By Mary Ruddy
Do you have healthy cholesterol levels? Keeping your cholesterol within normal limits is very important as high cholesterol levels are associated with an increased risk for the development of heart disease. There are a number of factors which can cause an increase in cholesterol including family history, age, diet, and lifestyle.
How do you know if you have healthy cholesterol levels? A test called lipid profile can be done to measure your total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, as well as your triglycerides. Total cholesterol of less than 200 mg/dL is considered normal. A value of 200-239 mg/dL is borderline high while a total cholesterol of 240 mg/dL and above is considered as high blood cholesterol. People with high total cholesterol levels are at twice the risk for developing coronary heart disease.
When it comes to LDL or bad cholesterol, a value of less than 100 mg/dL is considered optimal, 100-129 mg/dL is near optimal, 130-159 mg/dL is borderline high, and 160-189 mg/dL is high, while an LDL value of 190 mg/dL and above is very high. The healthy LDL levels are determined based on one's risk factors for heart disease so it varies from person to person.
When it comes to healthy cholesterol levels of HDL, the higher the value, the better. HDL is considered the good cholesterol. HDL cholesterol of less than 40 mg/dL for men and 50 mg/dL for women is low and is a major risk factor for heart disease while levels of 60 mg/dL and above offer protection from heart disease.
Aside from cholesterol, a lipid profile also measures the triglyceride levels which also predispose an individual to heart disease. High triglyceride levels occurring with a low HDL or high LDL is associated with faster build up of fatty deposits in the walls of the arteries.
How do you maintain healthy cholesterol levels? You can keep your cholesterol within normal by eating the right kinds of foods. Foods like fatty fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains help lower bad cholesterol. Avoid foods high in cholesterol such as meat, egg yolks, organ meats, poultry, and processed foods.
Aside from eating right, you can also take natural supplements that will not only lower bad cholesterol but will also raise good cholesterol. Supplements that contain theaflavin, policosanol, and pumpkin seed oil are very effective at keeping cholesterol within normal range.
Make sure that they do not contain preservatives, binders, and fillers as these can be harmful to the health and affect absorption of the nutrients.
So, go ahead, visit my website today and get yourself started on the road to healthy cholesterol levels.
Mary Ruddy is a strong advocate of natural and safe health care and enjoys nothing more than helping others make a positive impact on their lives. To find out more about how you too can improve your health naturally visit her website today at http://www.curing-cholesterol.com/
Visit her site http://www.curing-cholesterol.com/ to learn the natural and safe way for lowering cholesterol.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Ruddy
0 comments: