Maintain Normal Cholesterol Levels Through Proper Diet
Cholesterol can do your body a lot of good though this fact is often overlooked as the publicity given to the negative aspects of high cholesterol levels blurs the essential roles the cholesterol plays in keeping the body in good shape. Of course, excess of one type of cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) can put a person's health at risk
Thus, most attention with regard to cholesterol is centered on this bad cholesterol. In any case, the body is able to produce about eighty percent of its own cholesterol needs and the remaining twenty percent is obtained from the diet that we consume.
The problem really begins when we consume foods that contain excess of bad cholesterol which causes the arteries to thicken and thus impairs the free passage of blood to the rest of the body which may cause heart diseases as well as strokes. It is thus necessary to find out what the normal cholesterol levels are so that we can control the amount of bad cholesterol we ingest and thus enjoy better health.
Total Cholesterol Level
The normal cholesterol levels should not exceed more than 200 mg/dl and this number pertains to total cholesterol in the body which is measured in terms of milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of one's blood. In case, the level of cholesterol exceeds two hundred milligrams per deciliter and is not more than 239 mg/dl, it is considered as above normal cholesterol levels and is a borderline case as far as risk to your health is concerned.
However, when the cholesterol levels exceed normal cholesterol levels by more than forty mg/dl or is measured at 240 mg/dl or more, there is serious risk of suffering heart disease as well as other diseases related to the cardiovascular system. It should also be noted that total cholesterol includes both the good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol.
The normal cholesterol levels for LDL cholesterol is believed to be less than hundred milligrams per deciliter while a measurement of between 100 and 129 mg/dl is deemed as being near normal. If the level of LDL cholesterol exceeds 130 and is less than 159 mg/dl, you would be a borderline case as far as risk to your health is concerned, while a reading of between 160 mg/dl and 189 mg/dl is considered high, and anything above 190 mg/dl is considered as being a serious condition.
On the other hand, the normal cholesterol levels of HDL or good cholesterol need to be high and should be around sixty milligrams per deciliter and never below forty mg/dl in the case of men. In the case of women the normal cholesterol levels for HDL cholesterol should be fifty milligrams per deciliter.
Thus, to maintain normal cholesterol levels it is necessary to consume a healthy diet and to also exercise regularly. It is also essential that you give up smoking since tobacco can lower the level of good (HDL) cholesterol in the body.
