Something that we hear about all the time anymore and that’s cholesterol. Do we really understand what HDL and LDL is? Livegreaterhealth.com wants you to know? Yes good or bad we have to have it, but our body can use the good and the bad can kill us if we don’t take action.
In this article today we are going to study this and find out a lot more about it. Most everybody has blood work done occasionally and this is where cholesterol becomes more apparent to us when it gets flagged high.
That’s when we start worrying about it and rightfully so. I want to explain what cholesterol is, what it does for the body, what we can do about it and how to use it for the good.
Do you worry about high cholesterol?
Let’s start off with what is it…
What is Cholesterol?
We at livegreaterhealth like to give the best information that we can to keep you better informed. So we go to Wikipedia and it tells us that cholesterol is and we quote ” compound of the sterol type found in most body tissues. Cholesterol and its derivatives are important constituents of cell membranes and precursors of other steroid compounds, but a high proportion in the blood of low-density lipoprotein (which transports cholesterol to the tissues) is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.”
What we know about HDL and LDL they are carriers of cholesterol in the body.
Now that we know what it is we can see how important it is to us to control it.
How is it good for our Health?
HDL good cholesterol or High-Density Lipoprotein we love this cholesterol carrier because it helps fight bad cholesterol.
High-Density Lipoprotein(HDL) travels through the bloodstream in our body destroying the bad cholesterol when it is in the wrong place.
It destroys it by carrying it to the liver where it is removed from the body.
Cholesterol is waxy like substance in our cells and helps build the cell the liver produces 75% of our cholesterol the other 25% comes from food. This is why good cholesterol is needed for the body.
Raising good cholesterol is a must in most people because it does keep us healthier.
How? By raising good cholesterol our heart will love us for it because it helps lower the risk of heart disease.
Lowering the risk of heart disease is done by the HDL going through the bloodstream picking up the bad and taking back to the liver. When it reaches the liver it is broken down and emitted from the body.
How is it bad for us?
LDL bad cholesterol or Low-Density Lipoprotein a cholesterol carrier we don’t want high levels of this can be deadly.
Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) as LDL travels through your blood vessels it has the tendency to stick and build-up narrowing the pathway for the blood to travel. They can become completely clogged up causing strokes and heart attacks.
Giving this cholesterol the bad name the one we want to get rid of or just keep lowered.
Now since we know a little more about cholesterol what do you think that we should do to stay healthy?
How do we raise HDL?
To raise our HDL cholesterol carriers we are going to have to change the way we eat and our lifestyle as well.
Alright let’s see we want to raise our HDL so how do we do that? One thing is we have to stay active being active every day helps raise the HDL cholesterol carriers in the body.
Another thing that we need to do is and it should have been your first. Quit smoking. Smoking is one of the worst things you can do to your body.
Change what you eat what we mean by that is foods that have better fats like polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. These are healthier fats. The reason for this that we want to raise the HDL because it puts the cholesterol back in its place.
Cut back on the alcohol consumption too much alcohol can dehydrate the body.
HDL a cholesterol carrier is made by the liver where we get most of our cholesterol the rest comes from food. This is something we have to understand.
Eating healthier exercise and doing the things that are better for us eventually raises HDL.
OH yeah, almost forgot weight loss is a big help.
How do we lower LDL?
This is done in the same manner as raising HDL the more of the good the lower the bad. By doing the good things for health the lower LDL should get.
Eat plenty of fiber and protein don’t forget.
What is simple to understand is that when it comes to cholesterol carriers the more the good HDL the more of the bad is carried away to the liver to be removed.
So it all boils down to raising the good carriers to limit the bad ones.
Bottom Line
Staying healthy with a good diet and plenty of exercise regularly with good decisions will improve our health. Keeping our cholesterol level normal will extend our lives when it comes to having a stroke or dying of a heart attack. This website is all about health and helps to extend one’s life.
Clogged arteries are one of the main causes of stroke and heart attack so this post is for longer life and better health.
Should be shared by everyone.
Conclusion
Livegreaterhealth has given another life-saving article just in time to get us back on track for a longer and more energetic live. We want to know if you like this article or there is something more you would want to know about? Please leave us a comment below and let us know. We appreciate you reading our post hope you come back for more info. when you need it.
Hey Fred, I think we should all know how vital it is to control our cholesterol levels. It’s crucial to avoid cardiovascular disease and other diseases of the body.
And HDL is just as important as LDL. I write about this on my website as well.
The key is always about eating healthy and exercising and for the most part, cholesterol levels will always be affected by these two health choices. Do you agree?
Exactly I agree and thanks for the comment. Hi is probably more important than ldl because if you control it,it will take care of the other. It was not spoken of but you can take certain supplements to help control cholesterol. I will talk more about this later on.
Thanks Fred for a very thought provoking post. A reminder to us all that great diet and exercise are key ingredients to live long and prosper.
Thanks for the comment, Sarah. Yes, it makes a big difference when eating the right diet combined with exercise over a period of years. Not always but usually our lives are extended and we feel better.
Oh My God.. what a great article and a superb website full of all health related information for us. I really appreciate your work. Thank you for sharing this article regarding cholesterol with us, looking forward for more reads form you…:)
Thank you, Sarah, for the comment. Man how we don’t ever think about how our arteries build up plague over the years. This happens by eating the wrong stuff and not getting the right exercise. We might think we are healthy as can be, then fall over with a heart attack.
This was a great read for me. I never really knew what cholesterol, LDL or HDL, really meant. All I knew is that my levels are good, so I am happy about that. Even though they are good, I try to consciously eat well wanting to keep it that way! Thank you for the great information!
Thanks for the comment, Laehrae, I’m glad you liked the article cholesterol is a big problem in the world today especially in the U.S. The wrong diet and lifestyle play a role in this condition. Usually, if we can control them then our chances of this are decreased. You keep eating right and exercising you should be alright but don’t forget to keep a check with your doctor.