Each of us has both good and bad cholesterol in our bodies. The bad
cholesterol is known as LDL, or low-density lipoproteins. LDL can form on your
artery walls. The good cholesterol is known as HDL, or high-density proteins.
Good cholesterol helps to eliminate the excess cholesterol from your body, thus
keeping it from clogging your arteries. HDL picks up the fatty material and
takes them to the liver for removal. If you don’t have enough of the good
cholesterol, the bad may build up causing an artery wall to tear or it may
cause a blood clot. This can result in a heart attack.
How do you know if you’re at risk?
There are several key questions that will indicate if you are at risk for
developing high cholesterol:
Is your HDL (good)
cholesterol less than 40?
Do you have high blood
pressure?
Do you have diabetes?
Are you more than 30%
overweight?
Do you smoke cigarettes?
Is your lifestyle inactive?
Have any of your close
relatives been diagnosed with heart disease?
Are you a female experiencing
menopausal symptoms and not taking hormone replacement therapy?
Have you had a heart attack?
Keeping your cholesterol levels in check is imperative if you’ve already had
a heart attack. You are more at risk for having another one than the person who
hasn’t had one.
The Numbers
Once you find out the numbers of your HDL and LDL cholesterol, you may
wonder just what they mean. Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter
of blood. If your overall number is 200-239, your cholesterol is borderline. If
it is 240 or higher, it is considered high. However, if your HDL (good)
cholesterol is below 60, there should be cause for concern. And if your LDL
(bad) cholesterol is above 129, you’ll need to speak to your doctor about how
he would like to treat this.