Types of lipids tests
Total cholesterol
HDL (good) cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein)
The bad LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein)
Cholesterol other than HDL cholesterol
Triglycerides (triglycerides)
How does the level of fats in the blood affect heart health?
High levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood increases fatty deposits in the arteries and the risk of blockage.
Low levels of good HDL cholesterol reduces the removal of bad cholesterol, increasing the risk of atherosclerotic plaque and blockage
The good news
The good news is that high LDL cholesterol can be lowered, which lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke. If you're 20 or older, get a cholesterol test, and work with your doctor to adjust your cholesterol levels as necessary.
How do I reduce the level of bad cholesterol?
Lifestyle changes often go a long way toward controlling cholesterol levels.
If lifestyle changes alone do not improve cholesterol levels, medications may be prescribed. The lifestyle changes you may be asked to make are as follows:
1. Follow a heart healthy diet
From a diet point of view, the best way to lower blood cholesterol is to reduce saturated fats and trans fats. The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fat to 5-6 percent of your daily calories and reducing the amount of trans fats you eat.
Reducing saturated fat means limiting your intake of red meat, and it also means limiting fried foods and cooking with healthy oils, such as olive oil.
A heart-healthy diet focuses on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts.
Pay more attention to food labels
Know your fats: Knowing which fats raise LDL cholesterol and which ones don't is key to reducing your risk of heart disease.
Cooking to lower cholesterol: A heart-healthy cooking method can help you control your cholesterol level.
2. Physical activity
A sedentary lifestyle lowers HDL cholesterol, which means there is less HDL cholesterol to clear from your arteries.
Physical activity is very important, as only 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week is sufficient to reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure.
3. Quit Smoking
Smoking reduces the level of good cholesterol.
Even worse, when someone with unhealthy cholesterol levels also smokes, their risk of coronary heart disease increases even more.
By quitting smoking, smokers can lower their LDL cholesterol and help protect their arteries.
4. Lose weight
Being overweight or obese tends to increase bad LDL cholesterol and lower good HDL cholesterol.
Losing extra weight can improve cholesterol levels. Losing even 10 percent of weight can help improve high cholesterol levels.
