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What Is The Importance Of One's Total Cholesterol Number?

High levels of cholesterol are a major risk factor for heart disease. On average, one American dies of a cardovascular disease every 34 seconds. That is an awful lot of people. Cholesterol is often seen as the enemy and we must try hard to lower it to an acceptable level to halt the disease. There are a few different numbers in a cholesterol test including a total cholesterol number?

The total cholesterol number is not as important as it was once thought to be. High cholesterol is not a good thing, but there are considerations that can mitigate a high number and make it not as bad. Total cholesterol is figured based on a measurement of HDL Cholesterol (the good kind), LDL Cholesterol (the bad guy), and triglycerides and Lipoprotein (a) in the blood.

LDL Cholesterol, triglycerides and Lipoprotein (a) are the culprits that have been linked to heart problems. These are the three things that need to be lowered when a person is determined to have high cholesterol. Often lowering fat intake and getting more exercise will help help to lower as well as medications.

Higher levels of HDL cholesterol have been shown to have a beneficial effect on plaque buildup in the coronary arteries. Therefore, it is often beneficial to raise the levels of HDL cholesterol while lowering the LDL cholesterol.

With this in mind, it is easy to see that sometimes controlling cholesterol is not so much a matter of lowering the total number as it is adjusting the ratio of HDL to LDL in the blood. Lowering the triglycerides is important under any circumstance. Total cholesterol is a convenient measure used by doctors to determine when a person's cholesterol levels are too high and when the ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol is outside the optimum range. Because LDL cholesterol is calculated, rather than measured, the total number is necessary to determine this ratio.

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