Cholesterol Problems, Myths, Research
Not too long ago it was believed that cholesterol was the root of all evil related to heart disease and heart related medical and health problems. The world was told to stop eating foods with cholesterol in them, or else you'd give yourself a heart attack.
Since then new research has emerged which has helped doctors, scientists and patients better understand the cholesterol issue, and how it relates to the health of our body. Cholesterol is actually needed by the human body, to help maintain and create healthy cell membranes. And while people do get cholesterol from foods that are eaten, that is not usally the type of cholesterol that causes all of the heart related health problems.
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Total cholesterol levels used to be the measuring stick used to know whether someone was heart healthy, or at risk for developing heart disease and having a heart attack or stroke. A blanket number of about 200 to 220mg of total blood cholesterol levels was decided to be the dividing line. Anyone with total cholesterol levels at or above that point was said to have heart disease, and often they were immediately put onto various types of heart disease medications.
In more recent research however, scientists have come to realize that the total cholesterol levels aren't actually that important. In fact, some people have higher total cholesterol levels naturally, due to their genetic makeup. What is important however, is how much of each type of cholesterol you have, and what the cholesterol ratios are.
There are now two known types of cholesterol in the human body. The first is known as the good cholesterol, or HDL. Another type however, known as LDL, is called bad cholesterol. The goal these days, to help keep the heart healthy or reduce the risks of developing heart disease, is to keep the HDL high, and the LDL low.
The ratio of HDL to LDL is now known to be more important than the overall total cholesterol levels. Unfortunately some doctors still test general totals, and this isn't very useful. Some doctors will test the LDL levels though, and this might be more helpful but it's often not precise enough. The ratio of good to bad cholesterol is the most important thing to test, but those tests are complicated so they're not as widely used yet.
You can help improve your cholesterol ratios with some simple lifestyle changes though. Eating less foods with saturated fats for instance, will help reduce the LDL cholesterol levels. Avoiding all foods with saturated fat isn't wise though, because red meat for instance, contains nutrition elements our bodies need.
Note: Some statements in this article may not be approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional medical advice.
