Lipitor, which has the generic name atorvastatin calcium, belongs to a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. Lipitor is used with a low-fat diet to lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood. Lowering high cholesterol decreases the risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, angina and high blood pressure. Lipitor causes higher levels of high density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol. Lipitor may also contribute to anemia and high calcium levels.
High levels of LDL cholesterol can increase your risk for heart disease, while high levels of HDL cholesterol may reduce this risk. Even if you have a high total cholesterol number, a low ratio of total cholesterol to HDL chole...
The fatigue you're feeling isn't likely the result of low HDL, otherwise known as high-density lipoprotein. Lipid abnormalities have no symptoms. The only way to know if you have low HDL is through a blood test. You're not goin...
HDL, also called high-density lipoprotein, is your "good" cholesterol. It is responsible for transporting "bad" LDL cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein, to your liver for disposal. Although your doctor will set your target ...
In general, you want low cholesterol -- the lower, the better. HDL, however -- commonly called "good" cholesterol -- should be as high as possible. In fact, if your HDL levels are too low, you're at increased risk for heart dis...
HDL or high density lipoprotein is the good kind of cholesterol and this amount should remain high in order to reduce the risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack, according to the American Heart Association. ...
The human body contains different types of cholesterol, differentiated by the type of lipoprotein carrying the cholesterol. Low-density lipoprotein stays in the bloodstream while high-density lipoprotein scavenges for excess ch...
In order to lower your total cholesterol, you need to have low levels of low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol and high levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol. While high LDL cholesterol, often called th...
High-density lipoprotein, or HDL cholesterol, is commonly called "good" cholesterol. If your blood levels of HDL cholesterol are low, you may be at risk for developing certain diseases. HDL cholesterol is beneficial to your bod...
Cholesterol is a waxy compound that can be found in food and is also made by your liver. It is used to make bile salts, steroid hormones and cell membranes. High cholesterol levels can also increase your risk of heart disease, ...
This helps clean your arteries of plaque buildup and prevents chronic diseases. This number should be high, but there are several factors that may lower it. Lifestyle choices are usually the culprit for low HDL cholesterol, and...
Subsequently, information gathered from the Framingham Heart Study and similar trials demonstrated that different types of cholesterol confer varying levels of cardiac risk. For example, a low HDL level has been linked to a hig...
Since 1948, when the Framingham Heart Study was launched, researchers have steadily gathered data that attests to the health risks of abnormal lipid levels. Lipids, or fats, are necessary for the normal function of your cells, ...
A high HDL cholesterol level has been shown to have a protective effect against heart disease, so the goal is to raise levels over 60. HDL cholesterol is the type that is excreted from the body. If risk factors for low HDL cho...
The other part of your cholesterol -- low density lipoprotein, or LDL-- is considered your "bad" cholesterol because it can build up on your artery walls and form hard, blood-constricting plaques. According to the American Hear...
Your thyroid gland, just below your Adam's apple, produces hormones that control metabolism, growth and development. Hypothyroidism is caused by abnormally low levels of thyroid hormones in your bloodstream and tissues. Because...
While both men and women are at risk of heart disease, particularly if they have high cholesterol or are overweight, the problem is particularly prevalent in men. If you're male and have low HDL, you're at increased risk for at...
Particularly because symptoms of heart disease can be very subtle in women, low HDL is a significant health concern. If you have low HDL, there are some measures you can take with regard to diet and lifestyle that will help you...
If your physician checks your total cholesterol, he's actually measuring the quantity of three different components--HDL, LDL and triglycerides. For optimal health, you want your LDL and triglycerides to be low, but your HDL to...
Cholesterol comes in two forms-- HDL and LDL. Your LDL cholesterol is often called "bad cholesterol," and high levels are associated with poor cardiovascular health. Your HDL is generally called "good cholesterol," and high lev...
"Bad" cholesterol, known as low-density lipoprotein or LDL, is the part of your cholesterol that clogs arteries and increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. "Good" cholesterol, also known as HDL and high-density lipoprot...
The higher your level of HDL, the lower your reading will be for LDL or low-density lipoproteins in your blood. LDL cholesterol readings that are too high can lead to heart disease and heart attack if they are not treated and l...
In 2010, more than 35 million of these Americans had levels high enough to put them at significant risk for developing heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HDL lowers blood cholesterol lev...
High serum cholesterol and an unhealthy ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol is one of the most modifiable causes of heart disease. The ideal cholesterol situation would be low overall cholesterol, with relatively high levels of HDL...
Lipoproteins are made up of protein and fat. They carry cholesterol, triglycerides and fats in the blood to your liver. According to the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, your risk for heart disease increases if your HDL c...
Patients at risk of heart disease are generally concerned with keeping cholesterol and lipids at lower levels. However, high-density lipoproteins, or HDL, is often known as "good" cholesterol and higher levels of HDL have been ...
