by Cory Davison

Created on: April 07, 2009

TYPES OF CHOLESTEROL

To truly understand the impact that high cholesterol has on your body, you must first understand the various types of cholesterol and the foods from which they come. Cholesterol is a substance found within the human body used primarily in the manufacturing of hormones. Cholesterol binds to various lipoproteins for transportation throughout the body. There are five groups of lipoproteins within the body, but only two of them are absolutely vital to understand. Those two are: low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

LDL cholesterol is the heart's worst enemy. It is a very sticky substance, and tends to get stuck to arterial walls. This spells disaster for your circulatory system. This buildup of cholesterol, also known as plaque, hardens and narrows your arteries, drastically decreasing the amount of blood which can flow through them. It is this buildup of plaque that leads to conditions such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and congestive heart failure.

HDL cholesterol on the other hand is very good for you. Unlike its fatty cousin LDL, HDL cholesterol is very hard. As it passes through your circulatory system, it chips plaque that has accumulated on your arterial walls. This is especially important for maintaining a healthy heart and circulatory system.

PREVENTING HIGH CHOLESTEROL

When a physician tells you that you have high cholesterol, they're generally referring to high amounts of low density lipoprotein within your blood. In order to prevent this from happening, or to reverse it if you already have high LDL levels, you have to make some drastic changes. Those changes include:

I. Proper Diet - Eating properly is of vital importance for maintaining a healthy body. If you want to drop your LDL cholesterol levels, you're going to have to lay off foods high in saturated fat. Those types of food include: red meats, fast food, deep fried foods, pastries, cookies, and dairy products. Increasing your HDL cholesterol levels is just as important as lowering your LDL. To raise your HDL levels, try eating foods such as fish, vegetable oils, flax seed, and other foods rich in linolenic acid (omega-3).

II. Regular Exercise Routine exercise can greatly increase your health. The general rule of thumb is 30 minutes a day, three times a week. In this case however, the more the merrier, as long as you aren't overloading your central nervous system. Exercise not only supports optimal circulatory health, but your overall health as well, both physically and mentally.

Cholesterol is not difficult to manage, even for those with hereditary issues. Just remember, you control your body, your body doesn't control you. As long as you eat healthily and exercise regularly, you can either achieve or maintain those healthy cholesterol levels.

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