What Is High Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fatty, wax-like substance that circulates throughout
the bloodstream. Your body manufactures some of it, and the rest comes from
your diet. Cholesterol is an essential building block of every cell in the
human body. High cholesterol—also known as
hypercholesterolemia—is
a lipid disorder that can significantly raise the risk of heart disease. When
the body has more than it can handle, excess cholesterol can build up and clog
the arteries, cutting off the blood supply to the heart. That’s why it’s
important
to have your cholesterol tested regularly and to keep your levels
down. Eating a
heart-healthy diet and exercising regularly can help prevent
high cholesterol.
Types of Cholesterol
There are several types of cholesterol in the body. When you have high
cholesterol, one or all of the types may be within an unhealthy, abnormal
range. At the doctor’s office, your physician may talk to you about your total
cholesterol, or he may break it down into the different types: low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density
lipoprotein (HDL), and triglycerides. The term “high cholesterol” is
actually a bit of a misnomer because, while it’s true we want to keep our LDL
and triglycerides down, we should strive to push our HDL up. Low levels of HDL
are considered abnormal and are a risk factor for heart disease.
High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)
High-Density Lipoprotein is
the so-called “good” cholesterol that may help protect against heart disease. (You
can remember that by thinking “H” is for healthy.) The higher your HDL, the
better. That’s because HDL cholesterol sweeps excess LDL cholesterol (the “bad”
artery-clogging kind) out of the body. The clinical term for having abnormally
low levels of HDL is
hypoalphalipoproteinemia
(HA). Although there is no cut-off number that diagnoses
HA, low HDL levels (less than 40 mg/dL for men and less than 50 mg/dL
for women) are associated with a greater risk of
heart disease. To protect against heart disease, the American Heart Association
recommends that men and women should keep their HDL levels above 60mg/dL.
Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)
Low-Density Lipoprotein
(LDL) is the “bad” cholesterol that contributes to atherosclerosis, which is the
buildup of plaque along the arterial walls. (You can remember this by thinking
“L” for lousy.) Atherosclerosis can cause your arteries— which transport blood,
oxygen, and nutrients—to harden or rupture and lead to blockages, strokes, and
heart attacks. That’s why high levels of LDL cholesterol are a
major risk factor for heart disease. Guidelines state that people with no risk
of heart disease should aim for an LDL score below 130. However, some medical
experts believe that number is too high.
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