Female: Cholesterol! You hear the word a lot, but what exactly is cholesterol and why should you be concerned about it.
Male: Cholesterol is a fatty substance found among the lipids, in the bloodstream, and in cells throughout the body. Cholesterol is not inherently bad. In fact, cholesterol is naturally occurring, plays an important role in the formation of cell membranes and in the manufacturing of hormones.
But the body only needs a small amount of cholesterol to carryout most of these functions. It is only when the body has too much cholesterol that it becomes a potential health risk. Cholesterol and other fats can not dissolve in the bloodstream. So they need to be transported into and out of cells by special carriers called lipoproteins. Cholesterol is carried by two of this. Low Density Lipoprotein known as LDL and High Density Lipoprotein known as HDL. When the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream increases, the body needs to create additional lipoproteins.
LDL cholesterol has become known as the bad cholesterol because when there is too much of it in the bloodstream. It tends to build up in the arterial walls forming plaque. This plaque builds up clogs and hardens the arteries, a condition known as atherosclerosis. This can lead to heart attack or stroke.
HDL cholesterol has been the good cholesterol because it seems to actually aid in removing cholesterol from the body by carrying it away from the arteries and back to the liver where it is passed from the body.
Determining your cholesterol level is easy and can be done with a simple blood test. The normal level of cholesterol for any individual depends upon their age, weight, and sex. But typically an LDL cholesterol level of above 160 mg/dL is considered high. Similarly an HDL cholesterol level bellow 40mg/dL would usually be considered too low. Either high LDL levels or low HDL levels can put you at risk for plaque buildup. The first and easiest was to reduce cholesterol is to restrict your fat intake. High cholesterol is an important factor in heart disease and stroke and managing your cholesterol is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.
The good news is that there are many effective ways to manage high cholesterol as you can see from other films in this library. However, an important first step towards a hearth healthy lifestyle should be to see your doctor and find out your cholesterol level.
Female: Want to learn more? Check out other videos and sources on this site for more information.
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