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Cholesterol and Your Heart

Jun 09 01:51am

Earlier this week, a family member, who had recently undergone a physical, called asking for advice about his cholesterol levels. He specifically wanted to know how he could raise his HDL (high-density lipoprotein), which was a bit lower than desirable.

While my relative's request seems basic, it underscores for me just how confused consumers still are by the information they get about how to manage their cholesterol levels.

Let's start at the beginning. Cholesterol is a substance in the blood that is formed as a result of fat consumption. Cholesterol, in the form of plaque, accumulates in the walls of arteries, narrowing or blocking them.

This narrowing not only makes the heart work harder to pump blood but it also opens the possibility that pieces of plaque will break off into the blood stream and cause a heart attack or stroke.

When you get your blood work back after a physical, you'll see different values for the various kinds of cholesterol detected by the lab tests. Here's how to decipher the information:

Total cholesterol is a combined measure of two types of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, and low-density lipoprotein, or LDL. You've probably heard that the sum of these two types of cholesterol should add up to no more than 200 mg/dL.
HDL, or "good cholesterol," helps prevent fatty plaque in the arteries, so the higher your level the better. The desired ranges for HDL are above 40 mg/dL for men and above 50 mg/dL for women.
LDL, or "bad cholesterol," is the main kind of cholesterol in the blood and is the type of cholesterol that clogs arteries. This is usually the blood value that is most indicative of a person's chances of heart disease. Desirable LDL levels are less than 100 mg/dL.
Triglyceride (TG) is a type of dietary fat that is incompletely broken down by the liver. Aim for a triglyceride level below 100 mg/dL.

Doctors usually recommend that patients try to lower their cholesterol levels through lifestyle measures before taking medications. Here are some tips to help you maintain your blood cholesterol levels within the desirable ranges:

Keep total fat intake less than 30 percent of total calories and saturated fat less than 7 percent of total calories
Consume 20-30 grams of fiber per day
Engage in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week
Maintain a healthy body weight

14 Comments Report Abuse

1. johnson733 - Jun 09 03:25am

How does red rice yeast stack up against the pills that they have out there? I have a friend that swears by it

2. mkatz2m - Jun 09 05:36am

I am a middle aged male and found 30 minutes a day is not enough to lose weight to get into the healthy body weight. I had to more than double this time and intensity of exercise and pretty much follow the guidelines/recommendations as documented by Dr. David Jenkins in the Portfolio Diet studies. I also have to take 400mg Niacin and 10mg Policosanol daily at night to keep my cholesterol levels in the healthy range along with everything else. I also do not have HDL above 40, but I am close to it. Lastly, I drink 4-5 oz of red wine with dinner every other day to help push up the HDL.

3. whirinthelight - Jun 09 06:28am

Left a line out, meant to say that...There was no mention of eating more fruits and vegetables in this article either which helps lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol. For a society that hates to consume those foods...

4. saddiessmiles72 - Jun 09 03:01pm

thanks for the info!!

5. elcbelle - Jun 10 01:02am

I don't agree that Total Chol is the sum of
LDL plus HDL. My Total Chol level is
different. Please clarify.

6. r.skopp@sbcglobal.net - Jun 10 02:29am

Please include information on trans fats.

Thank you

7. whirinthelight - Jun 10 11:57am

This helps!

8. tmartinonline - Jun 10 11:18pm

"Let's start at the beginning. Cholesterol is a substance in the blood that is formed as a result of fat consumption."

Actually, this is not true. Pure vegetarians have cholesterol in their bloodstream, as all mammals do because our bodies naturally produce it. Without it we would die instantly. It is a substance that regulates abosorption in cell membranes (among many other things). Excessive amounts can be found in the blood by over consumption of animal products which can lead to various cardiovascular diseases, but "excessive levels" can also be found in the blood of vegetarians who are fit and exercise regularly. And scientists are far from understanding why one person's high cholesterol leads to heart disease and another's has no ill effects at all. Drug companies have successfully mass marketed their drugs (which must be consumed daily for life) in order to alter this one ingredient in the bloodstream at the expense of many other potential side effects that pose risks to the body and mind. Some of these drugs have been removed from the market after catastrophic side effects. No one knows what the long term effects are.

In the same way that we do regular maintenance on our cars, health care providers should not only check cholesterol (potential risk) but also the condition of a person's arteries (actual state) in order to make a vastly more informed decision. This is not done because providers want to save money in the short term while risking their member's health in the long.

I fully agree with your last paragraph, but unfortunately, the jury is out as to what to do if your cholesterol is still higher than "normal" - eat healthy and exercise or roll the dice and take a drug ...

9. whirinthelight - Jun 10 11:38pm

#1:Your friend is smart. It does work to lower cholesterol and it's safer than any of the cholesterol lowering drugs out there.

10. c11bar - Jun 13 05:05am

#9 You're right, the body produces the cholesterol it needs. Consumption of clean, natural saturated fats from animal products such as butter, cream, tallow, lard and other saturated fats like coconut oil are imperative for good health and raise the cholesterol level to healthy levels. Science shows that all cause death rates are lowered the higher the blood cholesterol levels are. For women, the higher the better all the way up to 1,000 mg/l. For men, the science shows a miniscule increase in risk for total blood cholesterol above 350 mg/l. So if your total cholesterol levels are around 300 mg/l, then you are very healthy and should not be deceived by those who would try to convince you otherwise and sell you a dangerous drug.