Your body makes all the cholesterol you need. When too much cholesterol and other fats are consumed, the body can not dispose of the excess and that could prove to be extremely dangerous to your health. Excess cholesterol in the blood stream can accumulate into fatty deposits on the surface of the arteries, which may turn into calcium plaques. These plaques then build up and cause the arteries to narrow, making it very tough for the blood to flow through freely. This can lead to heart attack, stroke, or a problem called atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
When atherosclerosis affects the coronary arteries, which are the blood vessels supplying the muscles of the heart, the problem is called coronary artery disease. Coronary heart disease puts a person at risk for having a heart attack. When atherosclerosis has an effect on the blood vessels that provide blood to the brain, the problem is called cerebral vascular disease, which puts a person at risk of having a stroke. Atherosclerosis can also obstruct blood flow to other essential organs, including the kidneys and intestines. This is why it’s so important to start taking the steps necessary to lower your cholesterol levels to a healthy level, which can delay or prevent serious health difficulties in the future.
The balance between the forms of cholesterol tells a person what their cholesterol levels means. If the complete cholesterol level is higher as a result of a higher LDL level, that particular person could be at risk for heart disease or stroke. If the complete level is higher only as a result of a higher HDL level, that particular person most likely isn’t at risk. Understanding the ratio between the two components is important.
Unluckily, you will find typically no signs or symptoms of high blood cholesterol, which is why numerous individuals do not know that their cholesterol level is too high until they develop symptoms of heart disease, for instance angina or chest pain. It can be important to have your blood tested. As individuals age, it becomes more important to know the blood’s cholesterol levels. Younger women tend to have lower LDL levels than men, but after the age of 55, that changes. Folks should begin having their lipid levels monitored, based on family history, typically at about 30 years old.
Diverse forms of tests measure the cholesterol within the blood. A lipoprotein profile, which demands fasting, will supply details about your complete cholesterol – LDL and HDL. This test also measures triglycerides, an additional form of fat in your blood, wherein a triglyceride level of 150 mg/dL is desirable. If you can not get a lipoprotein profile done, understanding the complete cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels may give you a general idea about the cholesterol levels. Testing for complete and HDL cholesterol doesn’t require fasting.
Complete cholesterol must be below 5 mmol/L for it to be considered normal. The value for HDL must be greater than 1.2 mmol/L, as well as the value for LDL must be less than 3 mmol/L. Cholesterol levels that are above 6.5 mmol/L mean that the risk of heart disease is about four times higher than an individual that has a level of 4 mmol/L.
