SearchExclusive.com

Easy Steps for Cholesterol Level Diagnosis

A type of fat, cholesterol is lipid is essential for the body to function properly. However, too much cholesterol is bad for the health and can have an impact on the most vital organ of human body, the heart. Bad cholesterol often causes heart stroke and other heart-related diseases. Medical terms used by doctors to signify bad cholesterol include lipid disorder, hypercholesterolemia or hyperlipidemia. Cholesterol level diagnosis is made with a simple blood test called lipoprotein profile or fasting lipid.

Following are the four numbers that are taken into consideration while performing cholesterol level diagnosis. These are:

Total Blood or Serum Cholesterol

This takes into account the total sum of High-Density Lipoprotein and High-Density Lipoprotein cholesterol scores.It is also a good indicator of whether the patient has a risk for heart disease.

Optimal – Less than 200 mg/dL
Borderline high – 200-239 mg/dL
High – 240 mg/dL or higher

High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)

Known as good cholesterol, High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) helps in keeping the arteries clear of blockage caused by low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. It is also known to protect people against heart disease. For this reason, higher HDL score is always good. But, if HDL falls below the marked range, it is considered that the patient is prone to suffer heart diseases.

Low – Should be less than 40 mg/dL(men) and 50 mg/dL (women)
Normal – 45 mg/dL + for men and 55 mg/dL + for women
Optimal – 60 mg/dL and above lower danger of heart disease

Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

High level of bad low-density lipoprotein cholesterol leads to blockage in arteries and increases chances of heart diseases. Thus, low level of bad LDL is always good to protect health.

Optimal – Less than 100 mg/dL
Normal/Near Optimal – 100-129 mg/dL
Borderline High – 130-159 mg/dL
High – 160-189 mg/dL
Very High – 190 mg/dL and above

People suffering from metabolic syndrome or heart diseases should ensure that their LDL is lower than the optimal number recommended. Also, diabetic patients should keep their LDL in check in order to lead a healthy life.

Remember, consult a physician to know the ideal LDL levels as per family history and other health problems.

Triglycerides

A type of fat, triglycerides are found in the bloodstream. The increased amount of such type of fat often leads to heart diseases and therefore should be kept under the prescribed limit.

Normal – Less than 150 mg/dL
Borderline High -150-199 mg/dL
High – 200-499 mg/dL
Very High – 500 mg/dL and above

Causes

As discussed above, there are different types of cholesterol. These include:

Total cholesterol –Sum of all the cholesterols
High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) – Good Cholesterol
Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) – Bad Cholesterol
Triglycerides

Abnormal or unhealthy cholesterol levels are due to unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle. This often includes being overweight, lack of exercise and consuming food rich in fat.

Also, there are some health conditions such as kidney disease, diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), underactive thyroid gland and pregnancy that often lead to fluctuation in cholesterol level. There are some contraceptive pills, beta blockers, diuretics (water pills), and some drugs used to treat depression that raises cholesterol levels.

Here are some family or hereditary disorders that lead to abnormal cholesterol and trigger triglyceride levels.

Familial combined hyperlipidemia
Familial dysbetalipoproteinemia
Familial hypercholesterolemia
Familial hypertriglyceridemia

Prevention Tips:

Following steps should be made a part of lifestyle if you want to keep your cholesterol in check and to prevent heart diseases.

Quit smoking – Even though smoking does not directly increase cholesterol levels, it, however, reduces the percentage of good cholesterol.

Fat-free Diet – The best way to reduce chances of developing cholesterol related problems is eating foods that are low in fat. By consuming food that has low fat content reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke. Include whole grains, fruits, and vegetables in your diet and avoid foods that are loaded with saturated fat.

By incorporating these lifestyle changes, one can keep himself away from bad cholesterol. Doctors often recommend medicines if cholesterol cannot be kept under minimal level even after changing lifestyle. Medicines are prescribed by weight, age, blood pressure and other blood flow problems.

Medicines are usually prescribed if you are suffering from heart disease or diabetes; LDL cholesterol should stay below 100 mg/dL, or you are at risk for heart disease and LDL cholesterol is not below 130 mg/dL.

