Cholesterol

CHICAGO PERSONAL TRAINING
Wellness By Design

FACT: As many as 50 million Americans either have high blood pressure or are taking high blood pressure medication.

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Cholesterol

Cholesterol is only found in animal fats. It is essential in making sex hormones, and bile acids A blood level of less than 200 mg. is desirable. Although cholesterol is a fat, no calories are derived from it, because the body cannot break it down. You should limit yourself to 300 milligrams of cholesterol a day.

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance (lipid). Although it's often discussed as if it were a poison, it performs many essential bodily functions. "Cholesterol" is often a catch-all term for both the cholesterol you eat and the cholesterol in your blood. Cholesterol exists in food as a dietary lipid. You'll find cholesterol only in animal products, such as meat and dairy foods. Cholesterol also exists in a different way as a natural component of your blood lipids. The cholesterol in your blood comes both from your liver and from the foods you eat. Your liver makes about 80 percent of your blood cholesterol.

BAD CHOLESTEROL
VLDLs convert to LDLs which are used by the body and removed. However, some people's systems remove LDLs too slowly which causes LDLs to rise in the blood stream. This slow tendency is hereditary! When the LDL blood levels become too high, the body tends to start depositing cholesterol and other fatty substances in artery walls. LDLs have, therefore, been called "the bad cholesterol" since they're the cause of heart disease. When LDLs line the arteries, they cause atherosclerosis and start slowing the blood supply to vital organs.

GOOD CHOLESTEROL
HDL or 'good cholesterol," serve as the bloodstream's "scavengers," literally vacuuming up cholesterol and carrying it back to the liver to make into new VLDL or to remove it from the body via bile acids. HDLs, by removing cholesterol from the blood, decrease cholesterol damage to the arteries. The higher your HDL cholesterol, the lower your risk of developing heart disease.

TRIGLYCERIDES
Triglycerides area a type of fatty substance in the blood. Blood triglycerides levels tend to be elevated in people who have high cholesterol levels, especially in people who are obese, or those with chronic kidney disease or diabetes. Some studies suggest that high blood triglycerides might increase the risk of heart disease. But other research fails to link high triglycerides levels with heart disease. Ask your physician about therapy to lower your triglycerides. Dietary changes and weight loss can help most people or sometimes medication may be necessary to lower the triglycerides levels.

THE LOWER YOUR RATIO, THE LOWER YOUR RISK OF HEART DISEASE
Improve your total cholesterol/HDL ratio by lowering your LDL cholesterol level, while raising your HDL level! You want to strive for an HDL level of 65 mg/dl or over. HDL levels can be raised significantly by exercising, not smoking and leanness. Exercising regularly may also lower LDL cholesterol.

Knowing The Basics

Many people who have high pressure do not even know they have it.

Most of your blood cholesterol - is created by your liver.

Plants - do not contain cholesterol. (E.g.) a banana or an apple

Cholesterol - comes from animal sources; meat, fish and diary foods.

TOTAL CHOLESTEROL GUIDELINES
200 or less mg/dl  = desirable cholesterol

200-239 mg/dl = borderline to high cholesterol

240 mg/dl or more = high blood cholesterol

Good Cholesterol
HDL levels in relation to
risk for heart disease
Less than 35mg/dl = High Risk
35 to 45 mg/dl = Moderate Risk
45 to 59 mg/dl = Low Risk
60 or higher = Very Low Risk

Bad Cholesterol
Less than 130mg/dl = Desirable LDL
130 to 159mg/dl = Borderline High Risk
160 mg/dl or more = High Risk LDL
cholesterol

Calculate Your Total Cholesterol To HDL Ratios
(E.g.)
Total cholesterol of 250mg/dl
HDL cholesterol 60mg/dl
Total cholesterol /HDL ratio
250/60 = 4.16

Cholesterol To HDL Ratios
Less than 4.0 = decreased coronary risk

5.0 = average coronary risk

6.0 or greater = increased coronary risk

CONTROLLING YOUR WEIGHT

The key to weight control is keeping energy intake (food) and energy output (physical activity) in balance. When you consume only as many calories as your body needs, your weight will usually remain constant. If you take in more calories than your body needs, you will put on excess fat. If you expend more energy than you take in you will burn excess fat. [ read more ]