Good Cholesterol Vs Bad Cholesterol Levels
Ldl cholesterol contributes to fatty buildups in the arteries atherosclerosis which results in deposits of cholesterol that narrow the arteries and increases the risk for a heart attack stroke other heart diseases and peripheral artery disease.
Good cholesterol vs bad cholesterol levels. Diabetes symptoms in women early and late. Ldl low density lipoprotein sometimes called bad cholesterol makes up most of your body s cholesterol. Your cholesterol ratio is calculated by dividing your total cholesterol by your hdl number. Hdl helps rid your body of excess cholesterol so it s less likely to end up in your.
Ldl is also called bad cholesterol because it blocks your blood vessels and increases your risk for heart disease. The lower levels of bad cholesterol is beneficial. The good cholesterol or hdl and the bad cholesterol or ldl. Hdl cholesterol can be thought of as the good cholesterol.
The higher levels of good cholesterol is beneficial for the health. By mayo clinic staff high density lipoprotein hdl cholesterol is known as the good cholesterol because it helps remove other forms of cholesterol from your bloodstream. For instance if your total cholesterol is 180 and your hdl is 82 your cholesterol ratio is 2 2. There are two types of cholesterol.
Hdl cholesterol the good cholesterol seems to act as a scavenger and carries ldl the bad cholesterol out of the arteries and back to the liver. The liver then flushes it from the body. Higher levels of hdl cholesterol are associated with a lower risk of heart disease. Hdl high density lipoprotein or good cholesterol absorbs cholesterol and carries it back to the liver.
For hdl cholesterol or good cholesterol higher levels are better. Learn more about cholesterol tests and how to interpret them. The bad cholesterol levels in the blood should be less than 40 mg dl. The higher your hdl level the better.
Another type of blood fat called triglycerides also makes heart disease more likely. The good hdl cholesterol helps your body get rid of the bad ldl. But hdl cholesterol does not completely eliminate ldl cholesterol. So in the case of hdl cholesterol higher levels are actually better experts believe that hdl acts as a scavenger carrying ldl bad cholesterol away from the arteries and back to the liver where the ldl is broken down and passed from the body.
High cholesterol levels in the blood can lead to heart attack stroke and peripheral vascular disease. Hdl is considered good cholesterol because it helps protect you from heart.