HDL Cholesterol Level

What is HDL Cholesterol Level?

When you think of cholesterol, your only thought is that it should be lower,however HDL levels are not the same. Thehigher the better is the necessary information when it comes to HDL cholesterollevels. HDL is not the same as cholesterol.In fact your HDL levels are high density lipoproteins.Our bodies can never seem to have quite enough of them.Their role in our body is to carry cholesterol away from body tissues after LDLhas carried it to them. BecauseLDL vastly outnumbers HDL by about 3 to 1, we're much better off if we canraise our HDL cholesterol levels.

There are several different ways that you will want to achieve this.On the list are the excessive smoking, alcohol, body weight, exercise andmedications. Let's look at the actual numberson this. You have to remember that thesmallest changes in HDL levels are significant.It would be going to far to say it is exponential, but a 1 mg/dL increase in yourHDL cholesterol levels means as much as a 2 to 4 percent reduction in risk ofheart disease and cardiac problems in general.

Breaking Down The Numbers on HDLCholesterol Levels

When we start thinking about HDL levels you need to remember that the numbersare different for men and women. In general,the average figure for HDL is approximately 40 mg/dL for what someone wants inHDL cholesterol levels. That is certainly therange that you have to think in terms of.

At this point we should go from risky HDL to average HDL to ideal HDL levels.The too-low danger flag about this goes out at 37 mg/dL for men and at 47 mg/dLfor women. The normal range for men to have isabout 40 to 50 mg/dL, and for women 50 to 60 mg/dL.The general target range for HDL cholesterol levels, but you have to rememberthat nothing is set in stone in this area, but it is about 60 mg/dL.A reasonable goal we can all set is and should be to increase HDL cholesterollevels by 10 mg/dL from whatever it is now.

As you can see there is a vastdifference from your cholesterol levels and your HDL levels.It is wise for you not to confuse the two of them.Common sense would be for you understand that HDL levels work in the exactopposite manner that cholesterol does, however your HDL levels is akin tomonitoring your cholesterol in that they both play a huge role in your overallhealth. It amazes me how much people get soinvolved in their cholesterol levels that they forget about everything else.You can keep your HDL levels in regulation height by simply eating a balancedand nutritious combination of whole foods.