High blood pressure and cholesterol levels are important factors that can have a significant impact on your overall health. Many people have blood pressure and cholesterol levels that are beyond the desired range. Such levels affect not only aspects of your general state of health, but also the higher premiums on life insurance that many people have to pay due to elevated levels of blood pressure and cholesterol.

Cholesterol

Almost a quarter of the adult American population have cholesterol levels that are higher than normal. This is very dangerous for your health and can affect you in a variety of ways. Therefore, checking your cholesterol level on a regular bass and following a treatment to lower it when necessary is very useful.

The liver produces an amount of cholesterol that is necessary for normal body functions. However, an elevated level may cause heart diseases and other maladies. Most experts advise you to keep your cholesterol level below 200, with the low density lipoprotein level below 100. A slightly increased level is not usually a reason to be concerned. If a slightly increased cholesterol level is combined with other negative factors, such as high blood pressure or being overweight, the impact it has on your health is greater. A severely increased cholesterol level, even if other factors are within normal limits, can be very dangerous. It has been proven that people with a cholesterol level of 240 or more are twice more likely to suffer from heart disease than those with normal cholesterol levels.

Blood Pressure

Apart from high cholesterol, a high blood pressure can also lead to heart disease or several other health problems and may even put your life at risk. The normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels are dependent on your gender and age. Normal adult blood pressure is generally considered as 130 over 85. A hypertensive person is someone who exceeds the upper limit of normal blood pressure level. You are considered hypertensive if your blood pressure is above 140 over 90. However, if it is only slightly above these values, it is considered a low-grade hypertension and generally it is not very dangerous. Nevertheless, it is more dangerous when combined with other negative factors, such as obesity or high cholesterol level.

People with high blood pressure and cholesterol levels are more likely to suffer from several illnesses, such as heart disease or Alzheimers. If you have high cholesterol or blood pressure, you are also more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke. They two are correlated to one another, as a high cholesterol level also increases the risk for high blood pressure. A balanced diet, with low-fat foods and avoiding the use of alcohol are very helpful in dealing with such problems. There are also medications that can help you decrease both your high pressure and cholesterol levels and keep them under control.

Sue Taylor is the webmaster of http://www.highbloodpressuresite.info and http://www.thecholesterolsite.info where you can find further information relating to these topics.