Cholesterol Levels Ontario
Ldl Service Co Inc
What Is High Hdl Cholestorol
Diet For People With High Triglycerides
Cholesterol Free Diet High Cholesterol Food List
Cholesterol
HDL LDL
breakdown of cholesterol levels
Unlike LDL and triglycerides, the risk factor of heart attack and stroke is inversely related to the concentration of HDL in blood. An effective diet to lower cholesterol would be a vegetarian diet. While it is recognized that there are many factors that contribute to high cholesterol, there are a few things that can be done to lower cholesterol and maintain those normal levels. Getting cholesterol information is not hard, but understanding cholesterol and, more importantly, knowing your own cholesterol level is what will determine if you need to take any action in the end. The first thing to do is introduce a cholesterol free diet as soon as you hear the news that you are on the high cholesterol list. ) are very rich in cholesterol.
can cholesterol levels could be too low
There are many cholesterol medicines available on the market, but you should not indulge in any medications without your doctors advice. You may not like to go to the doctor everytime you want to know whether your cholesterol levels are within limits or not, so in the meantime, what other means can you adopt to keep a track of your cholesterol? Many are offering salads, yogurt, and fruit as healthy choices, and some even let you replace items in a combo meal with these lower or no cholesterol foods. To keep LDL down and HDL up, it is important to eat a healthy diet, by consuming more fruits and vegetables and staying away from high concentrations of saturated fat that is usually found in foods that come from animals. Nevertheless, control by means of diet, exercise, and medication is effective in bringing high triglycerides levels down to normal. However, some digital cholesterol home test kits can give you a more accurate reading: these digital tests can differentiate between LDL and HDL cholesterol levels.
There are a few different names for cholesterol tests such as total cholesterol, lipid tests, lipoprotein test or lipid profile. These tests all do essentially the same thing, which is measure the amount of cholesterol or triglycerides in serums (blood).
Preparing For And Taking A Cholesterol Test
It is advisable to fast for nine to twelve hours before you go to the lab for a cholesterol test. Only water should be ingested during the fasting period because any other substances can possibly affect the test results. For adults, no other preparation is necessary. For infants and children requiring testing, explaining the steps of blood collection will help relieve some anxiety, but infants may still need to be restrained.
A sample of blood is needed to perform a total cholesterol test. For a quick simple test a lancet is used to prick a finger and a small amount of blood is applied to a test strip, slide or other small container. The results for this type of test can take mere minutes.
A more detailed cholesterol test requires more blood so the sample must extracted from a vein using a needle and collected in an airtight vial or syringe. It can take several days to get the results from this type of test.
Total Cholesterol Level Test Results
The results of a cholesterol test will help your doctor decide what treatments, if any, are necessary to reduce your risks of heart disease and stroke. Normal levels of total cholesterol are less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl), while 200-239 mg/dl is considered borderline high and any reading 240 mg/dl or higher is considered high.
Cholesterol test results, other than total cholesterol, will give you the levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol and triglycerides.
Doctors Orders
Depending on the results of your cholesterol test your doctor may first prescribe that a new diet that is low in fat and cholesterol. Increasing the amount and frequency of regular exercise can also help lower your total cholesterol number. As always, smoking cessation is advised not only to control cholesterol levels but also to improve your health in general.
But if these lifestyle changes do not bring your total cholesterol levels into a normal range, prescription medications may be necessary. These drugs, known as statins, come in a variety of brand names. Your doctor has many choices and will advise you about potential side effects of any he may prescribe.
To truly get your cholesterol numbers under control and reduce your risks of premature heart attack or stroke you must watch your diet, exercise regularly and take your medicines as directed.