What Is Normal Cholesterol ” The Good, Bad And The Ugly
What is cholesterol ? Most people are aware that they should keep their cholesterol low but what is it exactly ? What level is considered low and is it as simple as eat this type of food to get this type of result. This article will discuss good cholesterol, bad cholesterol and the ugly outcomes should you not strive to keep your cholesterol reading within a safe guideline.
Cholesterol is a vital substance in maintaining the normal health of the body. For instance, it is thought to give the cell walls strength thus ensuring their integrity from pathogens and infections. It is also thought to help the skin create vitamin D when it comes into contact with sunlight.
It is often described as a white, waxy substance which you could compare to ear wax. For most people, between 70 and 75 percent of the cholesterol in their blood is manufactured by their liver. The rest is taken from the food that they eat.
Thus we need cholesterol but it becomes a problem when there is too much in the system. Guidelines regarding the ideal amount of cholesterol in the body is less than 200 mg per deciliter of blood.
What is Bad Cholesterol
The bloodstream transports energy, vitamins and nutrients to the rest of the body. It does the same thing for cholesterol. However cholesterol is not soluble in blood so it needs to attach to something that can be transported by the blood.
This transport is known as a lipoprotein. When cholesterol is transported out from the liver to the rest of the body, it travels on low density lipoproteins (aka LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol). The aim of lowering cholesterol is to eat less cholesterol creating foodstuffs or foods that reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol in the body.
What is Good Cholesterol.
Good cholesterol is known as good because it does exactly the opposite of bad cholesterol. It is known as a high density lipoprotein or HDL Cholesterol. It acts as a transport taking cholesterol from the rest of the body back to the liver. This is ultimately removed from the body thus reducing the total amount of cholesterol. Having more good cholesterol is good fro the body.
The Ugly Consequences If Cholesterol Is High
With too much bad cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream, the excess amount of cholesterol in the system can be transported throughout the body. This often results in cholesterol being deposited in parts of the body where it cannot be used. One common area where this occurs is on the inner walls of the arteries. This is referred to as plaque.
The build up of plaque on the inner walls of the arteries will reduce the diameter of the arteries. This has consequences for the heart as it has to work harder to push blood throughout the body. It can also have adverse affects on the extremities of the body as they do not get enough blood to stay healthy. As the walls of the arteries thicken the person is said to have a condition known as atherosclerosis.
The thicker the plaque gets the more at risk you are to life threatening conditions. For example. If plaque breaks free from the walls and causes a blockage then a blood clot could occur leading to a stroke. Having atherosclerosis for any length of time will put excess strain on the heart and could lead to heart disease or heart attacks.