What Are Considered Healthy Levels Of Ldl?

With all the contradictory information out there about what exactly are healthy levels of LDL I thought it might be helpful to try to provide some clarity. As you may know LDL stands for low density lipoprotein which are tiny molecules responsible for carrying cholesterol through our arteries to our cells. The problem arises when arteries become damaged (nicks, cracks). These rough surfaces in the interior lining of our arteries snag cholesterol as it is carried by our friendly LDL molecule.

Now what might jump out at you right away is that for those lucky enough to have smooth healthy arterial linings higher levels of LDL, though not recommended, may be acceptable.

So the next question is what actually causes arterial snags and cracks that ultimately lead to the formation of arterial obstructions known as plaque deposits (cholesterol, fibrous tissue, dead cells, calcium)?

The truth of the matter is no one really knows. But most believe that one of a number of factors could be responsible including smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, homocysteine amino acids, high stress levels, and possibly blood cholesterol itself. Since no one really knows for sure what causes arterial nicks and cracks then the only real sure fire way to reduce our risk of heart attack , stroke, or atherosclerosis is to establish healthy levels of LDL.

Risk factors determine standardized healthy levels of LDL

If you have one or more of these risk factors then what would be considered healthy levels LDL will be different from a person with no risk factors. The risk factors are high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, cigarette smoking, diabetes, obesity, inactivity, advancing age, gender (men are at higher risk until the age of 65), a family history of heart attack or stroke, or diseases of the liver such as hypercholesterolemia which flood the body with cholesterol.

According to the National Institute of Health an average person with a moderate risk profile for heart attack or stroke can determine their general cardiovascular wellness according to these LDL cholesterol levels.

Less than 100, optimal; 100 to 129, near optimal; 130 to 159, borderline high; 160 to 189, high; 190 and above, very high.

In translation healthy levels of LDL for most people are around 110 or so. On the other hand if you have multiple risk factors your goal should be to keep levels LDL hovering around 100 or below.

What else? Maintaining heart healthy levels of LDL or lowering cholesterol in general, in most cases, is about changing old habits, adopting new healthier habits, and enlisting the help of convention medications such as statins or natural cholesterol reducing remedies if needed. Put simply, this basically means finding ways to increase HDL (good cholesterol) and decrease LDL (bad cholesterol levels), and bring overall cholesterol down to acceptable heart healthy levels. Certainly the aforementioned statin drugs will be one of your options but they do carry a number of serious label warnings. The side effect risks have made natural cholesterol reduction supplements combined with diet modification a safe and effective combination worth considering.

Tags: Considered, Healthy, Levels