It is best advised to ensure that low-density lipoprotein(LDL) is lower than 160 mg/dL to 190 mg/Dl to get health benefits.

There are several types of drugs that help in lowering and controlling blood cholesterol levels. Remember, these drugs work in different ways and thus should only be taken when prescribed by a physician. For instance, Statins is a drug that helps in lowering cholesterol and are most effective at reducing risks of heart disease.

Related Reading

Tips for Buying the Best Dog Food

Most of the dogs do not have a food fuss and may eat almost anything that you feed them. Dogs are not choosy at all when it comes to food and nutrition. Hence, it is important to make sure that the food that you are purchasing for your dog is healthy. The landscape of dog food has been developing by leaps and bounds in recent times. There is a wide variety of options to choose from in the online and offline market. Given the wide range of options that are available today, buying the best dog food might seem to be a confusing task indeed. All the commercial pet food that is available in the market today is regulated by the FDA. Therefore, most of the products do contain nutritious, healthy, and safe ingredients. But it does help to know certain basic factors you should look for while buying food for your dog. Prioritize on the nutritional guarantee The best dog food, which meets the dog’s needs adequately has a statement written on the label of the product, from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Buy from some of the best dog food brands, such as Fromm Family Foods, Earthborn Holistic, Nature’s Variety Instinct, and The Honest Kitchen.

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets Available for Your Home

The most important aspect when designing your kitchen is deciding on the type of cabinets. In addition to functionality, kitchen cabinets score on aesthetics as well. Once the layout is planned, you can go ahead with choosing the cabinets. If you’re remodeling your home or just the kitchen, what you need to consider are the types of cabinets that furnish your kitchen. Here are a few types of kitchen cabinets that you can choose from. Base cabinets These kitchen cabinets are mounted on the floor and they are placed after checking out the floor plan. A major part of your job in the kitchen is on these base cabinets, which hold and support the countertops. These base cabinets are combined to carve out kitchen islands. A number of base cabinets are fused/set against one another and installed on site. The base cabinets, in addition to supporting the countertops, serve as drawers to hold your cutlery and appliances. Wall cabinets Mounted on the walls, these cabinets can store everything, right from your cookware to cookbooks. In terms of design, they offer utmost flexibility. Wall cabinet kitchen is available in varying heights, multiple widths, and custom depth options. This customization helps you to fit in your stuff of varying shapes and sizes into the wall cabinets.

How to Pick the Right Dog Food for a Sensitive Stomach

In today’s world, where you are presented with over a dozen choices for every item you would purchase for your own kitchen, it is not surprising that you have an equal number of options for your dog’s food. However, choosing the perfect brand and formula for your dog out of a range of options in the market is not an easy job. Your pet depends on you and trusts you to make the right choice for them. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your research about the products available in the market, understand what your dog needs, know what might be your pet’s problems, and then make a sound decision. What is a sensitive stomach? Dogs are known to have voracious and large appetites. Keeping that in mind, it is normal to assume that they have strong stomachs. They can eat close to anything be it sweets, bakes, chewy gum, hard leather or even woolen socks for that matter! It always so happens that the strongest of them are prone to allergies and can develop a disorder which is medically translated as a sensitive stomach. This might be due to a sudden change in the food habits or even due an infection picked up from somewhere.

All You Need to Know about Cat Food

For cat owners, cat food is a hot topic. You need to think about it in different aspects. The best thing is to know which ingredients are good for cat food and which are harmful. If you are aware of this, you can get an idea about the quality of the cat food just by going through the label. It is always sensible to stick to one brand of cat food. However, you may also want to try and prepare cat food yourself. There are also various options for wet cat food as well. Cat’s love for fish is universal, so you can do without going for expensive cat food. Nevertheless, whether you buy it or prepare cat food at home, you need to ensure that the food contains enough nutrition and calories. You would need to have some idea about the ingredients that must be present in cat food and make a worthy selection for your cat. Basic ingredients present in good cat foods Cats need a variety of nutrients to stay healthy and active; they need various vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, and oils. The following is a brief explanation of the basic ingredients that should be present in cat foods.