What Did Your Cholesterol Levels Mean?

One of the biggest and silly mistakes that people under the age of 50 make is that they think they will never get high cholesterol levels and that it’s an older generation disease. Did you know that there are two types of cholesterol- one is bad cholesterol and the other one is good cholesterol. In simpler terms, cholesterol is the fat that is produced by your body from the food you intake and it moves through your blood.

How To Understand Your Cholesterol Levels?

Cholesterol cannot be mixed with blood since they are not water-soluble. Cholesterol is also an important part of your body since they help the cell membranes to form a layer or layers since these layers act as a gatekeeper to whatever enters or exits from the cell. It is the bad cholesterol or also known as the low-density lipoprotein that damages your body.

According to doctors, anyone over the age of 20 years must get their cholesterol levels checked once every five years. It can be done through a blood test known as lipids profile. Adults over the age of 35 should get their cholesterol levels checked every now and then. Cholesterol includes 3 types of cholesterol-

👉LDL or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. This is also known as bad cholesterol.

👉HDL or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. This is also known as good cholesterol.

👉Triglycerides are the kind of cholesterol that is carried in the blood and is formed from food intake.

👉Total cholesterol

Here is how you can check your cholesterol levels:

• Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol :is known as bad cholesterol since it builds upon the walls of your arteries and increases the chances of heart disease. The level of your bad cholesterol is very high if your low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level is more than 190 or 190.
• High-density lipoprotein cholesterol: is also called good cholesterol. The higher it is in the number, the lower the risk you have. Good cholesterol or high-density lipoprotein is considered good cholesterol because it removes the bad cholesterol from the bloodline and thus protects from several heart diseases.
• Triglycerides: Most fat is stored in the form of triglycerides in your body. Higher the level of triglycerides in the body, there are maximum chances of getting coronary artery disease. If you have less than 150 Triglycerides levels, it is normal but if your triglycerides level crosses 200, it no longer remains normal and is considered high. High levels of Triglycerides means you have a combination of more LDL and lesser HDL cholesterol. It indicates the risk of stroke or heart attack.
• Total cholesterol: It is a combination of your overall cholesterol including good as well as bad cholesterol along with other lipid components

What does your test result show?

It is always a better idea to discuss your cholesterol levels with your doctor. However, in case you need to get a vague idea of what your test result shows you, you need to understand the numbers.

• If your total cholesterol level is more than 200, you’re at high risk.
• If your high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level is less than 40 mg/dl in men and 50 mg/dl in women, there is a high risk of increased heart disorders.
• If your low-density lipoprotein is more than 100, it is something you should worry about.
• If your Triglycerides level is more than 150, it is considered high.

Verdict

High cholesterol level is associated with the risk of heart disease and can cause your body a great deal of damage. This is why it becomes important to treat your cholesterol levels. With medications and lifestyle changes, you can lower the risks associated with high cholesterol levels. Lifestyle changes such as avoiding tobacco, doing more physical activity, maintaining your body weight, eating a healthy diet, reducing the consumption of alcohol, etc. and medications such as statin medicines, bile acid-binding drugs, fibrates, and others can control your levels of cholesterol. It is always advised to discuss your cholesterol levels with your doctor, instead of evaluating them on your own, so that you can control your bad cholesterol at the earliest.

Frequently Asked Questions

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