Cholesterol 101

Do you know what your cholesterol numbers are?  Did you know is important to know more than just your level of "total cholesterol"?  Before we continue, you should know that cholesterol is not a bad thing.  This is an important building block for cell membranes and the production of certain hormones.  It is also responsible for the production of bile acids which assist in digesting fats.  Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver and the body produces approximately 700-900mg daily.  Your body actually produces all the cholesterol it needs therefore making dietary cholesterol unnecessary.

The only food items that contain cholesterol are those made from animal products such as meats, eggs, and dairy.  The average American consumes approximately 300mg of cholesterol daily.  It is possible to eat a diet high in cholesterol and saturated fat and still have low blood levels of cholesterol.  Unfortunately the opposite is true also; you can consume little to no foods containing cholesterol and saturated fat and have high blood cholesterol levels.  Genetics plays a role in how much your body produces so sometimes it is difficult to control cholesterol through diet alone.

Cholesterol is transported through your body by way of "lipoproteins".  There are three different lipoproteins:  very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and high-density lipoproteins (HDL).  The first two (VLDL and LDL) are considered to be "bad cholesterol" because they contain more cholesterol than protein while HDL is "good cholesterol" because it has a majority of protein.  HDL helps to remove excess cholesterol from the blood by transporting it back to the liver for disposal.

When you have your blood levels checked by your health practitioner, you will be given more than just your total cholesterol number.  Blood work will reveal LDL and HDL levels, triglyceride and total cholesterol levels, as well as a ratio of cholesterol-to-HDL.  High levels of LDL in the blood increase your risk for heart disease and heart attacks.  Desirable LDL levels are below 130.  Since HDL is the "good cholesterol", higher levels are desired; blood levels should be 45 or above.  Total cholesterol levels should be below 200 for optimal decrease in the risk for heart disease.  Finally, the total cholesterol-to-HDL ratio is the another indicator of risk.  This ratio is calculated by dividing the total cholesterol by HDL.  For example, if your total cholesterol level is 200 and your HDL level is 45, your ratio is approximately 4.4.  The lower the ratio the better and below 4.5 is desired.

These numbers will provide your health practitioner valuable information about your risk for heart disease and heart attacks.  If you have a family history of heart disease, you really should know your numbers.  No matter what, you should have blood work performed in order better understand your risk for developing heart disease.  Talk with your health practitioner and if it has been a while since your last blood draw (or if you've never had it done), request a "lipid profile".  You'll learn about what's happening inside your body so you can better control what's happening outside of your body.