Although cholesterol has a negative image because of its association with heart disease, you need a certain level of cholesterol to build healthy cells, create vitamin D and produce certain hormones. When cholesterol levels are too high, however, excess cholesterol and fats narrow your arteries and deprive your heart, brain and other vital organs of the oxygen and other nutrients they need to function normally. Keep your cholesterol within recommended ranges to promote overall health.
Types
Cholesterol is a waxy substance that doesn't dissolve in the blood, so it travels around your body on carriers called lipoproteins. High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, is considered the "good" cholesterol, while low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is the "bad" one. Your body also manufactures a type of fat called triglycerides, which influence blood cholesterol levels. Total cholesterol is a measurement of your HDL, LDL, triglycerides, according to the American Heart Association.
Sources
Your liver and other body cells manufacture about ¾ of the cholesterol in your body, while the remaining ¼ comes from animal products in your diet. The genes you inherit from your parents help determine how much cholesterol you produce. As you grow older, cholesterol levels rise. Women typically have lower total cholesterol levels than men do early in life, but face an increase in LDL cholesterol after menopause, says the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Expert Insight
Both men and women should keep their total blood cholesterol levels below 200 mg/dL and their LDL cholesterol levels under 100 mg/dL, according to the American Heart Association. The higher your HDL cholesterol level, the lower your risk of coronary heart disease. Although women average 40 to 50 mg/dL of HDL cholesterol, the AHA urges women to strive for HDL readings of 60 mg/dL or higher.
Significance
If your LDL and/or total cholesterol readings are higher than they should be, the excess LDL cholesterol and fat can create rigid plaques on the walls of the arteries serving your heart. These plaques narrow the opening of the vessel and decrease the amount of oxygen and nutrients available to your heart muscles, causing coronary heart disease. High levels of HDL cholesterol can help carry excess cholesterol to your liver so it can be excreted from your body and may also remove cholesterol from the arterial plaques, according to the American Heart Association. Maintain ideal levels of HDL, LDL and total cholesterol to reduce your risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack.
Tips
You should fast for 12 hours before going to the laboratory for a blood cholesterol test. If you're ill, stressed or have recently had a heart attack, wait six weeks to allow your blood cholesterol to return to normal. Discuss abnormal readings with your doctor to see if they are significant, since blood cholesterol levels fluctuate normally over time, reports Lab Tests Online.
