Blood cholesterol is a type of lipid when carried in the blood lipid are combined with proteins, forming lipoproteins. There are two types of lipoproteins:
- Low-density lipoproteins (LDL). These contain high levels of cholesterol and increase the risk of developing thermos.
- High-density lipoprotein (HDL). (Good) cholesterol, helps keep cholesterol from building up in the arteries.
High blood Cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. The higher the blood cholesterol levels the greater risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in the United States. Each year, more than a million Americans have heart attacks, and about a half million people die from heart disease.
High blood cholesterol itself dose not causes symptoms, many people are unaware that their cholesterol level is too high. Lowering cholesterol level that are too high lessens the risk for developing heart disease and reduces the chance of heart attack or dying of heart disease, cholesterol lowering is important for everyone-younger, middle age, and older adults; women and men; and people with or without heart disease.
Things which affect cholesterol levels:
Diet. Saturated fat and cholesterol in the food eaten make blood cholesterol level go up. Saturated fat is the main culprit, but cholesterol in foods also matters. Reducing
The amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in diets helps lower your blood cholesterol level.
Weight. Being overweight is a risk factor for heart disease. It also tends to increase your cholesterol. Losing weight can be help lowering LDL and total cholesterol levels, as well as raise HDL and lower triglyceride levels.
Physical Activity. Not being physically active is a risk factor of heart disease.
Regular physical activity can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HLD (good) cholesterol levels. It also helps lose weight.
Things you cannot do anything about also can affect cholesterol levels. These include:
Age and Gender. As women and men get older, the cholesterol levels raise. Before the age of menopause, women have lower total cholesterol levels than men of the same age.
After the age of menopause, women’s LDL levels tend to raise.
Heredity. Genes partly determine how much cholesterol the body makes. High blood cholesterol can run in families.
In general, the higher your LDL level and the grater chance of developing heart disease or having a heart attack. Some people are at high risk for a heart attack because they already have heart disease. Other people are at high risk for developing heart disease because they have diabetes (which is a strong risk factor) or a combination of risk factor for heart disease.
