Cholesterol tests are much different from any other medical test you get. This is because they are not used to diagnose a disease, but rather to prevent one ? specifically heart disease. High cholesterol levels have been linked with hardening of the arteries, heart disease and a much higher risk of death from [...]
Cholesterol is a fat-like substances made by you body. Although the cells of your body need some cholesterol, excess can build up in your blood vessels. When this happens it can cause your blood vessels to narrow which in turn reduces blood flow to your heart.
There is “good” cholesterol HDL and there is LDL which [...]
When a patient’s cholesterol levels are determined, it is useful to consider the results in terms of the cholesterol ratio as well as the total amount of cholesterol present in the blood. This is because the different components play very different roles in the formation and buildup of cholesterol in the arteries. Knowledge of their [...]
Syndrome X describes people who have low blood levels of the good HDL cholesterol and high blood levels of triglycerides, which puts them at high risk for heart attacks. HDL cholesterol is called the good cholesterol because it carries cholesterol and triglycerides from your blood to your liver before they can form plaques in arteries. [...]
As someone who is affected personally with the task of lowering my own cholesterol levels, I would like to share some of the steps you can take to decrease your bad cholesterol and raise your good cholesterol.
I have a B.S. in Biological Science with a minor in Human Physiology. Although I offer educated information and [...]
What IS Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance that’s stored in the fat (lipid) content of one’s blood stream. It’s actually important to have a certain amount of “good” cholesterol in one’s system.
Cholesterol, and our other body fats, cannot dissolve in our blood. They must be transported by special carriers called lipoproteins. [...]
No, it’s not the title of the latest sci-fi movie. ‘Syndrome X’,
also known as ‘The Metabolic Syndrome’, is a collection of
symptoms which, when they occur together in one person, indicate a
predisposition to diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
Experts estimate that about 25% of the population have the
condition - not surprising when you [...]
Your chest feels tight. Then a pain begins. You feel short of breath and every movement makes it worse. You are experiencing a coronary. Thankfully you survive and start to think about what went wrong and to find ways of adjusting your lifestyle. You may even require bypass surgery or to be on drugs for [...]
To recap, a normal total cholesterol level would be less than 200 milligrams per decilitre (mg/dl) of blood. This will be made up of LDL or “bad” cholesterol which should be maintained at between 100 - 130 mg/dl and “good” cholesterol which should be more than 40 or 50 mg/dl.
There is now medication available [...]
In the last few decades, the most important thing to know has been the total level of cholesterol. 240mg per decilitre (mg/dl) of blood was considered to be normal. But the Framingham study (the most important one of its kind) surprised the world by demonstrating that less than half of the victims of [...]
