Maintaining A Normal Cholesterol Level

Answer 1

People are becoming increasingly conscious of their health and the different factors that affect their overall health. Cholesterol is one issue that doctors consistently bring up with their patients. The right cholesterol level is crucial to maintaining a healthy heart. Ultimately, the heart is the most important organ and the one thing that people should be most interested in protecting.

What Is a Normal Cholesterol Level?

Cholesterol got a bad name decades ago when physicians looked at it as a malicious presence in human blood. Since then, they have determined that there is a good form of cholesterol and a bad form of cholesterol. The amount of each in your blood is critical for maintaining a healthy status.

LDL cholesterol is now recognized as the bad kind of cholesterol. When this substance builds up in your blood, it can begin to apply itself to the interior linings of your arteries. This clogging is known as Heart disease and can eventually result in a heart attack.

HDL cholesterol is now recognized as a benevolent substance that must be maintained at higher levels in order to maintain health. It actually prevents the clogging that LDL cholesterol can cause. Therefore, just lowering LDL levels will not prevent arteries from clogging unless HDL levels are simultaneously raised.

Normal Cholesterol Level LDL

The ideal level of LDL cholesterol for most people, especially for those people who are at risk of heart disease, is about 70 milligrams per deciliter or lower. This is a very hard level to reach on the typical North American diet. Doctors are generally satisfied if patients can maintain their LDL cholesterol score around 100.

Normal Cholesterol Level - HDL

It is best if a person maintains his or her HDL cholesterol level above 60 milligrams per deciliter. As long as patients keep it somewhere between 50 and 59, this is considered satisfactory. Below 50 is discouraged.