Friday, May 18, 2012

Managing Your Cholesterol Level


"Managing Your Cholesterol Level"," High blood cholesterol (defined as a level 240 mg/dL or higher) is among the most important risk factor for developing heart disease.
 Is is one of several types of fats that circulate in your bloodstream.
 Your liver makes as much cholesterol as your blood needs-about 1,000 milligrams per day.
 If cholesterol levels are high, cholesterol can be deposited in the blood vessel walls as a major component of plaque (fatty deposit).


Triglycerides are the true blood fat that exists in the blood as well as in food.
 Together, cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood are called plasma lipid.


All adults over the age of 20 should have their cholesterol measured at least once every 5 years with a blood test called a full lipoprotein profile.
 Your doctor looks at all these numbers, as well as your other risk factors for heart disease, and then can use a risk assessment tool to estimate your chances of having a heart attack in the next 10 years.
 If have high cholesterol, current guidelines recommended that you limit your intake of saturated and trans fats to total no more than 7 percent of the total calories you consume in one day.
 Beef, veal, lamb, pork, and whole-milk dairy products including butter, cream, milk, and cheese are all high in saturated fat.
 There foods are also high in dietary cholesterol.


Trans fat or trans fatty acid is an unsaturated fat, but it can also raise your LDL levels and lower HDL levels.
 Trans fats are widely used in commercial baking ( crackers, cookies, and cake) and restaurants, particularly for frying.
 Recently the American Heart Association recommended that people limit their consumption on trans fatty acids to no more then 1 percent of their total calories each day.
 Both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats alike have qualities that help lower your cholesterol.
 To lower youe cholesterol, your intake of all fatscombinated should be 25 to 35 percent of yout total calories intake a day.
 In your body, these fats help your body cells resist absorption of fat and cholesterol and slow the buildup of plaque in your arteries.
 It is important to recognize that canola oil has the lowest content of saturated fat among the various pressed oils that are available.
 The American Heart Association recommends that you eat at least two servings of baked or grilled fish, preferably fatty fish such as sardines, mackerel, lake trout, salmon, and albacore tuna.
 As an alternative of fish, several plant sources are rich in omega-3 fats, including flaxseed and flaxseed oil, soy bean oil, and walnuts.
 Soy may be consumed in various forms including tofu, soy milk, and edamame beans.
 Know your numbers for total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and tricerides.


• Calculate or look up your body mass index and determine a healthful weight for you.


• Try to work in at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day (or at least four or five times a week); one hour oer day is ideal.
 You also may need to take these drugs if you have even moderately high cholesterol and also have a medical condition such as heart disease, thyroid disease, diabetes, or kidney disease.


If you are at risk or very high risk, your doctor may recommend drugs to lower your LDL cholesterol aggressively, to less than 70 mg/dL.


Total Cholesterol Guidelines

Level(mg/dL) - Category

Less than 200 - Desirable

200-239 - Borderline high

240 and above - High

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