Cholesterol?

If you haven't had your cholesterol checked, you definitely should. It is always good to know your numbers and have them checked every 3-5 years (if they are not considered 'high'). High cholesterol can be a risk factor for heart disease, stroke and heart attack, so it is nothing to mess with! The trick with cholesterol though is that there are two types; good (HDL) and bad (LDL). Reports say that your total number, when adding LDL, HDL and a portion of total triglyerides together, should be below 200. That is not necessarily true though so don't panic right away if your total number is not below 200. You have to look at both your HDL and LDL numbers separately and judge them alone, I disagree with looking at total number. It is more meaningful to look at both separately. The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL levels is more indicative of overall health.

LDL, or bad cholesterol is the number you need to be most concerned about. You want this number, by itself, to be at or below 100. Up to 129 is considered normal still, but closer to 100 is optimal.

HDL, or good cholesterol helps rid your body of bad cholesterol that is building up on artery and vessel walls. You want this number to be 60 or more, the more the better. This number cannot be too high!

Total cholesterol is actually LDL,HDL and 20% of triglycerides added together. The confusion comes in when HDL levels are really high and LDL are still in the normal range, because the total can be close to or above 200 when in reality, the HDL levels are just really high and LDL is within the normal range. That is why your cholesterol ratio is a better predictor of health. To get your ratio, you divide total cholesterol by your HDL level. You want that number to be less than 5, but ideally closer to 3.5.

I hope this article was not too confusing. If you have questions, please feel free to ask them! I believe that everyone should know their levels and be able to interpret them correctly. As I mentioned, high cholesterol, if in fact it truly is high, is dangerous and needs to be controlled. So knowing where you stand and monitoring your levels is a necessity!