Cholesterol Guidelines: What You Should Know About Cholesterol

Our health is the most precious asset we have and yet most of the times we take it for granted not realizing that even a slight headache can stop us in our tracks restricting our daily activities. Cholesterol is a much more serious issue, which younger people don't take in consideration because they think it is a disorder that comes with age; the fact is your cholesterol can be high irrelevant of your age or weight even though those suffering from obesity have a higher chance of suffering from high cholesterol. Here are the basic cholesterol guidelines, which will help you, recognize the bad from the good and thus, choose your food carefully in the future.

What Is Cholesterol and How Does It Affect Our Health

Cholesterol is a waxy like substance that is found in our blood stream and is essential for our body in various functions such as, building cell membrane and hormones. There are two types of cholesterol and they are Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), which is also know as the bad cholesterol and the High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), which is also known as the good cholesterol.

The bad cholesterol LDL is created by our body and even though is required for the body to function normally, high quantities promotes blocking of arteries and disorders such as premature arteriosclerosis of the coronary arteries, which leads to heart attacks. The bad cholesterol is created by our body but can also be found in the foods we eat such as, fish, poultry, meat, egg yolks and dairy products due to which watching the quantities of these products intake is crucial.

The good cholesterol HDL on the other hand helps decrease the bad cholesterol and thus, promotes your good health. Good cholesterol can also be found in the food we eat in items such as fruits and vegetables as well as cereals.

What Are the Right Levels of Good and Bad Cholesterol

While there are standard cholesterol guidelines for these levels it is important you check yours with your doctor, as they may differ from person to person depending on your present health state. Cholesterol guidelines suggests that the normal levels for an average healthy adult for LDL is of no greater that 160mg/dL and HDL no less the 40mg/dL. These cholesterol guidelines apply to healthy individuals; those suffering from heart disorders will have different levels, which will be set by your doctor.

Other Cholesterol Guidelines

Eating healthy and exercising has and will always be the golden rule for a healthy and happy life as well as regular check ups with your doctor to ensure that your cholesterol at the desired levels.