Cholesterol has taken a bad rap because of the growing body of evidence showing how it contributes to coronary heart disease, heart attacks and strokes. However, healthy levels of cholesterol help build and maintain healthy cells, promote the creation of vitamin D and contribute to hormone production.
Types
Cholesterol is a fatty substance that doesn't dissolve well in your blood, so it hitches a ride on carriers known as lipoproteins. High-density lipoproteins, or HDL, are known as "good" cholesterol, while low-density lipoproteins, or LDL, are "bad" cholesterol. Your total cholesterol count incorporates HDL, LDL, fats known as triglycerides and a genetic variant of LDL called Lp(a).
Sources
Your liver and other body cells produce about 75 percent of the cholesterol in your body, and remaining 25 percent comes from the animal foods that you eat. Family history influences the amount of cholesterol your body manufactures, and cholesterol levels typically rise as you get older. As a rule, men have higher cholesterol levels than women do, but women deal with an increased LDL cholesterol level after they pass through menopause, states the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Expert Insight
When it comes to HDL cholesterol, high levels are better. Aim for a value above 60mg/dL, and view HDL levels below 40mg/dL as unhealthy, recommends the NHLBI. As you review your LDL and total cholesterol levels, remember that low numbers are best. Strive for a total cholesterol value of less than 200mg/dL, remember that results between 200 and 239mg/dL are borderline high and think of readings of 240mg/dL and above as high. Shoot for an LDL level below 100mg/dL, be aware that numbers between 100 to 129mg/dL are near optimal/above optimal and realize that LDL readings between 130 and 159mg/dL put you in the borderline high category. An LDL reading between 160 and 189mg/dL is high, while values greater than190mg/dL are very high.
Significance
If you have excess LDL in your blood, this form of cholesterol can combine with fats to form hard plaques on the walls of the arteries that nourish your heart. As the plaques narrow the arteries, your heart is deprived of oxygen and other vital nutrients and you develop coronary heart disease. HDL cholesterol helps reverse heart disease by taking excess LDL cholesterol to your liver so it can be excreted from your body. High HDL levels may also remove LDL cholesterol from plaques that have already formed, according to the American Heart Association.
Recommendations
Abnormal cholesterol levels don't cause any symptoms, so you won't realize you have a problem until you review your lab report. Men should have a baseline cholesterol test at age 20 and repeat the test every five years, advises MayoClinic.com. Your physician may recommend more frequent testing if you have abnormal cholesterol levels, a family history of cholesterol or heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or if you smoke. Keep your HDL, LDL and total cholesterol levels at healthy levels to lower your risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack.
References
- NHLBI: What Does Cholesterol Have to Do with Heart Disease?
- American Heart Association: Good Versus Bad Cholesterol
- NHLBI: High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need to Know
- NHLBI: Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) Executive Summary
- MayoClinic.com: High Cholesterol: Symptoms
