Lower high cholesterol

Whenever you think of cholesterol, your only thought is that it should be lower, however HDL levels are not the same. When it comes to HDL cholesterol levels,the higher the better . HDL is different as compared to cholesterol. In fact your HDL levels means high density lipoproteins. And our bodies do not have quite enough of them. Their role of HDL in our body is to carry cholesterol away from body tissues after LDL has carried it to them. Being given that LDL vastly outnumbers HDL by about 3 to 1, we are much better off if we can raise our HDL cholesterol levels.

There are many different ways that you will want to achieve this. On the list are the excessive smoking, body weight, exercise,alcohol and medications. So Let us look at the actual numbers on this. You have to always remember that the smallest changes in HDL levels are significant. In fact, 1 mg/dL increase in your HDL cholesterol levels means as much as a 2 to 4 percent cardiac problems in general and reduction in risk of heart disease.

Concerning the HDL levels you need to remember that the numbers are different for men and women. In most cases, the average figure for HDL is approximately 40 mg/dL for what someone wants in HDL cholesterol levels. This is the range that you have to think in terms of.

At this point we should go from risky HDL to average HDL to ideal HDL levels. The too-low danger flag about HDL is 37 mg/dL for men and at 47 mg/dL for women. The accepted range for men to have is about 40 to 50 mg/dL, and for women 50 to 60 mg/dL. The general target range for HDL cholesterol levels is about 60 mg/dL but you have to remember that nothing is set in stone in this area. You should set a reasonable goal to increase HDL cholesterol levels by 10 mg/dL from whatever it is now.

As you can see there is, indeed ,a vast difference from your cholesterol levels and your HDL levels. You should not confuse the two of them. You must always remember that HDL levels work in the exact opposite manner than cholesterol does, however your HDL levels is akin to monitoring your cholesterol in that they both play a huge role in your overall health. It very surprising to note how much people get so involved in their cholesterol levels that they forget about everything else. By eating a balanced and nutritious combination of whole foods,you can keep your HDL levels in regulation.

More on tips about how to lower cholesterol.