Cholesterol - What Is It And Is It All Bad?
Cholesterol. Boy, there sure is a lot of noise being made about
keeping your cholesterol low. You can see ads for all kinds of
drugs all over the TV to help lower your cholesterol. Go to a
doctor's office and the first thing you see hanging on the wall
is a cholesterol chart.
So what exactly IS cholesterol and what's the big deal about it?
In this article we'll try to answer some of those common
questions.
For starters, all cholesterol is not bad. In fact, it's produced
naturally in your liver and it helps with important body
functions. It's the bad cholesterol, called LDL (low density
lipoprotein) that can really do you in. Get too much of this in
your system and it can lead to heart disease. Unfortunately this
can be something you inherit from your ancestors, meaning there
isn't much you can do about getting it, not that it can't still
be controlled. We'll get to that later. The more common cause of
high LDL is poor diet, usually one that's high in saturated
fats. Add to that lack of exercise and you've got a real problem
on your hands.
In 2003 it was estimated that about 50 million men had high
cholesterol greater than 200. Oh yes, the numbers. How they come
up with these figures isn't important. What is important is that
it has been determined that a cholesterol level above 240 is
considered high and risky. A person with a level above 240 has
twice the risk of heart disease compared with someone who's
cholesterol is below 200. The magic number seems to be below
200. That's when you are no longer considered to have high
cholesterol. According to the National Cholesterol Education
Program (NCEP) you should have your cholesterol checked at least
once every five years. All that is needed to do this is a simple
blood test.
So what happens when you get high cholesterol? How can you treat
it?
Without having to take drugs, which is the last resort, the best
way to lower your cholesterol is to change your diet. Eat fewer
foods that are high in saturated fats and exercise regularly.
The most common foods to avoid are fatty meats, deli, bacon,
peanut butter, unless it specifically says it is low in
cholesterol and anything coming out of a fast food chain such as
fried food and onion rings. Also eating lots of fruits and
vegetables will help in lowering cholesterol levels. If you
smoke, by quitting, you will lower your cholesterol level. Also
drinking alcohol in moderation will help to lower cholesterol
levels,
If diet and exercise aren't enough, there are drugs that can
help to lower your cholesterol. The most popular of these drugs
is Lipitor. What Lipitor does is lower the level of LDL produced
by your liver, usually by 39 to 60%.
While cholesterol can be extremely dangerous it is actually one
of the easiest things in your body to control between diet and
exercise and if need be, with prescription drugs. There is no
need for anyone to suffer from heart disease because of high
cholesterol. It is an easily treated disease. So see your doctor
and get a blood test. If you have high cholesterol speak to him
about how you can lower it. You'll be glad you did.