Do You Know Your Cholesterol Ratio?
To get your cholesterol ratio, you must first know your cholesterol levels. You must have heard cholesterol being mentioned by your doctor or someone else. If you have not find out what cholesterol is and why should you make the effort to maintain your cholesterol levels, here is your chance. What Is Cholesterol? Cholesterol is a substance which is present in our cells and blood stream. Cholesterol is an important part of our system. It normally helps to produce cell membrane and other types of hormones as well. However, there are two types of cholesterol which are good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). While the good cholesterol is essential for our body, bad cholesterol can cause fatal heart diseases by clogging the arteries. To find out your cholesterol levels you have to do a blood test. The normal levels of cholesterol are of a maximum 200mg/dL of LDL or less while HDL should be a minimum of 40mg/dL or more. Some doctors calculate the cholesterol ratio to make it easier for the patients to understand their cholesterol levels. How To Calculate Your Cholesterol Ratio? To obtain your cholesterol ratio you first need to obtain your total cholesterol levels. You must then divide the HDL cholesterol level by the total cholesterol. It is usually easier to calculate the HDL and LDL separately. You should also monitor them separately without working with the cholesterol ratio. However you will still find it easier to calculate your cholesterol ration and manage your cholesterol levels when you are aware of your cholesterol ratio. Controlling Your Cholesterol Besides using drugs available on the market to lower and control your cholesterol levels, you can also try to monitor your food closely. Food that contains cholesterol and trans or saturated fats should always be avoided. To know if the food contains this you can read all labels of the food items you purchase carefully. Exercise and eating healthy always applies when controlling your cholesterol levels and managing your cholesterol ratio. Practicing it everyday will bring you a better quality and longer life. Regular visits to your doctor will also help you be informed of your cholesterol levels. This will help you act before it becomes an emergency situation. Cholesterol level is not calculated by your weight. Even a slim person can have high levels of cholesterol. Therefore, watching your diet can often save your life in the long run. Besides knowing your cholesterol levels and your cholesterol ratio, you must always educate yourself about things you can do to control your cholesterol levels so that you can lead a richer and healthier life.
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