What Is VLDL Cholesterol? And Is VLDL Of 16 Good?
A common reaction against cholesterol is panic. Whenever we hear the terms cholesterol the only thought we can get is something severe but thankfully it’s not the whole truth.
Cholesterol is nothing but some combination of protein and fats present in our blood.
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Is VLDL Cholesterol Good Or Bad?
There are various types of cholesterol and the cholesterol that gets us scared is the low-density Lipoprotein or LDL which is the bad cholesterol. Another one is high-density Lipoprotein or HDL which is considered the good one.
LDL is bad for health and HDL is essential. However, apart from these two major types of lipoprotein, there is one more type, which is very low-density Lipoprotein or VLDL.
Cholesterols are categorized based on their density and the lower the density of the lipoprotein means more harmful it is.
VLDL is a very low density and is considered bad cholesterol. But is it that harmful? Some amount of cholesterol is essential for your body to function properly. In this article let’s get some insiders about the VLDL.
What Is VLDL Cholesterol?
VLDL is a fat-like substance that is a combination with a protein called lipoprotein that’s very low in density, similar to low-density Lipoprotein. It’s your liver that produces VLDL and releases it into the bloodstream.
VLDL carries triglyceride which is an unused carbohydrate stored to provide energy in between meals. VLDL is often considered bad cholesterol as it can be involved in building plaque in arteries or atherosclerosis and thickening artery walls.
Atherosclerosis means, a sticky substance made of blood, fat, cholesterol, calcium, etc. It builds up and over time it hardens making your arteries narrow. It results in limiting oxygen-enriched blood flow in your body. Lack of oxygen in the blood leads to coronary artery diseases and increases the risk of heart diseases like heart attack, stroke, etc.
Difference Between LDL And VLDL
Considering the names low-density Lipoprotein and very-low-density Lipoprotein both seem similar and bad for health. However, the only difference between these two is that LDL carries cholesterol whereas VLDL carries triglyceride which is a fat-like substance that contains cholesterol and other substances found in the blood.
VLDL Levels
Although both can increase your chances to get heart disease there are debates on whether VLDL is harmful or not. Before we talk about it, it will be helpful to know the harmless count of VLDL that our body requires.
VLDL level less than 30miligrams per deciliter is considered vital. Anything more than 30ml/dL can make you prone to severe heart diseases. It can be measured by tracking the triglyceride levels in your blood test. VLDL level is 1/5th of your triglycerides.
VLDL Of 16
30mg/DL is the normal cholesterol level in the body. However, any VLDL level ranging from 2 to 30 is good. It can be concluded that a VLDL of 16 is harmless.
Conclusion
If your triglyceride levels are too high, VLDL levels might not work for tests. If you have higher VLDL levels than 30mg/dL, consider lowering them.
