Cholesterol levels – HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol

Cholesterol levels are an important issue. No matter what shape you are in, regardless of whether you are fit or unfit, it is important for everyone that they keep track of the amount of cholesterol in the body. Why? Simply because, as most people are aware, too much cholesterol and too high cholesterol levels can have disastrous effects on health. However, what most people do not know is that not all cholesterol is bad.

Is there such a thing as good cholesterol?

Simply put, yes. There are two main types of cholesterol that you will come across in your diet – HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Respectively, these stand for ‘high density lipoproteins’ and ‘low density lipoproteins’. Although the science of it is not important, what you should know is that these two types of cholesterol have almost polar opposite effects on the body.

High density cholesterol is what is commonly referred to as a ‘good’ form of cholesterol for you, something that you should strive to have more of when you are watching your cholesterol levels. This is because the HDL form of cholesterol has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, and hence has a good reputation. LDL on the other hand is what is known as bad cholesterol, as this is the kind that you will hear about again and again in the media – it increases obesity and increases the risk of heart related problems.

Getting the right cholesterol

Unfortunately, a lot of the food that we know and enjoy contains LDL forms of cholesterol, not the beneficial HDL that our body needs. This means it is up to you, personally, to make sure that you ingest foods that are beneficial to you, and contain more of the good kinds of cholesterol than the bad.

What you therefore have to realise when considering your cholesterol levels is that you have to get the right kinds. When talking about your levels of cholesterol in general, any professional will be considering both the HDL and LDL forms, it is your job to make sure that you have more of the HDL than the LDL.

Although this may not be easy, luckily more and more food companies are realising that people truly care about their body and their heart’s health. This means that if a food contains the better form of cholesterol, it is far more likely that the company will advertise this, making it easier for you to keep track of the kinds of cholesterol you are taking in.

How to do this

What can work for a lot of people is simply the image of cholesterol in your blood. Right now there are forms of cholesterol building up in your arteries, and if you eat too much food with the wrong cholesterol, this can easily lead to blockages and heart disease.

Therefore, it is your job to make sure you keep your levels of cholesterol down, and that you go to your GP for advice.