Why Cholesterol Testing is Important?
Everybody has cholesterol, but this is not necessarily bad news. Not many people know that cholesterol is not bad by default, and that there is good cholesterol, as well. The one that harms the body is the bad cholesterol and is called low-density lipoprotein (LDL and the VLDL very low-density lipoprotein). The build up of this type of cholesterol in the body causes hardening of the arteries, which increases the possibility of heart attack and other heart-related complications. The cholesterol in the blood is measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood and reads as mg/dl. Optimally the LDL should stay below 100 mg/dl and the HDL should be above 40 mg/dl; the total should stay within 200 mg/dl. According the medical guidelines the optimal ratio is 3.3:1 for Total:HDL and 1.7:1 for LDL:HDL. Cholesterol testing is necessary to know whether you are in danger of cardiovascular problems. The testing will also indicate whether the LDL and HDL are within their limits or not. Many times, the
