterol circulates through your blood in an effort to reach your cells and fulfill its purpose -- form cell membranes and produce hormones. Unable to dissolve in your blood, it wanders aimlessly until special protein carriers, lipoproteins, comes to its aid, combining with it and transporting it where it needs to go.
One carrier is LDL, low-density lipoprotein. This is the major carrier of cholesterol, often receiving a bad reputation because of its tendency to build up in your arteries when too much of it circulates in your blood, as the American Heart Association explains. Safe levels of LDL are 129 mg/dL or lower.
HDL, high-density lipoprotein, is another carrier. It transports excess amounts of LDL from your body when your levels are within healthy levels, 60 mg/dL or more.
Significance
When your LDL levels are too high, or your HDL levels are too low, you are at risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke. High LDL levels cause your arteries to harden and become narrow, which over time can cause blood clots. Although low HDL levels do not result in hardened arteries, they are unable to carry away the LDL cholesterol that do, increasing your risk for heart disease. Keeping your cholesterol within healthy ranges helps prevent these problems.
Identification
You can only determine the amount of cholesterol in your blood one way -- a lipid blood test. Your doctor must order this, and depending on your current health and risk factors for high cholesterol, he will usually do so once every five years. If you have one or more risk factors, or a previous test shows unhealthy levels, your doctor may require more frequent testing.
Risk Factors
Knowing your risk factors for high cholesterol is as important as knowing what safe cholesterol levels are. High cholesterol shows no symptoms; recognizing any risk factors can prompt you to make an appointment for a lipid blood test. Risk factors include, poor eating habits, being overweight, living a sedentary lifestyle, a family history of heart disease and medical conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
Prevention/Solution
Keep your cholesterol levels within safe limits by eating five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, high-fiber foods, whole-grains and lean meats such as skinless poultry and fish.
Limit your intake of saturated fats by consuming non-fat dairy products, and eating egg whites or egg substitutes. Use olive oil, canola oil or sunflower oil in place of vegetable oil when cooking. Reduce or eliminate trans fats -- any product containing hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil contains trans fats. Reduce your daily cholesterol consumption to 300 mg. or less.
Exercise a minimum of 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Walk, jog, swim or ride a bike -- any activity you will adhere to is acceptable. Focus on losing weight, even if it's a matter of 5 or 10 lbs. MayoClinic.com reports small losses such as these can make a difference.
Visit your doctor regularly, especially if you experience numbness in your jaw or arms, or shortness of breath. Although high cholesterol has no symptoms, the medical conditions it spawns, do.
