Have You Had Your Cholesterol Level Checked Lately?
cholesterol
Have you been urged by someone to have your cholesterol checked? I have, and it was not a welcome remark, however well-meaning it was. In fact, I even resented it. Why? Because the previous statement to the urging was very insulting – the person said: “Oh! You’re overweight! Have you had your cholesterol checked? You know, I think you should!”
This is my point: had she said it nicely, I think I would have readily said “Thank you!”
Unfortunately for me, I realize that how I feel towards the person who urged me to have my cholesterol checked is immaterial really, because the truth of the matter is, she was right. I am overweight, and I should be concerned. If I love myself, I should do something about my weight, and the best way is to have my cholesterol checked.
Ironically, I don’t really know much about cholesterol at all. So I did some research on cholesterol, and here’s what I found:
What Is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol can be found in foods from animals such as meat, eggs, and also from dairy products. Cholesterol is often described to look like wax and fat-like; and it’s made in the liver and other cells.
Cholesterol is needed by the body for it to function properly, but this need is minimal, or it only needs so much. When there’s too much cholesterol in the body, then problem begins. The biggest risk when there’s too much cholesterol in the body is heart disease, and the problem does not end there. For men, heart disease can also mean erectile dysfunction or ED, something that men will definitely not want at all.
Cholesterol is classified into three: good cholesterol, bad cholesterol, and VLDL or Very Low Density Lipoproteins.
LDL vs HDL cholesterol
The good cholesterol is HDL or High Density Lipoproteins which helps the body remove or fight the bad cholesterol in the blood. Medical experts say that the higher the level of HDL cholesterol there is in the better, the better.
The bad cholesterol is normally called by its acronym LDL, which means Low Density Lipoproteins. It’s called bad cholesterol because it causes buildup of plaque on the walls of arteries. Thus, the greater number of LDL in the blood, the higher or greater the risk of developing heart disease.
Very Low Density Lipoproteins or VLDL is comparable to bad cholesterol; it does the body no good because it contains more fat and less protein.
After learning all these about cholesterol, I became curious as to how cholesterol is examined or checked. Is it through a urine sample? That would be no problem at all. Actually, I fear needles, and the thought of blood samples freaks me out. So in order to find out, I asked around. I was told that cholesterol is checked through blood samples. I was assured though that it’s not something to be afraid of because blood sample is taken by just pricking the tip of the finger and getting just a few drops of blood.
Well, that should not be a problem at all.
This is a guest post by Siena Lombardi. She holds a B.A. in Literature and currently writes for AccessRx.com, an online facilitator for Viagra online and other safe FDA-approved medications such asCialis. Stacey uses her research scientist skills to cover and uncover big pharma news she shares on theAccessRx Blog.