The Meaning of Cholesterol Testing

As recommended by doctors, you should start the cholesterol testing at about the age of 20; it is probably that you have a healthy cholesterol level at that time, but what the real meaning behind is to provide a baseline to your doctor. You should then have your cholesterol testing every 5 years interval until the symptoms of high cholesterol is observed then the cholesterol testing would become more frequent.

Good Cholesterol

Although you heart a lot of bad about cholesterol, cholesterol is necessary for our body to build and maintain the membranes of the cells and may act as a antioxidant. Cholesterol also helps make bile and digest fat. The cholesterol testing is to test the amount of cholesterol present in the blood at that time. For most people, 85% of cholesterol is made by liver and others are from food we take.

Cholesterol found in the blood is a combination of fatty cholesterol in the body and protein molecules. The good cholesterol have high ratio of protein to fat, while the bad cholesterol is vice versa. The cholesterol testing can measure both types. The bad cholesterol could develop plaque in the arteries and causes heart attack and similar diseases.

In the other hand, the good cholesterol could unclog the bad cholesterol problem. Your cholesterol testing will show the balance of the two.

Cholesterol testing shows the amount of each type of cholesterol found in the body, but it does not shows whether the cholesterol is high or low. To determine how one's body deals with cholesterol is the genetics of each body: some people could have high cholesterol which on a low fat diet. The cholesterol testing also measures the fats that found in the bloodstream. This is also known as triglycerides.

Triglyceride is made from excess calories, sugar and alcohol. If you have high number of triglycerides you may have high risk of coronary artery disease. Cholesterol testing could help you to monitor it.

Spend half an hour per day for exercise can raise the good cholesterol level and lower the bad cholesterol number. Avoid having food which has saturated fats and trans fats as 15% of cholesterol is from out the body. If you have done all these mentioned but still found no improvement on your cholesterol testing result, you may need to seek doctor for advise and may need to take up a cholesterol lowering medication regimen. Cholesterol testing could monitoring your cholesterol level closely and help you to achieve a longer and healthier life.

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