Why worry about high cholesterol?
High cholesterol is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. according to the Harvard Medical School. High cholesterol is a direct contributor to cardiovascular disease, still the leading cause of death in the U.S., responsible for 50% of heart attacks and 30% of strokes according to the American Heart Association.
How Common is high cholesterol?
A full 50% of Americans have levels above the suggested limit of 200 total cholesterol and One out of three people have cholesterol over 230 mg/dl which is directly associated with increased heart disease and should be lowered.
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance circulating in your blood. Some of your cholesterol comes from the foods you eat including animal fat, cream, butter and other forms of saturated fats. But the bulk of it is actually made in your own body, specifically in the liver.
The “bad” cholesterol: LDL
LDL cholesterol can clog your arteries, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Most people should aim for a level of less than 100 mg/dL.
The “good” cholesterol: HDL
This type of cholesterol attaches to bad cholesterol and brings it to the liver, where it’s filtered out of the body. So HDL cholesterol reduces the amount of bad cholesterol in your system. You should aim for 60 mg/dL or higher.
What are Triglycerides?
These are not cholesterol but another type of fat floating in your blood. Just as with bad cholesterol, having a high level of triglycerides increases your risk of cardiovascular problems. Aim for a level of less than 150 mg/dL.
What should I be targeting?
Anything under 200 mg/dL of total cholesterol is still considered the target but most physicians focus on the ratio between good HDL and bad LDL cholesterol.
What about the ratio of HDL/LDL?
This ratio looks at the ratio of good cholesterol HDL to bad cholesterol LDL. The ratio is determined by dividing the LDL cholesterol into the HDL cholesterol. For example, if a person has an HDL cholesterol of 50 mg/dL and an LDL cholesterol of 150 mg/dL, the HDL/LDL ratio would be 0.33. The goal is to keep the ratio above 0.3, with the ideal HDL/LDL ratio being above 0.4.
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