Good Cholesterol/Bad Cholesterol
What cholesterol is and how to control it.
Cholesterol is a natural part of your body and can be both good and bad. It’s important to understand what cholesterol is and how to manage it in order to maintain optimal health.
What Cholesterol Is
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that is contained in certain foods and is found in the blood, muscle, liver, brain, and other tissues of the body. Cholesterol travels through the bloodstream in both high-density and low-density lipoproteins.
High Density Lipoproteins
High density lipoproteins are lipoproteins that carry cholesterol away from the walls and help prevent cholesterol from being deposited there. Because of this, HDL cholesterol is sometimes referred to as the “good” cholesterol. Low levels of high density lipoproteins may indicate an increased risk of heart disease.
Low Density Lipoproteins
Low density lipoproteins carry cholesterol from the liver to the different parts of the body. The cholesterol carried by low density lipoproteins is called LDL cholesterol, or the bad cholesterol, because this is the cholesterol that can cause heart disease.
Managing Cholesterol
Because low HDL cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol levels can lead to serious heart disease, it is important to learn how to manage your cholesterol. One of the most popular ways of keeping healthy cholesterol levels is the addition of Omega 3 fatty acids to one’s diet.
Omega 3
Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid that can help aid in healthy levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol. Because studies have shown that Omega 3 may help increase HDL cholesterol and may help reduce LDL cholesterol levels, it is becoming an increasingly common cardiovascular health supplement.
Because the body cannot produce Omega 3 on its own, many people are now taking supplements such as XTend-Life to help aid in healthy cholesterol levels.
When buying an Omega 3 supplement, you’ll want to make sure that it is pharmaceutical grade Omega 3 and that you take the supplement on a regular basis in order to realize the full benefits of the Omega 3.
Fatty fish are also a great source of Omega 3, but because of the risk of mercury contamination, many doctors advice against utilizing fish as your sole means of Omega 3 intake.