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what Should My Cholesterol Be " The Good, Bad And The Ugly

What is cholesterol ? Most people are aware that they should keep their cholesterol low but what is it exactly ? What level is considered low and is it as simple as eat this type of food to get this type of result. This article will discuss good cholesterol, bad cholesterol and the ugly outcomes should you not strive to keep your cholesterol reading within a safe guideline.

Cholesterol is necessary for our bodies to function normally. We need a certain amount in the body for a variety of reasons. The most common use of cholesterol is to keep the cell walls strong. It is also used to convert sunlight to vitamin D when skin comes into contact with the sun.

It has a waxy texture a bit like ear wax and is normally white in color. Around 80% of the cholesterol that the body needs is created in the liver. The rest is received by metabolizing the food that we eat.

Thus we need cholesterol but it becomes a problem when there is too much in the system. Guidelines regarding the ideal amount of cholesterol in the body is less than 200 mg per deciliter of blood.

What is Bad Cholesterol

The bloodstream transports energy, vitamins and nutrients to the rest of the body. It does the same thing for cholesterol. However cholesterol is not soluble in blood so it needs to attach to something that can be transported by the blood.

This transport goes by the name of lipoprotein. Cholesterol that is created in the liver is transported round the body by the low density lipoproteins (LDL or bad cholesterol). It is bad because it transports cholesterol to the rest of the body where it can cause problems. One way of lowering cholesterol levels is to reduce the amount of Low density loporoteins that are in the body.

What is Good Cholesterol.

Good cholesterol is the opposite. In this respect, it is also a lipoprotein but it is known as a high density lipoprotein (aka HDL cholesterol or good cholesterol). It acts as a transport for cholesterol taking it from the rest of the body back to the liver where it is excreted. More good cholesterol can increase the amount of cholesterol excreted from the body which is a good thing if you have too much of it.

The Ugly Fate Should Warnings Go Unheeded

Too much bad cholesterol in the bloodstream means that excess cholesterol is deposited where it cannot be used. In this case it is usually in the arteries of the body where this occurs. This is known as plaque.

If the build up of plaque continues the person can have a number of health problems. Because the diameter of the arteries is decreased the heart has to work harder to get blood to the body. This can lead to heart disease. As the walls received more plaque the person is said to have a condition known as atherosclerosis.

As plaque continues to build up the person is increasingly open to more life threatening problems. Apart from heart disease, plaque could break of the walls and cause blood clots. Blood clots generally cause strokes.