We often heart about high blood cholesterol level. We look at what cholesterol is and how it affects our health when this level increases.
Cholesterol forms part of the surface membrane, which surrounds every cell. Its function is protecting nerve fibers (and so make nerve signals work properly) and produce hormones that transport chemical signals around the entire body.
Your body might not work without cholesterol. It is essential to guarantee the body’s regular function. However too much cholesterol in the blood will increase the risk of coronary heart disease and diseases related to the arteries. The body generally makes all the cholesterol it needs. Some dietary cholesterol is normally excreted via the liver, however eating too much saturated fat leads to excess cholesterol in the blood stream.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and Department of Health cholesterol guidelines on a healthy cholesterol level, which is the policy doctors follow, are:
- Total cholesterol – less than 5.0mmol/l
- LDL cholesterol – less than 3.0mmol/l
However, the Joint British Societies (a group of the main UK expert societies involved in cardiovascular disease) recommend different cholesterol limits for people who have, or are at risk of, coronary heart disease:
- Total cholesterol – less than 4.0mmol/l
- LDL cholesterol – less than 2.0mmol/l
These guidelines match the more stringent recommendations used in Europe.
It’s important to keep your cholesterol levels within healthy limits. Try to have a healthy daily recipes, lose weight if needed, increase physical activity, quit smoking to have a good development of the whole body.