HDL and LDL explained
Cholesterol is not soluble in water and therefore need some assistance to travel throughout the blood stream.
HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) help to remove cholesterol from the walls of blood vessels – and brings it back to liver and excreted from there. HDL helps Protect, or to say it better, clean your arteries from cholesterol build up. Hence it is good cholesterol.
On the other hand, LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) does not aid in the transportation of cholesterol out of the body, instead it deposits cholesterol onto the vessel wall. Therefore it is bad cholesterol.
It is bad because it causes cholesterol to build up inside blood vessels. As the cholesterol passes through the arteries, some of it gets left behind in the form of plaque. The build up gets thicker and thicker, and your arteries get more and more clogged.
Think calcium in your shower pipes, that’s atherosclerosis (cholesterol build up in your arteries).
LDL molecules contain much more cholesterol than HDL molecules.
The (total cholesterol)TC/HDL ratio is more indicative of cardiovascular disease than TC.
The amount of HDL and LDL in the blood are added together, this number for all practical purposes, indicates the amount of total cholesterol. Therefore, if your HDL count is low the LDL count will account for the reminder of the total.
For men an acceptable ratio of TC/HDL is 4.5 or below, and women is 4.0 or below.
The HDL level have an inverse relationship with coronary heart disease. The ability of HDL to predict the development of coronary atherosclerosis has been estimated to be four times greater than LDL and eight times greater than TC. Treatment is recommended for those with a HDL < 40mg/dL.
How to increase HDL and decrease LDL:
Don’t smoke. Smoking lowers HDL cholesterol and increases your blood’s tendency to clot.
Maintain a healthy weight. Excess pounds take a toll on HDL cholesterol. But there’s a good news. If you’re overweight, losing even a few ponds can improve your HDL level. For every 2 pounds you lose, your HDL may increase by .35 mg/dL.
Get more physical activity. Some study shows regular aerobic exercise increased HDL cholesterol by 3% to 9% in otherwise healthy sedentary adults. Try to get at least 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic activity on most days of the week. Better yet, exercise everyday.
Choose healthier fats. A healthy diet includes some fat – up to 25% to 35% percent of your total daily calories can come from fat. But saturated fat should account for less than 7%. Avoid foods contain trans fat, which raise LDL and lowers HDL. This includes many margarine, most commercial baked products and anything that contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Mono unsaturated fat – found in olive peanut and canola oils, is a healthier option. Nuts, fish and other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids are even better.
Drink alcohol only in moderation. In some studies, moderate use of alcohol (particularly red wine) has been linked with higher levels of HDL — but the benefits aren’t strong enough to recommend alcohol for anyone who doesn’t drink already. If you choose to drink alcohol , do so in moderation.
Try to avoid and postpone the cholesterol lowering drugs. The cholesterol drug lowers cholesterol, making you think you are fine because your cholesterol is lower. But the medication hasn’t addressed the underlying reason why your cholesterol might be high in first place, – for example, your cholesterol is high might because insulin resistance. The drug you taken sometimes even aggravate the situation.