Cholesterol Levels,LDL HDL Cholesterol

Details on blood cholesterol levels , LDL and HDL cholesterol and their harmful effect on body. What value is a healthy level and what is high cholesterol?

Know different cholesterol ranges as given below.

What is Cholesterol?

Blood Cholesterol is an essential substance in our bodies for good health. It is a white, waxy compound called sterols, present in every cell of the body. It is produced by our body for several purposes. Cholesterol is essential for the development of our hormones and brain function. The result of not having enough cholesterol is depression and irritability.

In some people cholesterol is produced more than is required by the body, especially when the diet contains saturated fats. Saturated fats in the diet force the body to make too much cholesterol. The dietary cholesterol is found only in animal products. Saturated fats are found both in animal and vegetable foods and dairy products.

Cholesterol Levels, Cholesterol Numbers

In adults, a blood cholesterol level below 200 mg/dl is considered to be desirable. Blood cholesterol is of two main categories: High density Lipoproteins (HDL) and Low density lipoproteins (LDL). People with a high HDL cholesterol levels have low incidence of heart disease. HDL is a sort of cleaner that clean the deposit of fats in the blood arteries. HDL is improved with regular exercise and eating low fat foods. The cholesterol to HDL ratio is also important than the individual values of HDL and LDL.

Oxycholesterol is Worse

High levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol can increase the risk of heart attacks. Now, scientists have discovered a little-known type of cholesterol, oxycholesterol which may prove to be the most serious and lethal cardiovascular health threat of all.

Scientists from China reported in the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in August 2009 that fried and processed food, particularly fast food, contains high amounts of oxycholesterol.

Oxycholesterol is as important as LDL and HDL cholesterols and should not be ignored. Their study demonstrated that oxycholesterol boosts total cholesterol levels and reduces elasticity of arteries and promotes atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) more than other cholesterols. But a healthy diet rich in antioxidants can counter these effects.

Well, Congratulations! Normal Cholesterol Level: Total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dL and HDL-cholesterol (good cholesterol) 40 mg/dL or greater.

Get Your Lipoprotein Profile: Total cholesterol less than 200 mg/dL and HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) less than 40 mg/dL.

Get Your Lipoprotein Profile: Total cholesterol 240 mg/dL and above, regardless of HDL-cholesterol level

See for other risk factors: Total cholesterol between 200 to 239 mg/dL and HDL-cholesterol (good cholesterol) 40 mg/dL or greater.

Levels of LDL cholesterol:
A desirable LDL cholesterol level is less than 130 mg/dL
A borderline-high risk level is from 130 to 158 mg/dL
High risk is 160 mg/dL and above.

Recently, the recommendation is that the hdl ldl cholesterol ratio is as important as individual levels of HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. In the table below you will notice the cholesterol level values in two different cholesterol units mmol/L &mg/dL.