Your body builds new cells, insulate nerves, and produces hormones with the help of cholesterol. The liver normally makes all the cholesterol the body needs. However, cholesterol enters your body from food, like animal based foods such as milk, eggs and meat. A major risk factor for heart disease is too much cholesterol.
Atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease, is caused by too much cholesterol in your blood which builds up in the walls of your arteries. The arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the heart muscle is slowed down or blocked. The heart gets oxygen from the blood. If you do not get enough blood and oxygen to reach your heart, you might suffer chest pains. When the blood supply to a part of your heart is completely cut off by a blockage, a heart attack takes place.
The two forms of cholesterol Americans are familiar with are low density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad" cholesterol) and high density lipoprotein (HDL or "good" cholesterol). Cholesterol travels in the blood in this form. LDLs have little protein and high levels of cholesterol and HDL has a lot of protein and very little cholesterol.
The main source of artery clogging plaque is LDL. The HDL works to clear cholesterol from the blood.
Another fat in the bloodstream is triglycerides. According to research, high levels of triglycerides are linked to heart disease.
People are unaware that their cholesterol levels are too high because there are no symptoms of high cholesterol. This makes it vital to find out what your cholesterol numbers are because lowering the cholesterol level that are too high reduces the chance of heart disease, even if you already have heart disease.
It is recommended that everyone over the age of twenty get their cholesterol levels measured at least every five years. Lipoprotein profile is the blood test that is performed. - 32389
Atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease, is caused by too much cholesterol in your blood which builds up in the walls of your arteries. The arteries become narrowed and blood flow to the heart muscle is slowed down or blocked. The heart gets oxygen from the blood. If you do not get enough blood and oxygen to reach your heart, you might suffer chest pains. When the blood supply to a part of your heart is completely cut off by a blockage, a heart attack takes place.
The two forms of cholesterol Americans are familiar with are low density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad" cholesterol) and high density lipoprotein (HDL or "good" cholesterol). Cholesterol travels in the blood in this form. LDLs have little protein and high levels of cholesterol and HDL has a lot of protein and very little cholesterol.
The main source of artery clogging plaque is LDL. The HDL works to clear cholesterol from the blood.
Another fat in the bloodstream is triglycerides. According to research, high levels of triglycerides are linked to heart disease.
People are unaware that their cholesterol levels are too high because there are no symptoms of high cholesterol. This makes it vital to find out what your cholesterol numbers are because lowering the cholesterol level that are too high reduces the chance of heart disease, even if you already have heart disease.
It is recommended that everyone over the age of twenty get their cholesterol levels measured at least every five years. Lipoprotein profile is the blood test that is performed. - 32389
About the Author:
For additional information about Cholesterol and Heart Disease please send all correspondence to Dr. Sam Robbins
