Checking your cholesterol level
A cholesterol test can help predict your risk of heart problems. Keep in mind, however:
• A cholesterol test is not perfect. It is a general indicator of risk, not an infallible measure.
• Cholesterol tests do not predict anything other than heart disease. A low cholesterol level is not a reason to dig into chicken wings and fish sandwiches. Colon, breast, and prostate cancer, diabetes, gallstones, weight problems, and many other conditions are linked to the same fatty foods that cause heart problems, and a low cholesterol level indicates nothing about your risk for these conditions.
• Cholesterol in the foods you eat increases your risk of artery blockages, apart from its effect on the amount of cholesterol in your blood. A long - term study examined men working at the Western Electric Company near Chicago, starting in 1957 and 1958 and running for the next twenty - five years. Researchers found that those whose meals contained more cholesterol were much more likely to die of heart disease—as much as twice as likely—regardless of their blood cholesterol level.”7 The take - home message is that it is always good to avoid eating foods that contain cholesterol—that is, animal products—whatever your blood cholesterol level may be.
• In addition to checking your total cholesterol, your doctor will also check how much of your cholesterol is in the form of high - density lipoprotein (HDL). HDL particles are the form of cholesterol your body uses to transport it for elimination. It is sometimes called good cholesterol, because it is leaving your body. If your HDL level is low, this means that the cholesterol in your blood is staying around for a while. Happily, you can change that. Exercise and vitamin C - rich foods can increase the amount that is in the “good” HDL form. Smoking and being overweight tend to reduce HDL.18 - 19
Do not be alarmed if a healthy, vegetarian diet reduces your HDL along with the other forms of cholesterol. It simply means that you have less cholesterol in your body, so there is less cholesterol leaving. The fraction of your total cholesterol that is in the HDL form is likely to improve.
• There is no “good” cholesterol in foods. Cholesterol in foods is always a disadvantage. The HDL in your blood is considered “good” only because it is leaving your body.
• Triglycerides are special fat molecules that are built in your liver and travel in your bloodstream. At high levels, they increase the risk of heart problems. Foods can help you lower them. Low - fat diets generally reduce triglycerides along with cholesterol levels, and beans, other legumes, and garlic have a special triglyceride - lowering effect.9 Exercise and losing weight also lower triglycerides.19 Sugars, including natural fruit sugars, can raise triglycerides.
