HDL…..LDL……it all sounds so confusing. For that very reason, I'm going to discuss the two over a period of the next few days so that you can leave with a better understanding of the good, the bad and the answer to getting both where they need to be. There are primarily two "numbers" that identify your HDL/LDL levels and what is considered a healthy range for them both. Our combined HDL and LDL levels create our overall cholesterol level. My resource for this blog is from the several websites including: American Heart Association's website (http://www.americanheart.org), MedNet (www.mednet.com) and Medical Terminology (http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=6232) I encourage you to visit these reliable resources to learn how to prevent heart disease, understand cholesterol and why it is so important to take preventative steps to avoid deadly health risks that you cannot "see".
What is it?
HDL:
*HDL is "high density lipoproteins" produced by our body to send back the LDL to our liver to be reprocessed and assists in keeping our arteries "clean"
*Also known as the "good" cholesterol
*It is genetically influenced (inherited from our ancestors)
*HDL helps to "cleanse" our arteries of the bad cholesterol, sending it back to the liver for processing
LDL:
*LDL is "low density lipoproteins" produced via "lipid" (fat) and protein (the way in which lipid is transported in the blood)
*Known as the "bad" cholesterol
*Infamous for clogging our arteries
*We can "assist" (help) both our LDL and HDL levels through balanced diet and exercise
How does cholesterol work?
Our liver produces and secretes LDL cholesterol into our blood. It also removes LDL cholesterol via the liver's LDL receptors. Decreased liver cell LDL receptors affect the liver's ability to remove the LDL from our blood. The HDL (aka good cholesterol) sends back the LDL (bad cholesterol) to our liver to be reprocessed. When our HDL's are low (below 40 for men, 50 for women) and our LDL's are high (above 130), our body does not process the cholesterol as it should (that's the simplest way to put it). Diet and exercise assist in the efficiency of both (HDL and LDL).
What is a healthy range/level for my HDL (remember: High HDL = good)?
Men: 40-50 mg/dL
Women: 50-60 mg/dL
What is a healthy range for my LDL (remember: Low LDL = good)?
70 mg/dL or lower for people with very high heart related diseases (VERY GOOD)!
100 mg/dL or lower for people with high heart related diseases (Great)
100-129 mg/dL near ideal for most people (IDEAL)
130 – 159 mg/dL borderline! (BORDERLINE)
160 – 189 mg/dL high!! (DANGEROUS)
190 very high!!! (NOT GOOD AT ALL!)
What should my "total cholesterol" be (HDL and LDL combined)?
Desirable: Levels below 200 mg/dL are recognized as "desirable" cholesterol levels
Borderline/high risk: 200 – 239 mg/dL are considered "borderline to high risk"
High risk: Over 240 mg/dL are "dangerously" high
What should I avoid doing (eating/drink)?
*Smoking (anything)
*Alcohol (abstinence is best) – The risk of alcoholism is greater than the benefits of alcohol. If you are looking for the benefits found in red wine, eat red grapes! The word "moderation" is just too broad for most people and the addiction to alcohol is not worth it!
*Unhealthy diet (i.e. - saturated/trans fats, refined sugar, junk food, preservatives, processed foods)
*Inactivity (sedentary lifestyle)
How do we increase it?
*Exercise – 20 to 30 minutes of Aerobic exercise a day will assist your cholesterol in doing its job. Weight lifting/resistance training is great for other reasons, but Aerobic exercise (activity that increases your heart rate) is a must in helping/increasing your HDL and decreasing your LDL.
*Nutrition – Proper nutrition results in wellness and wellness produces good health and appropriate weight loss or gain (that's my theory!) Eating any food high in Omega 3 fatty acids (fatty fish) is an absolute must. Salmon, Sea Bass (aka Rockfish), Mackerel, Sardines, Herring, Albacore Tuna, fresh fruit, Olive Oil, and any other polyunsaturated fatty foods are great in assisting our HDL.
Note: Be careful to eat "healthy" fats which greatly assist in the functioning of your HDL.
What happens when our HDL is too low?
*Heart disease increases when our HDL is unable to usher back the bad cholesterol (LDL) to our liver to be reprocessed. The purpose of the HDL is to assist the cleansing of our blood vessels, which directly leads to our heart. If our HDL is too low then it can't do its job of cleaning out our arteries. When our LDL is too high, we can suffer a stroke and face the increased risk of a heart attack
Tomorrow: Cholesterol testing – when, how and why it's important
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