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The Skinny on Fatty Blood
by Ariana Ayu, DSc, RN
June 2009
Cholesterol – everyone talks about it, but how many know the facts. If you have
a personal or family history of heart disease, you should know more about it. If
not, it’s still important to know, especially with our “on-the-go” lifestyles of
eating out and minimal exercise.
So what is cholesterol and what do my numbers mean?
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy fat in your blood. There are several types, but
healthcare providers are mostly concerned with HDL (high-density lipoprotein,
aka “Happy Cholesterol”), LDL (low-density lipoprotein, aka “Lousy
Cholesterol”), and triglyceride levels. While triglycerides are not a form of
cholesterol, they are the most common fats in one’s body, and are therefore
important to take note of (and they can test these levels along with your
cholesterol in one simple blood draw). The ideal level for triglycerides is less
than 150 mg/dL.
HDL (“happy”) cholesterol is thought to be responsible for transporting fats
away from the arteries and back to the liver where it can be processed and
excreted from the body. A high level (>50 mg/dL) is believed to help prevent
heart attacks, while a low level (<40 mg/dL in men or <50 mg/dL in women) can be
a dangerous indicator of heart disease and stroke risk. The only way to increase
one’s HDL is by regular exercise (at least 30 minutes/ day, most days of the
week).
LDL (“lousy”) cholesterol is responsible for that nice thick plaque that builds
up in the arteries leading to one’s heart and brain. When the arteries become
clogged with excess LDL cholesterol, the organs fed by those arteries receive
reduced amounts of blood, oxygen, and nutrients, and may fail (as in a heart
attack or stroke) if a clot gets stuck in the narrowed vessel. The goal for LDL
levels is to be less than 100 mg/dL. 100-129 is considered near optimal, 130-159
is considered borderline high, 160-189 is considered high, and levels greater
than 190 are considered very high.
Total Cholesterol is the sum of all types of cholesterol found in the blood (not
just HDL + LDL). Healthy total cholesterol levels are below 200 mg/dL, but your
physician may recommend that you keep yours even lower due to personal or
genetic history.
Where does cholesterol come from?
If you watch TV ads at all, you know that cholesterol comes from two sources:
food you eat, and genetic tendencies. Cholesterol is a substance that is
naturally produced in the body (specifically the liver), so it can only be
obtained from animal products. If you have a genetic predisposition to high
cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia or hyperlipidemia) that means that your liver
tends to produce more cholesterol than the rest of the “normal” population (as
if any of us are that normal, anyway!).
How can I reduce my cholesterol?
If you have high cholesterol, speak with your cardiovascular specialist. There
are many tests than can be performed to see whether or not your arteries are
clogged and whether or not medication is appropriate for you.
If you’d like a more natural approach, exercising and changing your diet can
drastically improve your cholesterol levels. You can reduce your intake of
cholesterol along with saturated and trans fats, but you can also increase your
intake of soluble fiber and plant sterols (such as in CocoaVia chocolates or
Smart Balance Buttery Spread with HeartRight – but use your common sense here!).
Ideally we should each be consuming a minimum of 25mg fiber/day (average
Americans consume about 15 mg/day); most fiber is insoluble, if soluble fiber is
in a product, it will be specifically labeled. To lower LDL cholesterol, it is
recommended to consume 10-25 mg of soluble fiber each day.
For more information, go to the American Heart Institute website (www.americanheart.org)
or the National Cholesterol Education Program at the NIH (www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/ncep/index.htm).
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