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Know Your LDL and HDL Numbers

Learn the meanings of words like, Cholesterol, LDL, HDL and Triglycerides. Cholesterol tests are very important because they reveal potential risks for heart disease. When you understand the terms and what the tests mean, you can make changes to live a more healthy life.

Cholesterol and triglycerides are two forms of lipid, or fat, that circulate in your bloodstream. They are both necessary for life itself. Cholesterol is necessary for building and maintaining parts of your cells, like cell membranes, and for making several essential hormones.

Triglycerides, which are chains of high-energy fatty acids, provide much of the energy needed for your tissues to function. So you can't live without them.

But when blood levels of cholesterol or triglycerides become too high, your risk of developing cardiovascular disease is significantly increased. And this is why you need to be concerned about your lipid levels.

Low-density lipoproteins -LDL, are composed mainly of cholesterol and have very little protein. They are often referred to as “bad or lousy cholesterol” because they are primarily responsible for depositing cholesterol within arteries.

High-density lipoproteins-HDL, are composed mainly of proteins, with only small amounts of cholesterol. They are often referred to as “good or healthy cholesterol” because they help remove cholesterol from artery walls and transport it to the liver for elimination from the body. Higher HDL levels actually protect against coronary heart disease.

High blood cholesterol is often described as the silent killer as there are no symptoms that indicate high levels. The incidence of heart attacks are increased with higher levels of LDL, “lousy” cholesterol, although other factors such as diet, lack of exercise and genetics do have an impact.

Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in the United States. Each year, more than a million Americans have heart attacks, and about a half million people die from heart disease.

The Connection Between Cholesterol and Heart Attacks

Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart and other parts of your body. If enough blood & oxygen cannot reach the heart & blood supply to a portion of the heart is cut off by a blockage, (plaque), in the arteries, the result is a heart attack. The images below illustrate a blocked artery and an artery that has no blockage, one that we should aim to have.

Adults should have a cholesterol test at least once every 5 years. Annual checks are advisable in cases of high cholesterol. The screening test that is usually performed is a blood test called a lipid profile. Fasting for at least 9 hours before the test is recommended.

Results of your blood test will come in the forms of numbers. Here is what you should be looking for:

More About Cholesterol

Cholesterol is not all bad and is actually very useful for our bodies. Amongst several benefits, cholesterol provides a water proof barrier for our skin cells and prevents dehydration. The brain also has high concentrations of cholesterol.

The development of synapses or connections between neurons, is directly dependent on the availability of cholesterol. One of the reasons that sleep is beneficial to our learning and memory is because it enables our brain to make more cholesterol. There are health risks associated with high levels of cholesterol in the blood

Cholesterol is a waxy substance found in the cells of our body, in our blood and in foods we eat. The liver also produces cholesterol. As it does not dissolve in the blood, our bodies have “transportation mechanisms” that carry the cholesterol through the blood stream. These “mechanisms ” are called lipoproteins.
The image below, for illustration purposes, depicts cholesterol being “transported ”in lipoprotein trucks”, in our blood stream.

We will concentrate on 2 lipoproteins, LDL and HDL. Chemical make up of these lipoproteins affect what happens to the cholesterol and its impact on your health.