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| Good Cholesterol vs. Bad Cholesterol |
By:
ProMedics |
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It can get confusing when your doctor tells you that you need to lower your cholesterol, but then applauds you for getting your cholesterol levels up. What's the deal? How can you be working so hard to lower your cholesterol only to find that you're actually raising your cholesterol?
The answer, is that there are two different types of cholesterol, one bad one that you should be lowering and one good one that you should be working to increase. The bad cholesterol is called low-density lipoproteins, or LDL; the good type is high-density lipoproteins, or HDL.
How do these two forms of cholesterol operate and how do they affect you?
LDL cholesterol circulates in your bloodstream, but if too much of it is produced, it begins to build up in the artery walls. These arteries, which are supposed to carry healthy blood supplies to the heart and the brain, then get clogged with what's known as plaque. If an artery gets stopped up with a high amount of LDL, it can cause a stroke or heart attack.
HDL cholesterol, on the other hand, protect the heart and brain my keeping arteries clear. HDL transport the bad stuff to the liver, where the LDL cholesterol is then disposed of.
So if you're diagnosed with high cholesterol, your doctor will encourage you to lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol levels. Drugs like work towards this effect as do other. Of course, no doctor will tell you to take cholesterol lowering medication without also adopting a healthy way of living that includes lots of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, low-fat and low-cholesterol meats and dairy products, and regular exercise.
Makes much more sense now, right?
VISIT : http://www.pro-medics.com |
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