If you have low levels of high-density lipoprotein, or HDL cholesterol, your body may be trying to let you know but you may not recognize the symptoms. Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in your blood. It isn't necessarily b...
Other carbs help you regulate cholesterol level, blood glucose level and prevent cancer and other diseases. If you have low levels of high-density lipoproteins, or HDLs, then your diet may be low in carbohydrates and high in sa...
Cholesterol is a waxy material found in every cell in your body. It is necessary for the body to function, but having too much bad cholesterol or too little good cholesterol can cause health problems. It's important to have you...
When your levels of HDL are too low, you are as much at risk for heart disease as a person with high levels of LDL, according to the American Heart Association. Treatments can include lifestyle changes, medication or both.
Your ratio of good to bad cholesterol is important to know when you are evaluating your cholesterol levels. The lower your HDL, or good, cholesterol levels are the higher your LDL, or bad, cholesterol levels will be, because HD...
You can save your own life by controlling your cholesterol. About 120 million people in the United States have high cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 35 million Americans have cholest...
The body uses cholesterol to allow proteins to move more easily through cell membranes and also for the manufacturing of steroid hormones such as cortisol, testosterone and estrogen. Cholesterol can also contribute to the devel...
It travels through your bloodstream in protein-lipid particles, known as lipoproteins. Two different classes of lipoprotein particles are LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, and HDL, or high-density lipoprotein. LDL, or "bad" chol...
HDL cholesterol is known as the good cholesterol because of its effect in removing fat streaks that have built up in your artery walls. Low HDL levels are a risk factor for developing heart disease, especially when your LDL, or...
Due to the higher proportion of protein, HDLs have a higher affinity for cholesterol and can bind and sequester more cholesterol in the blood than other similar particles, like low density lipoproteins, or LDLs. When HDLs bind ...
HDL picks up the excess bad cholesterol accumulated in the blood and takes it to the liver for further processing, notes MayoClinic.com. The higher the HDL, the lower your risk of having high levels of low density lipoprotein, ...
If you've never had your cholesterol levels tested, consider asking your doctor for an initial test. Because you can do a great deal to control your cholesterol level with diet and exercise, the sooner you know where you stand,...
Having the right amount of the right type can help you stay healthy. High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol is known as the "good" cholesterol because it can help protect you from some heart conditions.
People should consume no more than 300mg of cholesterol in their daily food intake. Having higher levels of HDL cholesterol can help decrease the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood. Therefore, it is important to avoid the t...
The body needs cholesterol to function, however, too much of it can increase your risk for heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every six adults in the U.S. has high blood chole...
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, while your total cholesterol should be below 200 mg/dL, you should also pay attention to your LDL and HDL cholesterol levels. HDL is the "good" cholesterol that helps ...
High-density lipoprotein is considered good cholesterol because it has been shown to play a role in preventing cholesterol buildup in the arteries. Also, having high levels of HDL cholesterol lowers your risk of heart disease a...
Harvard reports that research now suggests that more than 30 percent of your diet should be from fat sources, especially unsaturated or "healthy" fats. If you have low HDL or good cholesterol, you might want to become familiar ...
High-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol is called the good cholesterol because of its healthy effects. On the other hand low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol plays a major role in heart disease by sticking to the arte...
High Density Lipoprotein, or HDL, is the protective cholesterol that sweeps up potentially damaging Low Density Lipoproteins and Triglycerides and carries them to the liver for storage and disposal. To be effective levels of H...
High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are lipids in the blood that pick up cholesterol and carry it away from plaque lining the arteries. This lends them the term "good" cholesterol. High HDL levels (>60 mg/dL) can protect against...
HDL is high-density lipoprotein, which is a type of cholesterol that provides protective benefits to the heart. When triglyceride levels are high and HDL levels are low, the risk of heart disease is increased. Several medicatio...
Some forms of cholesterol are helpful because they help prevent disease, and some are harmful to the body because they can help cause disease. The two forms of cholesterol measured and monitored in routine blood tests are low-...
To have low HDL (high density lipoprotein) means you are lacking "good" cholesterol. Without enough HDL your risk for heart disease increases significantly, especially if you have high LDL (low density lipoprotein).
That fatty, waxy, thick substance that globs up in your arteries and increases your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke. but actually, cholesterol isn't all bad--some cholesterol is actually good for you and can improve y...
Everyone over 25 should have a lipid profile, or cholesterol test, to determine his cholesterol levels. Understanding what HDL cholesterol is and what it does will help you make informed decisions about your health.
Too much cholesterol in the blood, particularly low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "'bad" cholesterol, contributes to plaque formation that clogs arteries, a risk factor for heart disease. On the other hand, elevated levels of hi...
While it's not known exactly how HDL protects the cardiovascular system, low levels of HDL are a known risk factor for heart attack and heart disease. There are several causes of HDL that should be considered when evaluating a...
