What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance your body uses to protect nerves, make cell tissues and produce certain hormones. All the cholesterol your body needs is made by your liver. Cholesterol in the food you eat (such as eggs, meats and dairy products) is extra, and too much cholesterol can have negative impacts on your health.

Think you know about cholesterol? Is there bad cholesterol? Is there good cholesterol? You might be surprised in this entertaining and informative video!

How important is cholesterol in the body? It is so essential for life that without it you would die! Learn why this is and more in this entertaining and informative video!

Tracy Fulton, Professor, in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics UCSF explores cholesterol and fat in blood. Series: UCSF Mini Medical School for the Public.

High cholesterol is a condition that affects millions of people. It can lead to serious health conditions such as heart attack and stroke. To maintain good heart health it is necessary to understand your cholesterol levels and how to control them. Every year there are over 1 million heart attacks in the United States.

If your doctor has diagnosed you with high cholesterol he has probably suggested that you change your diet and get more exercise. But what exactly can you do? We have listed suggestions for you to accomplish this. You do not need to adopt every suggestion immediately; you can concentrate on the ones that are most pertinent to your particular situation and work on the rest later to complete your cholesterol lowering program.

1. YOU NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU STAND NOW. The American Heart Association says that people who have a cholesterol level over 240 mg/dL are twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack as people having a level of 200 mg/dL. It is suggested by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute that people over 20 should be checked once every 5 years unless you have obvious risk factors or your test results are of concern then it is suggested that you have this done more frequently. Knowing where you stand now will allow you to set your goals of where you want to be and measure your progress. 2. SPEND SOME TIME AND DO SOME REASEARCH

When you are diagnosed with high cholesterol people tend to jump on what their doctor says immediately. In some cases if your cholesterol has shot off the charts immediate intervention is definitely necessary. But in other cases it is recommended that you understand the options that are available to you. This will help you come up with a program to lower cholesterol that you can live and stay with.

There are things that we can not control such as age, sex and heredity. It is known that the older we get our cholesterol levels increase. They also increase in post-menopausal women over 50. But the good news is that we can control things such as diet, exercise and our weight. Lifestyle changes need to be part of your overall plan.

In addition learn all you can about cholesterol. Know how LDL (bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol affect you. Do you know that lowering HDL cholesterol can actually be bad for your heart? Did you know that most of the cholesterol we need we produce in our livers and the rest comes from the foods that we eat? These are the types of things you need to research and understand to put together, with the help of your doctor, a good cholesterol lowering program.

3. LOOSE THOSE POUNDS

Research has shown that getting rid of those extra pounds can reduce cholesterol levels. Being overweight interferes with the normal metabolism of dietary fats. Even though you have committed to a lower fat diet you may not see your levels decline until you shed those extra pounds. Do not jump on the latest fad diet that is being advertised. By loosing just 5 to 10 pounds can significantly lower your cholesterol levels. The healthiest and easiest way to loose weight is at the pace of ½ to 1 pound per week.

4. GET SOME EXERCISE

A high intensity workout can actually raise your level of good cholesterol (HDL). But it is not necessary to get a high intensity workout. Something as simple as walking can provide benefits like loosing weight and lowering cholesterol. It is also good for your heart. Just a 30 minute walk 5 times a week will produce these benefits. Whatever you enjoy doing physically such as bicycle riding, dancing, swimming or running will get your heart pumping. Consult with your doctor and he can help you come up with a program that meets your current physical condition.

5. KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND BAD FATS

After being diagnosed with high cholesterol your doctor is going to want you to reduce your fat intake which will help you get it under control. Cutting back on some fats is better than cutting back on all fats. There are two types of fats.

Monounsaturated fats have been shown by research to lower levels of LDL while increasing levels of HDL. These are fats that are produced by plants such as canola oil, olive oil, peanut butter and nuts. Saturated fats are found in animal products such as meat, chicken, milk and butter to name a few are the ones you want to cut back on.

These are five important things you can do now to start your program to lower cholesterol. Remember that once you start you need to be committed to your goal and stick with it.