Understanding Cholesterol...........

Hi Guys,

For a non-medical guy like me the word ‘Cholesterol’ is quite scary. Often we suffer from many misconceptions about it. Here is the Cholesterol simplified…….

·                 There are multiple forms of cholesterol circulating in the blood. The various forms of cholesterol and other fats in the blood are together called lipids. Doctors measure and diagnose high cholesterol with a simple blood test, often called a lipid profile. It's often done after fasting for nine to 12 hours to eliminate the contribution of any fat you recently ate.

·                   Tests for cholesterol provide results for four different types of lipids.

Total Cholesterol

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is the "bad cholesterol".

HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the "good cholesterol".

Triglycerides is a form of fat in the blood.

·                   Understanding Cholesterol test results:-

For total Cholesterol

200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or less is considered normal.

201 to 240 mg/dL is borderline.

Greater than 240 mg/dL is considered high.

For HDL ("good cholesterol"), more is better

HDL 60 mg/dL or higher is good -- it protects against
            heart disease.

HDL between 40 and 59 mg/dL are acceptable.

Less than 40 mg/dL HDL is low, increasing the risk of
            heart disease.

For LDL ("bad cholesterol"), lower is better

LDL of less than 100 mg/dL is optimal.

LDL of 100 to 129 mg/dL is near-optimal.

LDL between 130 and 159 mg/dL is borderline high.

LDL between 160 and 189 mg/dL is high.

An LDL of 190 mg/dL or more is considered very high.

So next time when your physician asks you to undergo the test, take it easy.  If bad cholesterol troubles you in the test, you know what’s to be done to get rid of the little monster.

Wishing you a good health………..