Achieving and maintaining healthy cholesterol levels is a gift you can give your body. Before you give this gift, however, you must first understand what a healthy cholesterol reading is and why it is significant. Just as curing a sinus infection is a process, so too, is obtaining optimal heart health -- and maintaining healthy cholesterol levels is essential to the health of your heart.
Testing Your Cholesterol
A blood cholesterol test can help determine your risk of developing heart disease. This test, known as both a lipid profile or lipid panel, detects the amount of cholesterol in your blood. It determines your LDL, HDL and total cholesterol levels as well as your triglycerides. Should the results show that your levels are too high or low, your doctor can begin a treatment plan that may consist of dietary changes, lifestyle changes, medication or all three. Early detection gives you the best chance of preventing complications from high cholesterol.
Your Cholesterol Goals
Each cholesterol type has its own healthy level, but if even one is out of range, you are still at risk for heart disease or a related problem. Your LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, should range between 100 and 129 mg/dL. HDL, or "good" cholesterol, should be 60 mg/dL or higher. Levels lower than 40 mg/dL pose a health risk. Triglycerides should remain 150 mg/dL or lower, according to MayoClinic.com.
Dietary Changes
Whether your goal is to obtain healthy cholesterol levels, or maintain them, your diet is an important factor. Saturated fats wreak havoc with your LDL and HDL cholesterol; limiting your intake can help improve your levels of both. Foods containing saturated fats include red meat, butter, whole-fat dairy, vegetable oil and egg yolks. Replace these with fish, white-meat skinless poultry, non-fat dairy, olive oil and egg substitutes. You should also increase your dietary fiber, consume five servings a day each of fruits and veggies and reduce or eliminate trans fats. Primary sources of trans fats are commercially baked goods such as cookies, pastries, cakes and chips.
Lifestyle Changes
Exercise is vital when you trying to keep your cholesterol levels on an even keel. It lowers both your triglycerides and LDL, and increases your HDL cholesterol. Exercise also strengthens your heart, further protecting it from disease. Alcohol may slightly benefit your HDL cholesterol and provide heart-healthy benefits when you drink in moderation, which is one drink a day for women and two for men. Alcohol does not, however, do your triglycerides any good. It is packed with both sugar and calories, both of which convert into triglycerides; this increases your levels very quickly, even when you drink the smallest amounts. Quitting smoking can increase your HDL by as much as 10 percent, according to MayoClinic.com.
Cholesterol Lowering Medications
Four main classes of drugs exist to help you achieve, or maintain, healthy cholesterol levels. These include statins, bile acid sequestrants, fibrates and nicotinic acid. Statins and bile acid sequestrants work well for lowering your LDL, but have a mild effect on your other cholesterol types. The sequestrants can, in fact, increase your triglycerides. If your LDL is too high, your doctor may combine the statins and sequestrants for maximum efficacy. Fibrates work the best for lowering triglycerides, and moderately increase your HDL. Nicotinic acid can work for all types of cholesterol. It is most commonly prescribed for people with low HDL, however. Your doctor can determine the best medication for you.
