Cholesterol level limit

What is cholesterol why it is harmful/ dangerous when its level in body increases.

Cholesterol level limits chart testing monitoring Cholesterol has some important functions in our body, it is required to forms membrane wall of cells in our body, and maintain cellular physical properties and integrity. Cholesterol is classified in three categories.

1)High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)
2)Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL)
3)Very Low Density Lipoproteins.

Low density cholesterol is in the form of liquid circulating in blood, and as and when its concentration or level in blood goes up, it has tendency to get deposited as solid plaque inside the blood vessels and capillaries through which it flows. Once it forms solid plaque inside the capillary or blood vessel, it obstruct blood flow through blood vessel.

If the blood vessel getting formation of cholesterol plaque is the one supplying blood to heart, it is a serious life threatening situation, it causes obstruction in blood flow to heart which may arrest heart functioning, which is nothing but heart attack.

There is optimal concentration of low density cholesterol up to which there is no risk crossing the limit sets an individuals if at risk of getting coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis, hardening of arteries.

Cholesterol is measured as “Total cholesterol”, followed by estimating amount of LDL and HDL.

Total cholesterol less than 200 is considered as optimal level and greater reading are considered as alarm of developing coronary heart diseases.

LDL reading more than 159 mg/dl is considered as higher and 189 mg/dl is considered as high risk of coronary heart disease.

HDL limit less than 40 mg / dl is considered as high risk.

Why HDL higher value is considered as good:

Higher value of HDL indicates that LDL in blood is picked up and converted HDL, which is cleared from body easily HDL do not get deposited in blood vessels hence it is considered as good cholesterol.

Higher cholesterol level in blood is a result of disturbed metabolic activity, it may be because of various reasons of which following are very important one.

1)Regular high cholesterol diet 2) No or low level of physical activity, lack of physical exercise. 3) genetic. of these first two are very important, limiting diet containing triglycerides or oil, and meat, and little physical exercise is very helpful in controlling blood cholesterol level, even after controlling diet and physical activity cholesterol is not brought under control, doctor prescribe drugs to bring down cholesterol level in blood, otherwise there remains a risk of getting heart attack or coronary heart diseases.