Cholesterol Awareness Month
Is Your Blood Pressure in Check?
August 5, 2021
Dr. Rand Paul Honors BluMine Health
September 23, 2021
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that’s found in all the cells in your body. It is not inherently “bad”. In fact, your body needs it to build cells. Cholesterol is also found in foods from animal sources, such as egg yolks, meat, and cheese.
Cholesterol comes from two sources. Your liver makes all of the cholesterol you need. The remainder of the cholesterol in your body comes from animals. If you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it can combine with other substances in the blood to form plaque.
There are two types of cholesterol: LDL (bad) and HDL (good). Triglycerides are the most common fat in the body.*
HDL (Good) Cholesterol
HDL cholesterol can be thought of as the “good” cholesterol because a healthy level may protect against heart attack and stroke.
HDL carries the LDL or the bad cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver. At that point the LDL is broken down and passed from the body. HDL cholesterol doesn’t completely eliminate LDL cholesterol. Only one-third to one-fourth of blood cholesterol is carried by HDL.*
LDL (Bad) Cholesterol
LDL cholesterol is considered the “bad” cholesterol, because it contributes to fatty build-ups in arteries (atherosclerosis). This narrows the arteries and increases the risk for heart attack, stroke and peripheral artery disease (PAD).*
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are the most common type of fat in the body. They store excess energy from your diet.
A high triglyceride level combined with high LDL (bad) cholesterol or low HDL (good) cholesterol is linked with fatty buildups within the artery walls, which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.*
Preventing High Cholesterol
- Eat a heart healthy diet
- Become more physically active
- Quit smoking
- Lose weight
Visit a BluMine clinic today to get your cholesterol checked or a full biometrics panel run. Visit our locations page to find the closest clinic to you!